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Someone recently told me that time is my inventory and that I should be strategic about how and to whom I allocate it. Yep, that sounds like pretty good advice. Re-reading that introductory sentence, it appears two questions may come to your mind as an inquisitive reader. The first, "who is that someone?" And the second, "what criteria should be used to decide the how and to whom?"

Answer to the first is easy: my business coach. Yessir, I have a business coach. No kidding. And she's smart.

Answer to the second: I have no 'effin clue but am certainly willing to explore it a bit here.

When I think of time, I think of wanting what limited time I have available in my inventory to be reusable in some way. Like a water bottle or a razor or even advice. The glitches though are that I can't refill time as I can a water bottle or reuse it as I do a razor or even re-dispense it as I do advice. Oh, wait. That one I can do. I can re-dispense advice, and in a theoretical way, time. Great, this is progress.

Being strategic in determining how I re-dispense the advice, the time it takes to proffer it, and to whom the advice is given is now absolutely doable. The criteria seem to be pretty straightforward too. Give time to those who not only need it but will genuinely appreciate it. And not inasmuch as they return the favor. But more so that they have gained something worth passing on to others. You know, paying it forward. And how you give that time and accompanying advice should be guided by the most effective way to affect the recipient's ability to process and fully comprehend the advice relative to its designed purpose.

Sounds pretty strategic to me but I'll make sure to run it by my coach for a double-check. By the way, the advice that you, I, we package up and re-dispense? It clearly has to be relevant to each recipient. Don't give marketing advice to the director of IT. Don't give long-distance running advice to pole vaulters. Don't give farming advice to manufacturers. And please, above all else, don't re-dispense your precious inventory of advice, dare I say subject matter expertise to those who like to just kick the proverbial can down the road.

Bestow it on those who will use it. Oh, and if they'll pay you for it, that's even better. I'm off my soapbox for today. Don't forget, keep working to Achieve Greatness.