spend

Today is the Annual Alumni Invasion for my Fraternity. Whole bunch of guys from throughout the Northeast converge on Troy NY to interview students for their companies, re-visit old haunts, and re-connect.
Why is this important, other than the fact that I get an evening out with friends?
It is important because these guys have become successful to very successful. They are senior managers and CIO’s and tech leads, generally quicker than normal. And these aren’t the real brainiacs from the House. These are the guys who learned to get through problems, and work hard, and build and maintain connections. That is the key.
Many finance guys will talk about “Investing” only when referring to money. But time is a limited resource that needs to be allocated, and should be invested rather than spent. Spent means it is gone and has little chance of generating anything of value, like standing in line or sitting on hold or what have you. Invested means that it can pay dividends, whether it is job opportunities (like connecting with older alumni or mentors), financial opportunities (meeting with your advisor), or relationships (going to do laundry at 3 a.m. because you know that is when the cute girl/hot guy does it).
So when you are choosing to do something, ask yourself: am I spending my time or investing it? As the Alumni Invasion shows, it is better to invest than spend now, so you actually have more to waste if you want later.