"I can't be successful," someone lamented to me at the BlogPaws conference. "I mean, there are so many blogs doing exactly what I do, how can I compete?"

"Are there not Starbucks on every corner?" I answered. "And coffee shops in supermarkets?" Truth is, the world is full of competing companies and most of them make enough money to open their doors day after day, despite the competitor across the street or around the block. Never let competition keep you from trying.

Back to Lena. A prime message in her keynote was - "You have the same 24 hours as... Bill Gates, or Oprah, or ..." the person you think of as your biggest competitor. Time is your biggest friend and your biggest enemy. She didn't say that, per say, but I'm saying it. Lena wanted everyone to recognize that how you use your time is relevant to your success.

There's a book on Tom's desk which he has kept close by during four moves. It has a place of honor, I think. There it sits, day after day, "Always Post-pone Meetings with Time Wasting Morons". It's a Dilbert book. One of the first, I believe. The title says it all - if you're giving your 'time' to folks who don't deserve it, you're wasting not only time, but energy. 

How do you recognize "time wasting morons"? They're the people who don't deliver. They might be family members (they just want a minute of your time and you work at home so... you have all the time in the world, right?). They might be well-meaning friends who want to make suggestions on how to run your business, because they know it better than you do. Really? They might be new contacts who gush about you, flatter you, cry about how smart you are and how not-smart they are and could you please just give them 10 minutes to listen to their pitch?

Time wasting morons.

Guard your time closely. Once it's gone, it's gone. Lena said, "Time is not money. Money you can get more of when it's gone. Time... is irretrievable."

Embrace change and competition. They bring customers. Do not give your time to morons who fit the time wasting morons role. Once you become thoughtful about your time, how to use it and who to use it with, you will jump ahead of the crowd.

Last little thought - don't become a time wasting moron. Think before you ask for someone else's time. Will it be worth their effort and will you leave them with a positive feeling of having spent useful moments with you?

p.s. here's a case of using time wisely - I was invited by Caroline Golon to be part of Women of the Week at Executive Elements - just by answering a few key questions. Was this a waste of my time? Far from it - this was important in ways too numerous to measure. The biggest way this was well worth my time is in the ability to share a bit more about ME with folks who don't know me, yet. Do hop over and check it out - you might learn something new about me, too!