The Code Breaker Newsletter - Issue #026 Special Edition - Reflections On Memorial Day

Hey Code Breakers,

Welcome to the very first special edition of The Code Breaker Newsletter.

Throughout the year, I've got a couple of special editions planned for you. These special editions will differ from our “usual programming." And they’ll include additional topics that connect to our roles as entrepreneurs.

So whether you’re a regular reader of the Code Breaker Newsletter, or someone who’s just joining us, I hope you enjoy.

This past weekend represents a very important time in the U.S… . It’s the unofficial start of summer. And, more importantly, it was Memorial Day Weekend.

For many, Memorial Day Weekend is a time filled with friends, family, barbecues, and parades.

As it’s the unofficial start of summer, it’s a turning point in the year that many people get excited about.

But it’s also a time of remembrance. It’s a time to remember that the reason we have the freedoms we have is because someone chose to fight for them. They chose to sacrifice. And, some gave their very lives for those freedoms we hold so dear.

And the question we have to ask ourselves is how do we honor their sacrifice? How do we live our lives in a way that worthy of what they gave?

In my opinion, it’s be using the one thing those special individuals choose to give up and can never get back. It’s to choose how we’ll spend our time!

Below is an excerpt from my daily newsletter, Reflections (signup for it here), where I share my reflections on Time and how it’s spent.

From Reflections - 148 - On Time

Is there a greater calling on our lives than to use the time we have? 

To some this means to live a life full of adventure and to never waste a single moment. 

To others this means to work ourselves to the bone because there’s money to be had and not a 

It makes some people, like me, believe that there’s no great offense then to waste somebodies time. 

And yet, for others it means next to nothing. 

Many people don't get Tempus Fugis (Time Flies). Or worse, what they see as a valuable use of their time is a complete waste, justified by their thinking that it’s not. 

So what is the right and proper use of our time? 

It’s certain to be a dichotomy if there ever was one, but here are a couple of uses I believe to be right and true (and in no particular order):

1. To use your time to bring value to this world. Not to yourself, but to those around you. To serve others in some way. 

2. To use your time to educate your mind on subjects that add value to you and those around you. 

3. To use your time to contribute to your family with your time, presence, and attentiveness. To set the example and live out the values you want to see in your family. 

4. To use your time exercise and keep your body, and mind, in the best shape possible. Ever progressing and pushing your boundaries and limits. 

5. To use your time to earn as much as possible in order to contribute as much as possible. I’ve never known a poor man to give back to his community but I have known a number of rich men and woman who have. 

They say that war isn’t for the faint at heart, well, neither is time. Because if you don’t use it, someone else will!

So in reflection of Memorial Day Weekend do yourself a favor and do a time audit. Then ask yourself if you’re spending your time in a way that’s consistent in honoring those who have no time. Those who sacrificed the time they had so that you could have more of it.

There’s a line towards the end of Saving Private Ryan where Tom Hanks says to Matt Damon “Earn It”! 

So ask yourself today, are you living in a way that’s earned their sacrifice? Are you living in a way that would make them proud? Would they say you’ve used your time to unlock your potential? Do you challenge yourself to get the most from the freedoms they sacrificed for? 

If not, it’s never too late to start.