We are present in this moment, and gone in the next, often with no warning or announcement. Time is her own boss, she moves on unassisted with or without you. She rewards all of us, day by day with the precise 1440 seconds in which to make a meaningful impact on this earth. And one day when she decides that she no longer has any rewards for you, there is simply nothing you can do, but bow to her claim.
About two months ago, I received an urgent call from a close friend to speak about a project that she had been intending to start for over a year. She proceeded to tell me that her parents had motivated her to do whatever she had her mind set on because ‘time is precious’ and none of us are guaranteed another day. We had never anticipated that a month after our brief conversation we would bury one of her parents-her mother. The memory of our conversation resounded loudly in my mind and the realisation that no single person on the planet knows how long their days will be.
The term ‘time well spent’ has a different meaning for everyone of us. Whether it includes achieving your career objectives or completing personal projects that you may have begun at the beginning of the year; each one of has a list of what we intend to spend our time on.
But sadly, it’s easy to get stuck under the bondage of hurt and pain and life’s unfairness and forget to live, to see the joy. To forget to laugh out loud or dance, fully immersing yourself in the moments and not allowing yourself to get caught up in the doing and the getting, forgetting what it’s like to ‘just be’.
Take a moment to imagine how you would feel if you had to look back at how you’ve used your time; would that reflection fill you with joy or regret and a longing to go back to do things over?
If the latter is true of you then let today be the day that you make a decision to be more deliberate about how to spend your time in the way that means the most to YOU, not anyone else but YOU. I urge to it within yourself to:
Start the project:
Whatever it is, be it an NPO or a business or whatever is close to your heart, you can no longer afford to put it off for another year or a ‘better season’. Start with what you have and make the most of the adventure. It most probably won’t be easy but you will love yourself for taking the step and giving it 100% of your efforts.
Leave the relationship:
Some call it the sixth sense, and others intuition but we all know it when a relationship is toxic to our state of mind, emotions and growth. No matter how much you love the person, always remember that toxic relationships are a waste of time!
Say you’re sorry:
Start with yourself; say a string of meaningful sorry’s to yourself for the lost opportunities, the mistakes, the shame, all the broken pieces! Mean them, forgive them and move on. Then apologise to those you have hurt, as you do not know how much time you or the other person have. This forgiveness is sure to set you free, maybe not immediately but daily as you consciously choose it.
Live in the moment:
It’s easy to worry about the future and live in haunted regret of the past and forget to fully embrace the present. It does not have to be a ‘huge’ moments, but simply enjoying the warmth of the sun or the smiling face of a little child is enough. Invest in appreciating these tiny treasures given to us by Time herself.
Unlike us Time has no space to entertain regret or construct excuses, she simply ticks on, erasing the past while forging on into the future.
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