“How did it get so late so soon? It’s night before it’s afternoon. December is here before it’s June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?”

― Dr. Seuss

About two-thirds of our time is spent either working or sleeping. That leaves roughly one-third for personal or family time. Typically, one-third of the day’s tasks are the ones we blow through quickly so we can then spend the few minutes that are left, hours if we’re lucky, doing what we want. We call it our “free time,” and we recognize it as being rare and precious. Time is the construct by which our mortal minds measure life here on earth. That is why time is so precious. By our very nature, we don’t want to miss a thing. This means that not only is quantity of time important, but even more so, is the quality of that time.

Unfortunately many of us toss away valuable free time. Fear of making the wrong decisions keeps us from making any decisions at all so we do nothing, and that time is gone for an eternity never to return. Caught up in what seems to be an endless cycle of wake-work-sleep-repeat, we begin to feel as if life is just slipping away. Without solidified intent, you can’t know what to do with your few precious moments. This can only lead to anxiety or frustration because you can’t know what to do first or even where to begin. You have to envy those who, in some seemingly mysterious and innate way, appear to have always known their purpose. It’s as if they were born with a passion, a drive and a real reason for enthusiastically facing what each day has to offer.  If there’s an end objective in sight, it’s much easier to know what steps need to be taken, or at least what path can be initiated. Purpose clarifies this end objective.

Maybe you do have set goals and concretely defined end objectives, a passion, but you’re overwhelmed, and you consistently find yourself not having enough time. This could be a good sign. Because if you found yourself not knowing what to do with your time, you’d have too much time on your hands. Ironically, an overabundance of time signifies lack- not enough responsibility, no one to take care of, a loss of direction, no motivation, no purpose, a lost soul. I’ve been through tough times. Life can always be much worse, and I know this from experience. That is why I don’t want to be irresponsible with my time. I know what it’s like to lose time, precious moments gone forever. So what time I do have, I truly want to respect and cherish.

I’ve reigned as the Queen of Wasted Time for a long time, but here are a few things that I’ve been trying out lately:

• Keeping a set but flexible schedule.
• Setting small attainable daily goals that reflect my most important values.
• Taking chances, not being afraid of making mistakes.
• Recognizing that both accomplishments and faults define me, in good ways.
• Focusing on developing, not only tangible, but also intangible assets- a healthy spirit, a flexible mind, loving relationships & a truly rewarding skill.
• Living for today, every day.
• Most importantly, being thankful for what I have.

We are grateful for our time on earth. We want to use our time wisely, to best serve the needs of our families and others. Time is energy. It is momentum and opportunity. Time heals and changes. Time is life, and it flies. Time doesn’t last forever so take care of it.