It’s no secret that time could be our worst enemy. Our way of living is measured by a clock: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 4 weeks a month, 12 months a year and so on. Most people have their days and lives scheduled until they go to bed. Everything is time up. Ours days, our age, our relationships, working hours, our conversations and so on. We give meaning to time and we live by it.
In a 2005 paper, Wittman and Lehnhoff asked study participants: “How fast did the last 10 years pass for you?” And what they found was that, the older people were, the faster time seemed to pass — at least until they got into their 50s. They suggested that time pressure might be one of the factors causing subjective time to accelerate for people. A few examples of this: pressure to finish a deadline, pressure to have kids at certain age, pressure to finish a game on time.
We do feel like time moves more quickly when under pressure and this got me thinking on this questions:
What are we doing with our time? Are we really living or just passing by? Are we really trying or scared of trying? Do we take care of the most important things in our life?
I have realized that what we do with our life, how we treat others and how we spend our time is a pure reflection of who we are. If you decide that your time is valuable watching TV for 20 hours a week, so be it. If you decide to hang with the wrong people because you feel you can learn from them, so be it. If you feel social media is not a waste to your productivity, so be it. Who I am to judge you?
However, we often don’t think our time is NOW. It’s this present, this moment, and is passing by very FAST.
I will tell you more…your life is passing by and the time you choose to do X and X things is what will define you. If you have a chance to look further in the future, what you would tell your present self? I bet it would be something like this “don’t lose time on dumb shit that would not help you grow.”
So, think about this well and write your answers if necessary:
- What are the things that makes you content?
- How you want to spend your time?
- Who are the people who you care the most? Are you giving your attention and love?
YOU have the capacity to do ANYTHING you want in this time on earth. However, we are living in distracting and stressful times and we need to shut out this noise. How do we do that?
Recipe: Pinch of motivation, pinch of new habits and a pinch of hope.
If you want to live a magical life you have to realize that YOU have all the skills to do that. You need to understand, that yes, it will take time to get there. This time could build out the pressure I was speaking earlier. It could be painful and it could be beautiful, but at least you try to spend your time wisely on things that really matter to YOU.
As for me, I don’t want to look back and say “damn, I have wasted my life”. I want and will create something greater for me and those around me. That’s why I’ve quit un-fulfilling jobs and spend more time on things that are joyful for me, like traveling, writing, etc…
I decided to make my days beautiful and longer. To meet new people and deepen my relationships with old friends and family members. To trust the universe and learn from hardships. To believe I can do anything. To enjoy my writing. To trust myself. To dance. To admire nature.
A time well-spent.
xoxo,
Cristina
