The Time You Spend…
“It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste much of it.”
— Seneca
The Obstacle
Time is the most precious of all currencies. You cannot buy it, but you can give it away. Time gives to and steals from us one decision at a time. How we spend our time makes us who we are.
In the time you spend… scrolling, reading comments, looking at things to buy you do not need… in the time you spend watching a show you aren’t sure you even want to keep watching… in the time you spend avoiding… in the time you spend distracted… in the time you spend catching up on news that is playing to your fears… in the time you spend in imaginary political arguments… in the time you spend perfecting the past… in the time you spend feeling regret, shame, or guilt about the past… in the time you spend carefully crafting a future that is likely to never arise… in the time you spend planning for fears of the future that seldom come to fruition… in the time you spend controlling things that do not need controlled… in the time you spend making things your way… in the time you spend making things just perfect… in the time you spend saying yes to things you don’t want to do because you want to please…
In that time, you lose time, connection, purpose, you loose the person you could become. Is it worth the cost?
The Gift and Opportunity
Time can give us connection and meaning. Time can build strength of mind, body, and spirit. Time can create a life we intend if we choose to use it with intent and purpose. If we can see where time is spent, we can direct and savor it. All of that lost time is showing us something — showing us where we drift, where we escape, where fear steers us. The opportunity is to turn that same time toward something that a creates, rebuilds, strengthens. In the time we spent, we could have lived. We can start doing that now, with each second, with each choice. Notice how yours is spent and choose with intent.
The Practice of Self-Mastery
Notice where you time is spent each moment today.
Ask, “Is this where I want my time to go?”
Shift immediately, make it your choice.
Replace the distraction with something meaningful.
Reclaim the present and make the connection with who you are with or what you are doing.
SLOW DOWN and NOTICE
