WE HAVE A LIMITED AMOUNT OF TIME TO “MAKE A DIFFERENCE” – INVEST YOUR’S WISELY

Some people work through one project at a time – from start to finish – then move on to another to (presumably) maximize their productivity. Others work on multiple tasks by attacking different priorities – setting aside one project in favor of another prior to its completion – until all work is eventually completed in what they feel is the most timely and efficient manner. Still others tend to operate by “putting out fires” as they jump from one critical need to another without taking the time to think about how best to coordinate their efforts, working on one thing UNTIL something seemingly more important needs their attention to fix. We find ourselves worrying needlessly about things outside of our control – wasting precious hours thinking about why something cannot be accomplished (or was not done) rather than taking intentional action to move towards a desired outcome. We feel there is never enough time to finish what must be done (but always have time to redo something that may have been done incorrectly). We spend hours worrying about things outside of our control and getting stressed about finding time to do everything that needs to be done (rather than focusing on doing “something” then moving on one step at a time). Without proper planning and focus we find ourselves slaves to the very clock we so desperately seek to master – struggling to complete anything (rather than everything) on a timely basis.

Far too many people complain more about the disturbances, distractions, and annoyances in their lives than they celebrate the opportunities to learn, grow, and develop by handling the fallout from the disturbances they may face. We dwell upon the fact that others possess the attributes we want rather than embracing and exhibiting our individual gifts and abilities. Instead of finding satisfaction in all we have accomplished, some see only what has not been finished due to a lack of time or how much better a job could have done “if only” more time had been given. Rather than acknowledging how we impacted another while focusing upon changing our own expectations (and ways of doing things) we often prefer to think about what was not done and how much more should have been accomplished (rather than being happy for what was done and building upon it to accomplish more).

Everyone can lose themselves in thoughts about what COULD HAVE BEEN. It is easy to dwell on lost opportunity – to excuse a lack of execution by saying that the time for action has passed (or it is not worth the effort needed to initiate action) since “things are OK now” (though they COULD be better). It is harder (but much more rewarding) to consider WHAT MAY YET BE – to seek and anticipate issues not yet identified and commit to their being accomplished – accepting each minor success as but a step on the road towards the fulfillment of a dream. Life is not measured by the time it takes to accomplish our objectives but rather by the objectives we are able to accomplish – not by how long (or short) a time it takes to do SOMETHING but rather by the impact we are able to make upon the lives of those around us as we act within the time we are given. We must define objectives and measure accomplishments (rather than overly documenting steps and focusing upon the time it takes to accomplish things) if we wish to invest the limited time we are given wisely.

Perhaps the return on our investment would be much greater if we thought more about alternatives – opportunities to explore areas not previously identified – rather than dwelling upon how (we sometimes wish) we could live within our normal routine seeking satisfaction from completing our assigned objectives.

Many often find themselves buried by the details of what must be finished prior to something new beginning rather than truly celebrating all we have done while seeking closure to the opportunities that require our attention. We should seek fulfilment in life by identifying unresolved issues and exploring possible solutions rather than making excuses for unintentional omissions that result in unintended consequences. We should find peace within the hectic world around us, taking our lives back from the clock as it ticks relentlessly on. Time should never become a measurement of how long it takes to fulfill our destiny – it should never become the measure upon which our identity, success and accomplishments can be monitored – but rather a parameter in which to identify our accomplishments, measure our abilities and strive for the realization of objectives (rather than focusing upon and accepting the path it took so get there as the only way something might be done).

Time invested wisely can never be wasted but wasting time worrying about how it may have been inappropriately spent (by yourself OR others) is never a good investment. Choose wisely as one can either master time (reaping the rewards of their investments) or be mastered by time (never accomplishing what we wish to do or seeing what we want to experience). The choice is up to each of us – to either be a victim of our self-imposed boundaries or a champion of those things not yet identified and seen.