DO YOU SPEND TIME FOOLISHLY OR INVEST IT WISELY?

Time is seemingly in abundance when we have nothing to do – yet it eludes us when we are so busy that we might prefer it to stand still. Some attempt to work through one project at a time – from start to finish – then move on to another. 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 (hopefully in a timely manner). Still others tend to operate by “putting out fires.” They work on one thing UNTIL something more important comes along, at which point everything is dropped to resolve the immediate crisis before returning to what they were doing. Regardless of the kind of work style exhibited, too many individuals worry more about when they will finish the race than they do about finding pleasure along the way – or even recognizing the satisfaction of simply moving relentlessly forward until they are able to cross the finish line. Many worry about things outside their control – spending precious hours documenting or validating why something cannot be easily accomplished because someone else has authority or control – rather than acting upon things over which they do have influence. Others feel they never have the enough time to finish what must be done so they dare not “stop to smell the roses” along the way. These individuals often find themselves slaves to the very clock they so desperately seek to master – struggling to complete anything on time because they worry more about being able to appropriately resolve an issue than simply moving forward TOWARDS resolution…focusing ONLY on the results of their actions with no consideration for the stones that might be turned or the progress that might be made while moving towards resolution.

Far too many people complain about the lemons in their lives – the disturbances, distractions, annoyances, and disruptions – than they do celebrating the opportunity to make (and enjoy) lemonade. They dwell upon the fact that others possess the attributes they would prefer to exhibit rather than embracing and exhibiting their individual gifts and abilities. Rather than finding satisfaction in all they have accomplished (or even are simply on the road to resolution), they see only what has not been finished because they “ran out of time” or how much better a job they could have done “if only” more time (expertise, attention, finances) had been given. These people would say, “I did not do anything I wanted to this summer (vacation, holiday, time of rest),” complaining that the season passed them by rather than recognizing how much may truly have been discovered, enjoyed, conquered, or accomplished. They would prefer to think about what was not done than what they did – often refusing to acknowledge how they may have impacted another as they dwell upon their own life, their dreams, or their ever-changing (and never satisfied) expectations – actively seeking to “fix” everything around them than they are to simply enjoying the ride as they move towards a destination.

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 the contribution that personal action may have made is not worth the effort expended. It is harder to anticipate WHAT MAY YET BE – to seek issues not yet identified and commit to their being accomplished – and to accept each minor accomplishment as but a step on the road towards the completion of a major life event rather than seeing it as something less than complete. Whenever one becomes lost in time, chasing maddeningly after the tip of a second hand as it races around the clock remind yourself that life is not measured by the time it takes to accomplish our objectives but by the impact we are able to make upon the lives of those around us – in the time we are given.

Summer is not over yet EVEN THOUGH many have already taken vacation and “settled” into a life of “what is” rather than one of “what could be next.” We often find ourselves buried by what must be finished before something new can begin rather than truly celebrating all we have done while seeking closure to the opportunities still available. We could gain much more at times by thinking about alternatives – exploring areas not previously identified or taking paths not yet traveled – than by dwelling upon how we might be able to live comfortably within our normal routine to accomplish our assigned objectives leveraging known, tested, and tried methods. Whenever we seek what has not yet been done rather than focusing upon what we have already accomplished, we will discover ways never before considered in which we can contribute to the fulfillment of our lives AND the lives of those around us.

Explore solutions to unresolved issues rather than making excuses for unintended omissions. Immerse yourself in the beauty of all that is around you – finding solace in the cry of a gull or joy in the laughter of a child…peace in the quiet of a forest or power in the crashing of the sea upon a shore – as you seek to recharge and refresh during the times that present themselves between finishing one chapter prior to beginning another. Find comfort within the hectic world around you by taking your life back from the clock as it ticks relentlessly on and focusing your energies upon what might yet be rather than investing them only in what has already been accomplished. Time should never become the only measurement of how long it takes to fulfill your destiny – it should become the measure upon which your identity, success and accomplishments can be monitored as you move relentlessly towards bringing to fruition the reality of your thoughts and the enormity or your accomplishments.