I read somewhere that an old man was asked, “If you could buy anything, cost was not an issue, what would you buy?” He answered, “Time.”
I get that. My question is, what would you do with that time?
We talk about “spending time.” I guess that is what we do. We start each day with 24 hours. We use those hours up as we go through the day. We are not getting them back. They are not a renewable resource. We cannot invest those hours and hope to grow more time. We can invest time in other people and grow connections. We can invest time in ourselves.
I spent some of my 24 hours today journaling. I spent some time cleaning my house and mowing my yard. I checked some emails, looked at Facebook and LinkedIn to see if any of my posts are getting traction and to learn about what others are saying and doing. I attended a Zoom training, and now I am writing this blog. Oh, yeah, I also bought a pair of black sandals.
Do you think those things, those “doing” things, are what we want MORE time for? I don’t think so.
I think we want more time to spend with people we love. I want more time to read a good book, share a good meal, grow some pretty flowers, pet an animal, laugh with a baby. I want time to look at the clouds, to smell the flowers, to walk on the sand and put my feet in the water.
Yet, how often do we take the time for those type of things? I make my “to-do” list and start marking off all the things I “HAVE” to do. In reality, I don’t HAVE to do any of those things. I choose to do them because I want a clean house and I want to grow my business.
Maybe I don’t really want more time. Maybe I just want to VALUE the time I have. I do value the things I did today. I value a clean house and a nice yard. I value writing a blog for my readers and look forward to hearing your feedback about what I write. And I really did need those black sandals. Ok, maybe need is the wrong word, but I really did want those black sandals. I am looking out my window at some beautiful trumpet lilies. I have a book on my nightstand that I will read tonight. And this weekend I will spend time with one of the people I love.
We all have a choice as to how we want to spend our time. We all have a choice to value how we spend our time, whether it is marking things off our to-do lists or relaxing and watching a favorite show. Spend your time intentionally and I hope you find the value of your time today.
I agree we want more time and not have enough in a day to do all we want to do. I also agree that we want to value that time and if the task gives us satisfaction and joy, then it was good use of the time. When in the moment, we can appreciate nature around us. Early morning and evening are a good time, when there is more quiet from people and more music from the birds etc. I was up earlier today and was amazed at how many different birds were out and about in the backyard. I watered my plants earlier too and enjoy seeing them. When we feel happy, I think we add good time to our day. Temps will be more enjoyable today allowing more outside time. Enjoy.
Tempus fugit! True. But agree totally that to the degree we have ANY control, let us use what time we have doing what my friend Lane says, “sparks joy!”