Time is a commodity we should never barter or waste. It’s too precious.
People who are constantly striving for a better life, end up expending a ton of effort only to end up in the same place. Mark Manson.
For me, life has, at times, been a bit frantic and led me to constantly endeavour to juggle all the balls, all of the time. Rarely did I take time to breathe and clarify my intentions and ultimately my goals. I was always trying to multi-task and wear several hats but rarely achieved much of anything.
However, over time I’ve come to realise how precious our time on this earth is. Therefore, some of the actions I’ve taken to make my intentions more clear and meet goals include, journal, write on Medium.com and priorities my sleep and diet.
I’ve found writing down my thoughts and being mindful of my feelings has been productive. It’s also made me more accountable and reflective. I think everyone should look back before looking forward. We need to see where we’ve come before we know where we are going.
Prioritising my diet and sleep has been a game changer in giving me energy throughout the day and meant I’ve felt capable to seize any given moment to, for example, read books, weight train or write.
As my late father always used to say to me;
This life is not a dress rehearsal.
This quote has stuck with me, through the years, and I’ve always come back to it and over time fully appreciated it’s significance. We only get one shot at this life and we need to make it count.
Thus, embrace that desire, that urge, that something, you’ve always wanted in life but kept putting off as tomorrow may never come.
Don’t let others put you off or convince you that your goals or plan is flawed, or wrong, or not achievable. They don’t fully know you, only you know what you’re capable of. Embrace it!
Time is the most valuable resource we have. Choose wisely how you spend it.
Time is of the essence
One of my favourite films is Interstellar where the lead characters, Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway, travel through time to find a new planet which could sustain human life as our earth is dying. The film is in the science fiction genre but could easily be, partially, seen as science fact. With it’s talk about the earth becoming uninhabitable, too many people and too few resources/food.
The real interesting part is how Matthew McConaughey’s character, Cooper, deals with leaving his family and the time apart. Travelling through space he realises that time is relative and it can bend and stretch but you can never take get it back. All those years away from his family takes its toll on Cooper and leads him to strive even harder to get home to his loved ones.
Time waits for no person and each passing day is another closer to death. This might sound dramatic and seen as trying to be frightening but ultimately it’s true. The Stoics have a phrase ‘Memento mori’ which is a reminder of the inevitability of death.
One of my favourite writes Ryan Holiday regularly speaks about Memento Mori in his writing and podcasts and I would recommend an article he wrote on the subject https://dailystoic.com/history-of-memento-mori. He highlights, “The point of this reminder isn’t to be morbid or promote fear, but to inspire, motivate and clarify.”
I hope people will appreciate their time on this earth is finite and precious. We should seize it with both hands and embrace challenges and never put off the things you have been considering for fear of failure or what other’s might think.
As a wise man once said, this is not a dress rehearsal.
Memento Mori.
