Some Things Are Just Worth the Time

The dictionary defines time as a measurable period during which an action, process, or condition exists or continues. Time is also the point or period when something occurs.

While the dictionary provides a clear-cut definition of time, time still means different things to different people. Time also can have a relative meaning—a short time or a long time— depending on the amount of time one thinks a condition needs to occur and the importance of pending actions.

For the eight year old child, who just celebrated Thanksgiving, Christmas is a long time in the future; for the parent the 38 days represent a short time for gift buying. To the employee looking forward to the weekend, Friday can be a long time away. For a manager with a report due, Friday is a drop-dead deadline. For an engaged girl, her marriage day can be a million hours away; for the father of the bride, time has flown and too quickly his little girl will be gone.  

What is the thing about time that so intrigues us? Time has no past; no future. Time is about the now, the present. George Harrison said of time, “It's being here now that's important. There's no past and there's no future. Time is a very misleading thing. All there is ever, is the now. We can gain experience from the past, but we can't relive it; and we can hope for the future, but we don't know if there is one.”

Maybe it is time to heed the words from the movie, Kung Fu Panda, "Yesterday is History, Tomorrow a Mystery, Today is a Gift, That’s why it's called the Present." The best gift we can give ourselves is to use the time we have available to improve ourselves and to help a neighbor.

The rational person knows that we only have the present. Therefore, to be successful, we must live in the moment. The past is past, the future is not. The words of Mother Teresa are true: “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” Perhaps Pope John Paul II was thinking of time when he wisely said, “The future starts today, not tomorrow.”

Your age, sex, nationality, education level or how much wealth you have doesn’t influence the speed of time.  Time is flying and it is getting late. So, as you think about time, consider if any of the action steps listed below are worthy of your time. If so, why don’t you grab several actions and execute them?

It is worth the time to:

• Ask,” Can I help?”

• Encourage a teammate.

• Inquire of another’s opinion.

• Say, “Hello, how are you?”

• Read a good book.

• Show appreciation.

• Smell the roses.

• Thank someone for helping make you a better person.

• Say, “It is my pleasure.”

• Realize the only time you have is the present.

• Email a friend to “Have a blessed day.”

• Tell someone, “You brighten my day.”

• Send a thank you note.

• Open the door for anyone older than you; and gentlemen to open doors for ladies.

• Listen more than you talk.

• Be on time.

• Call and congratulate a friend on an accomplishment or milestone in their life.

• Visit an ailing person at their home, hospital or nursing home.

• Review your personal goals and self-improvement plan.

• Verify appointments to ensure you are still expected.

• Eat at a new restaurant.

• Develop and execute an appropriate personal exercise program.

• Think about and be thankful for your many blessings.

• It is not all about you.

• Vote.

• Celebrate!

The purpose in using time isn’t just to use it. It is to use it wisely. Engage in activities that are important to you and/or have a positive impact on others.

We weren’t put here to mark time. Our purpose is to make time useful for ourselves and others. When time ends your legacy will be all that remains. What will your legacy reveal about how you used your time—the time been birth and death?

I recall hearing someone say that everyone has the same amount of time but not all people will use their time wisely. It is a fact that we long for the past and yearn for the future; meanwhile the present is leaving us fast. Theodor Seuss Geisel—writer, poet and cartoonist—better known Dr. Seuss offered some remarkable insights on the subject of time: “How did it get so late so soon? It's night before its afternoon. December is here before its June. My goodness how the time has flown. How did it get so late so soon?”

Before it gets any later, let us begin to see the worth in time and invest it wisely.

Three Point Success Summation

SUCCESS THOUGHT: We all have the exact same amount of time for the priorities in our life. If you find this untrue, examine your priorities—you have too many.

SUCCESS QUOTE: “Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time, who never loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done, if we are always doing.” ― Thomas Jefferson

SUCCESS ACTION: Master your time by using it wisely.

wn-tampa@att.net