Time is Short…How Are You Spending Yours?

In the blink of an eye, something happens that changes everything:

You lose someone important in your life…
The baby you held in your arms heads off to college…
Your marriage dissolves…
The 5 pound gain turns to 40…
A parent’s health begins to decline…
20 years has passed by and you’ve yet to…

Time is short…it either passes us by, with what seems like warp speed, or creeps up on us and catches us by surprise.

Today, I’d like you to spend the next few minutes–or if you have it, the next hour or two–answering the six questions below.  You may want to work through all in one sitting or spread them out over the next week.  I have included exercises with each area, so feel free to use those as a guide through this process.

The point is for us to take inventory of our lives and see how we can make the most out of our precious time.

Here we go…

MAKING AN IMPACT:  How do you want to be remembered?  What will your legacy be?  How will your obituary read?

Exercise:  Write your own obituary.  You could take it from two approaches:  Write it as it would truthfully read today and see where you see “impact holes.”  Secondly, you could write out the obituary that you’d love to see.  Either way, find the impact areas you haven’t accomplished yet, and begin to work toward implementing those in your life.

CULTIVATING RELATIONSHIPS:  Are you taking steps to nurture and grow your most important relationships?

Exercise:  Write a list of names of your most important relationships.  Now think about how those relationships could be enriched.  Some relationships will be fine as is, others may need a little TLC.  Try not to overcomplicate things either.  Nurturing a relationship can be as simple as texting one of the people on your list every couple of weeks, another may be to make a walking date every month, another to get together every three months for a fun weekend.  The point of this exercise is not to overwhelm your schedule, it is to bless you and those you are in relationship with.

LIVING OUT YOUR DREAMS:  Have you pushed your dreams to the back burner?  Are you stuck trying to figure out how to make your dream a reality?

Exercise: Write out your big dream and then write out the first 10 steps that could begin to make your dream a reality.  Oftentimes the biggest stumbling block to not living out a dream is not starting because the process seems overwhelming or unrealistic.  When you write out these 10 steps you’ve now got a “to-do” list broken out into digestible steps that you can begin working on.  Maybe you have a dream to travel to Europe.  Step 1 might be to research areas you’d like to see.  Step 2 to look into cost of flights and accommodations. Step 3 to set a budget.  Step 4 to set your dates.  Etc. etc.

LOSING CONTROL:  Are you trying to control things that are not within your control?  You’re fighting a losing battle, my friend.

Exercise:  Write out the things you struggle to control most.  Look at your list and see which of these you have the ability and power to control…circle those.  Now draw a line or a big X through the others.  Work on the ones you have circled and let go of those you have crossed out.

NOT WORRYING AROUT TOMORROW:  “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow has its own worries.”  This quote is so true.  Worrying about anticipated threats is a complete waste of your time and energy.

Exercise:  Write a list of the things you worry about most.  With each item, write out possible solutions.  If there are no solutions, then work on staying in the present moment.  Worrying ties in with letting go of the things you cannot control: both these areas are some of the hardest to overcome, but very critical to living a fulfilled life.

PAYING ATTENTION TO YOUR HEALTH:  How’s your physical health?  How about your emotional health?  Are you eating right, exercising, and sleeping well?  Are you filling your mind with positive thoughts?

Exercise:  Include non-negotiables in your schedule to keep yourself healthy.  Schedule exercise, time to prepare healthy meals, and proper sleep.  If you struggle with emotional issues, schedule non-negotiable time for counsel, for exercise, and the other things to work on getting healthy.  Put these things in your calendar today.

A lot to think about, but remember time is short, so don’t delay in making your time on this earth the best it can be.

As always, I appreciate you spending time with me here today.

If you found this post helpful, please share with your friends and co-workers.

Have a great day!

Jill xx