In our output and achievement driven world, do we sufficiently value the preciousness of time?
Time is universally available yet it can’t be bought, harvested, saved or sold. It’s a resource that we don’t have to mine or buy but it is constantly being used up. Time is the one resource in life that we cannot replace. We talk about ‘making time’ but that’s a turn of phrase, it’s not a reality. We cannot make time. We talk about ‘saving time’ but again this is a turn of phrase rather than a reality. We cannot store some time in a box and get it out at a later date to use at our convenience. (If only we could then we wouldn’t have the pressure of deadlines!) Time is constantly occurring and once it has occurred that momentary piece of time cannot be re-made or recycled. It’s why time is so precious.
How we approach and value time can be really telling. Are we living productively making the most of every moment or are we taking it for granted? Faffing about, procrastinating and engaging in avoidance behaviours or being intentional and impactful? This isn’t to say that we should cram activity into every moment of the day but to ensure that whether we are at work, rest or play, it contributes to our overall impactfulness. It is about balancing our time between doing stuff and being in relationship.
If we’d have known 12 months ago what we know now about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on our everyday lives – would we have been more intentional and chosen to ‘spend’ our time prior to lockdown differently? I’m sure yes. More time with family, friends, neighbours – everyone we love who we’ve been separated from.
In coaching, we talk about being ‘in the moment’ meaning being fully present at that point in time, with whomever we are with and their need, without allowing distractions to encroach and without harking back to the past or fast-forwarding into the future. Just being ‘in the moment’.
Life is made up of a vast succession of ever occurring moments, and in the same way our impact is made up from how we live moment by moment. How we are in one moment has an impact on subsequent moments. Our moments can have an impact on a person or relationship, decision or action and these can have a short, medium or long term consequences, or they may not manifest in that moment but at a later date. But we can recognise that making an impact where it matters most is the result of all of our moments.
So how does your next moment contribute to you making an impact where it matters most?