Time Is a Common Gift
We all have different gifts that make us who we are or who we are yet to be. When we talk about success, we usually consider how one has effectively used their abilities to achieve goals. We tend to measure success based on physical possessions. Although, some people are just happy with using their gifts to change the lives of others, even if it means all they get is satisfaction or peace.
Different people, different characters, different purposes, and different gifts.
Even if we share particular abilities with others, differences in our characters, purpose, and backgrounds will make us use that gift differently. The same usage of that gift will give different results. No one is without a gift, and whatever capabilities we may all have, we have one skill that is common to us all: Time.
We all get 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 4 weeks per month, and 12 months per year. How is it possible that given the same amount of time, some get more out of it than others?
This has always been a somewhat troubling thought for me. If someone else my age is doing well, what am I not doing right? Take note, this is not to say that we should have the same things as everyone else. As previously mentioned, we have different backgrounds and purposes. But we all have time. The most important gift we do not even have to pay for. I may not be as privileged or gifted as the next person, but what have I done in my personal capacity with the time I have?
- If you are a student, you and your classmates are given a month to finish an assignment. Why do you have to be the one to fake an illness because you failed to beat the deadline?
- As a working parent, you have weekends like everyone else. What is stopping you from spending time with your children, having fun, and catching up?
- You have a garden just like your neighbors and enough time to water it here and there as a family. Why are you not producing anything?
- You cannot afford to go to college, and you have decided to take a gap year. What are you doing with that ‘free’ year if you are not working?
And yes, it is also true that everything happens at the right time. But the question still remains; what are you doing with your time to ensure that you make the most of that Big Event when it happens?
Below are some reasons why this common gift doesn’t seem to work well for some of us.
Pride
Some people are too proud to do anything other than their dream job or career, while others set different living standards to which they stick at all costs. These are things they have proudly shared with friends and family. The arrogance and certainty when they did so kept them from accepting anything lower than those standards. Just because they want to be a doctor and their training has not started yet, people cannot see themselves working at a grocery store while waiting. They would instead do nothing with their time until then.
Laziness
Laziness is the worst time-waster. Some people enjoy sitting around doing nothing productive more than anything else. At the same time, some are always too tired to do anything. This group makes the ‘best’ procrastinators. They quickly find excuses to do something later rather than finish a task and find other productive things.
Lack of Focus and Poor Prioritization
Some people are just not focused. They are easily diverted by whatever else attracts their eye. It is essential to set priorities right and stick by them. Priorities set your path straight. While boundaries will help you define how far from your course you should wander, where a break is needed, or other disruptions occur.
Lacking a Sense of Purpose
If you think you were born to just exist and there isn’t much you can contribute to the world around you, you will use your time in the most comfortable way possible. Having a sense of purpose arouses in you the belief that you are part of something larger. By wasting yourself away, the world, somewhere, loses something important. And yes, everyone has an excellent reason why they exist.
Lack of Motivation
This happens to almost everyone. There are days when even the most focused person alive feels defeated and without a reason to keep pushing forward. The reason could be a failure, lack of support, running out of ideas, and poor working conditions, among many others. Find something within you that will always remind you why you cannot afford to stop.
We all have the gift of time, and it is up to us how we use it. Our choices determine how much we profit from this resource. You know your own time-waster. Whatever it is, snap out of it!!
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