The problem with waiting until tomorrow is that when it finally arrives, it is called today. Today is yesterday’s tomorrow. The question is what did we do with its opportunity? All too often we will waste tomorrow as we wasted yesterday, and as we are wasting today. All that could have been accomplished can easily elude us, despite our intentions, until we inevitably discover that the things that might have been have slipped from our embrace a single, unused day at a time.
Each of us must pause frequently to remind ourselves that the clock is ticking. The same clock that began to tick from the moment we drew our first breath will also someday cease.
Time is the great equalizer of all mankind. It has taken away the best and the worst of us without regard for either. Time offers opportunity but demands a sense of urgency.
When the game of life is finally over, there is no second chance to correct our errors. The clock that is ticking away the moments of our lives does not care about winners and losers. It does not care about who succeeds or who fails. It does not care about excuses, fairness or equality. The only essential issue is how we played the game.
Regardless of a person’s current age, there is a sense of urgency that should drive them into action now—this very moment. We should be constantly aware of the value of each and every moment of our lives—moments that seem so insignificant that their loss often goes unnoticed.
We still have all the time we need. We still have lots of chances, lots of opportunities, lots of years to show what we can do. For most of us, there will be a tomorrow, a next week, a next month, and a next year. But unless we develop a sense of urgency, those brief windows of time will be sadly wasted, as were the weeks and months and years before them. There isn’t an endless supply!
So, as you think of your dreams and goals of your future tomorrow, begin today to take those very important first steps to making them all come to life.
It seems to me that we are stubborn students of life.
Life seems to tell us: here is a situation you need to face for your own development, and yet, most of the time, we will try to avoid the lesson.
Why? Because it’s too damned hard! The curious thing about this is: the lesson we try to avoid seems to come back to us in many unexpected ways. Somehow, we can’t escape it.
I heard of some couple who had a baby with heart problems, the baby had to spend most of the first year of his life at the hospital. This situation had put a lot stress on the parents. Their mariage couldn’t resist. The parents divorced. The guy met another woman and she became pregnant. When the baby was born, the baby boy had a similar heart problem. It seems to me that this father couldn’t escape this particular situation.
When we focus on the moment and accept to face what we have to, it can be very difficult, but it is one of the best ways to grow as a human being.
It is probably one of the best ways to outgrow this unwanted situation or circumstance.
What does this post have to do with time or life management?
The sooner we understand this concept and put it in practice, the more time we will save to do other activities that we really enjoy.
Yesterday, as I was walking to my destination I passed this park. As I went by I heard this male voice. A man was training his young dog. With a clear, strong, yet tender voice, he was teaching his dog to sit and the dog did. With his leash on they walked a few steps and repeated the process. He praised his dog and I could see that the dog was very happy.
The man was teaching the dog that it could be more. He taught the dog focus, discipline, and structure. What really struck me was that, he took the time. HE TOOK THE TIME. As I continued along my journey I reflected on what I had witnessed. Thinking how he took the time. He was there. He was getting the most out of that dog. How lucky that dog was.
How often do we take time to teach our own children? We constantly hear, “I’m so busy, I feel like I’m always running, I’m stressed.” Our modern world is so inundated with marketing and advertising that has one goal and one goal only. That is to make a product so attractive that the consumer feels a need or desire to possess it in order to feel fulfilled or popular.
Personally, I’ve made a list of things to do with my children and I will do as much as possible today.
First things first!
Today is a good day to be with our children or with our parents!
One of the most difficult things to practice in our lives is to delay gratification and to take a long term perspective with our projects. Our consumer society doesn’t help us when it encourages us to BUY NOW and PAY LATER. Many times, we buy things we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people who don’t care. We should always try to make the difference between an expense and an investment. We should try to avoid instant gratification. It’s a big challenge because it goes against every major trend in our society.
It applies to other areas in our lives as well;
The Olympic athlete has to make a lot of sacrifices to reach his/her goal. The medical student has to concentrate on his/her classes in order to get the diploma. The investor has to learn patience if he or she wants to earn dividends.
It is difficult because we should enjoy every day as if it is the last and at the same time invest our efforts and our resources for the future. The challenge for us is to find the balance between these two concepts.
Do you struggle with your short term desires and long term objectives?
We have control over our choices, but we don’ t have any control over the consequences of our choices.
What this means is that we don’t always know how things will turn out.
What it means is that we can’t always predict how people will respond to our decisions.
That is why we should be aware of our choices as much as possible if we want to improve our quality of life.
Sometimes our decisions can result in big mistakes that will be costly in time.
From the moment that we know clearly what we want, it becomes easier to make the best possible choices for ourselves. These decisions are unique for each one of us.
Do you ever think of the BIG difference between your CHOICES and the CONSEQUENCES of your choices?
Lifestyle is style over amount. And style is an art—the art of living. You can’t buy style with money. You can’t buy good taste with money. You can only buy more with money. Lifestyle is culture—the appreciation of good music, dance, art, sculpture, literature, plays and the art of living well. It’s a taste for the fine, the unique, the beautiful.
Lifestyle also means rewarding excellence wherever you find it by not taking the small things of life for granted. On Valentine’s Day, I wanted to illustrate this with a personal anecdote:
Many years ago my lady friend and I were on a trip to Carmel, California, for some shopping and exploring. On the way we stopped at a service station. As soon as we parked our car in front of the pumps, a young man, about eighteen or nineteen, came bouncing out to the car and with a big smile said, “Can I help you?”
“Yes,” I answered, “A full tank of gas, please.” I wasn’t prepared for what followed. In this day and age of self-service and deteriorating customer treatment, this young man checked every tire, washed every window—even the sunroof—singing and whistling the whole time. We couldn’t believe both the quality of service and his upbeat attitude about his work.
When he brought the bill, I said to the young man, “Hey, you really have taken good care of us. I appreciate it.”
He replied, “I really enjoy working. It’s fun for me and I get to meet nice people like you.”
This kid was really something!
I said, “We’re on our way to Carmel and we want to get some milkshakes. Can you tell us where we can find the nearest Baskin-Robbins?”
“Baskin-Robbins is just a few blocks away,” he said as he gave us exact directions. Then he added, “Don’t park out front—park around to the side so your car won’t get sideswiped.”
What a kid!
As we got to the ice cream store we ordered milkshakes, except that instead of two, we ordered three.
Then we drove back to the station. Our young friend dashed out to greet us. “Hey, I see you got your milkshakes.”
“Yes, and this one is for you!”
His mouth fell open. “For me?”
“Sure. With all the fantastic service you gave us, I couldn’t leave you out of the milkshake deal.”
“Wow!” was his astonished reply.
As we drove off I could see him in my rear-view mirror just standing there, grinning from ear to ear.
Now, what did this little act of generosity cost me? Only about two dollars—you see, it’s not the money, it’s the style.
Well, I must have been feeling especially creative that day, so upon our arrival in Carmel I drove directly to a flower shop. As we walked inside I said to the florist, “I need a long-stemmed rose for my lady to carry while we go shopping in Carmel.”
The florist, a rather unromantic type, replied, “We sell them by the dozen.”
“I don’t need a dozen,” I said, “just one.”
“Well,” he replied haughtily, “it will cost you two dollars.”
“Wonderful,” I exclaimed. “There’s nothing worse than a cheap rose.”
Selecting the rose with some deliberation, I handed it to my friend. She was so impressed! And the cost? Two dollars. Just two dollars. A bit later she looked up and said, “Jim, I must be the only woman in Carmel today carrying a rose.” And I believe she probably was.
Can you imagine the opportunity to create magic with those around you, and all for the cost of a few dollars, some imagination and care. Remember, it is not the amount that matters but the thought and care that often has the greatest impact upon those you love.
A good relationship isn’t a game you play or an ego trip you take. It is about love and two people. Loving someone can give us the greatest joy we can ever know and it can hurt more than we can believe too. You know you truly love a person when it hurts more to see that person in pain and sadness than when that person disappoints you.
Loving someone means you should be ready to experience heartache and happiness at the same time. That’s the reward and that’s the risk. Unless we are willing to experience it, we will never really know what it’s like to love and be loved.
Sharing love is probably the most valuable and meaningful experience a person can ever have. And there’s a difference between being in love with someone and loving someone. It’s the difference between a love that’s fickle, wild and short-lived and one that’s tender and passionate, nurturing and lasts a long time. The first is easy. The second, the one that really matters to all of us, takes work because it’s about keeping a relationship.
Loving someone takes efforts. We have to be able to communicate with each other. Nobody can read anyone else’s mind. We always presume that our partner knows what we think and feel. Maybe in time we might be able to predict or sense each other’s thoughts but it’s never perfect and takes time to develop.
Getting the chance to love and be loved by someone is blessed. Respect him/her for who he/she is, and not what you want him/her to be. Everyone is pretty and special in his/her own special way. No one is perfect. It is true love, which closes the gap of imperfectness to form a smooth surface of acceptance for each other. True love sees and accepts a person for who he/she is. It is also true love, which makes a person change for the better.
The power of true love to a person is undeniable.
A relationship needs commitments too. What is love without commitments from each other anyway? It’s like principles and values. Everyone has them but they only mean as much as we are willing to stand for them.
The same goes for our commitments to relationships, and the person we love.
“Love is like an antique vase. It’s hard to find, hard to get, but easy to break.”
Every day everywhere, people fall in love … but just how many of these relationships are self-sacrificing love, and not just relationships which are formed only for the intense feeling of falling in love? I know hundreds of friends who say the magical words “I love you”… but more often than not, the truth is just — I am IN love with you. There is a difference between being in love with someone and loving someone. If a person says he/she is in love with you, he/she means that he/she likes you for who you are now and he/she fell in love with you because of the present you.
This kind of love is temporary and lasts only as long as the fairytale lasts. When fairy godmother comes in at midnight to whirl us back to reality, we see the heartache of such a relationship…where both were only IN love with each other.
But if a person says he/she loves you, he/she means that he/she loves you unconditionally for who you are now, who you were in the past and who you might be in the future. When he/she says he/she loves you and really means it, you have to ask yourself if you love him/her too or if you’re in love with the idea of being in love. It is very hard to see the difference through logical thinking.
Stress is the curse of living in modern times. Everyone suffers from stress. And the stress we suffer takes a heavy toll on our bodies, emotions and minds. Watching television may be a form of relaxation for some, but it is not recommended.. When we watch TV we are bombarded with commercials, ads, sounds and images. Relaxation takes on added importance in light of this matter.
Today, try to find a moment with complete silence for at least 1 hour.
How?
Turn off the TV, mp3 player, radio, and your computer for a while.
Attend a yoga class. It’s a great method for relaxation.
Go for a walk in the woods if possible and listen to the calmness of nature.
Take a nap in the middle of the day. It’s Sunday…
Take the time to breath properly. It is one of the easiest methods to relax. Most of us have forgotten how to breath naturally. Take a deep breathe.
One great way to relax is getting a massage. To gain full relaxation, you need to totally surrender to the touch of person delivering it to you.
It will be a good investment of time.
Today is a time to take care of yourself. Tomorrow will be another hectic day.
“Time is a sort of river of passing events, and strong is its current; no sooner is a thing brought to site than it is swept by and another takes its place, and this too will be swept away.”
The Chinese people say that we can never step in the same river twice. I believe this is so true because even if we meet the same people and even when we encounter similar circumstances in our lives, it is different every time.
Why?
Because each one of us is changing and evolving constantly. This is a good thing. This is how we grow. If it were not, we would still be living in caves and caverns.
It is difficult, however, for people who insist on resisting change. Resisting change is simply a display of our fears. It makes us very uncomfortable and very worried about the unknown.
John Blanchard stood up from the bench, straightened his Army uniform, and studied the crowd of people making their way through Grand Central Station. He looked for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn’t, the girl with the rose. His interest in her had begun thirteen months before in a Florida library. Taking a book off the shelf he found himself intrigued, not with the words of the book, but with the notes penciled in the margin. The soft handwriting reflected a thoughtful soul and insightful mind.
In front of the book, he discovered the previous owner’s name, Miss Hollis Maynell. With time and effort he located her address. She lived in New York City. He wrote her a letter introducing himself and inviting her to correspond. The next day he was shipped overseas for service in World War II
During the next year and one-month the two grew to know each other through the mail. Each letter was a seed falling on a fertile heart. A Romance was budding. Blanchard requested a photograph, but she refused. She felt that if he really cared, it wouldn’t matter what she looked like.
When the day finally came for him to return from Europe, they scheduled their first meeting – 7:00 pm at Grand Central Station in New York.
“You’ll recognize me, ” she wrote, “by the red rose I’ll be wearing on my lapel.” So at 7:00 he was in the station looking for a girl whose heart he loved, but whose face he’d never seen.
I’ll let Mr. Blanchard tell you what happened: A young women was coming toward me, her figure long and slim. Her blonde hair lay back in curls from her delicate ears; her eyes were blue as flowers. Her lips and chin had a gentle firmness, and in her pale green suit she was like springtime come alive. I started toward her, entirely forgetting to notice that she was not wearing a rose. As I moved, a small, provocative smile curved her lips. “Going my way, sailor?” she murmured. Almost uncontrollably I made one step closer to her, and then I saw Hollis Maynell. She was standing almost directly behind the girl. A woman well past 40, she had graying hair tucked under a worn hat. She was more than plump, her thick-ankled feet thrust into low-heeled shoes. The girl in the green suit was walking quickly away. I felt as though I split in two, so keen was my desire to follow her, and yet so deep was my longing for the women whose spirit had truly companioned me and upheld my own
And there she stood. Her pale, plump face was gentle and sensible; her gray eyes had a warm and kindly twinkle. I did not hesitate. My fingers gripped the small worn blue leather copy of the book that was something precious, something perhaps even better than love, a friendship for which I had been and must ever be grateful.
I squared my shoulders and saluted and held out the book to the women, even though while I spoke I felt choked by the bitterness of my disappointment. “I’m Lieutenant John Blanchard, and you must be Miss Maynell. I am so glad you could meet me; may I take you to dinner?”
The women’s face broadened into a tolerant smile. “I don’t know what this is about, son,” she answered, “but the young lady in the green suit who just went by, she begged me to wear this rose on my coat. And she said if you were to ask me out to dinner, I should go and tell you that she is waiting for you in the big restaurant across the street. She said it was some kind of test!”
It’s not difficult to understand and admire Miss Maynell’s wisdom. The true nature of a heart is seen in its response to the unattractive. “Tell me whom you love,” Houssaye wrote, “And I will tell you who you are.” Anon.
Vocation is the place when your deep happiness meets other people deep needs. I believe that most of us want to live a life that is truly ours. This kind of life would fulfill our true nature and would utilize our true gifts. This kind of life is what would satisfy our souls.
When we will draw our last breath and if we are given the time to reflect on our lives, will we ask? :
Did I make enough money?
Did I get famous enough?
or
Did I live fully and to my best potential?
Did I make a difference with the people who crossed my path?
From our first cry to our last breath… I believe that most of us are craving for this kind of life whether we are aware of it or not.
From the moment that we know what we want, we should increase the amount of time that we invest on what we really care about and reduce or eliminate the time that we spend on non-important things. We should try to be aware as often as possible. I mean COMPLETELY AWARE.
Over the last couple of years, I came to realize that I was wasting time by trying to accomplish too many projects at once. By wanting to do too much , I ended up do much less than expected. I had to learn to say NO to very interesting oppornunities in order to say YES and to focus completely on THE MOST IMPORTANT.
The intensity of your desire on the project will influence how long it will take you to accomplish it.
Most people are busy, some are very busy, the question is: Are they busy doing what they really care about?
Most of us manage to find time for the things we really like. Where the ambition is, there is time.
Reading is one of my favorite activities. I like spending time with people, I like the outdoors, arts and music, I like to travel and discover new places but somehow, it seems to me that I can always find time for reading.
Why? I’m not sure, but I know it is the activity that inspires me the most. This is one of my best source for new ideas. Not that I don’t find inspiration in other activities, I do, but reading keeps me energized and motivated, especially when life gets in the way.
One of my young daughters used to read a lot, and then came Facebook, YouTube and the iPod … now reading has become a boring activity for her. I keep trying to convince her to start again, and so far I have been unsuccessful. I hope that one day she will re-discover the joy of reading.
Someone who doesn’t read is a little bit like someone who cannot read.
What can I suggest to people who don’t like to read?
Try to read on a subject that you are passionnate about. This is one way you could have a chance to turn reading into a regular habit.
Read, read all you can. If you keep practicing, you will soon acquire a taste for reading. In time, it will give you a lot of satisfaction and pleasure.
Why is it so important to forgive ourselves? Why is it so important to forgive others as soon as we can?
Forgiving ourselves and others is an act of letting go, it is also an act of selfishness because when we let go, we let go of the emotions that are poisoning our day. Who needs these emotions? Shouldn’t we use our limited time and energy for more exciting activities?
Morrie said “Forgive yourself and others before you die”.
But since we don’t know when we are going to die, why not forgive NOW?
If we know that we will eventually forgive, why wait?
“The outer world will always attempt to pull you this way and push you that way. There will always be external pressures from financial issues, career issues, health issues, relationship issues and more. Further, the TV news will always attempt to manipulate your emotions to increase your upset and anger at the seemingly rampant injustices of the world.
Nonetheless, you do always have the ability to resist these external stressors, and to live in inner peace and happiness. You can choose how you prefer to respond to external events, and you can train yourself to minimize your stress and maximize the joy you receive from life.
Stop! Breathe deeply.
Begin bringing peace to the outer world by regaining your own inner peace. Then use that inner peace as a platform from which to approach the outer world with perspective, understanding, and patience.”
“Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death.”
It’s always very challenging to get out of our comfort zone, to take a risk, a risk of failing, a risk of other people making fun of us. But it is the only way that I know to keep growing, to keep learning and to keep young in spirit.
To be young in spirit is to be alive, fully alive and more aware of everything that surrounds us. When we experience this state of mind, it seems that we have more energy, not only for our daily tasks, but for our leisure time as well.
I was watching a show on newborn babies recently. They were saying that around 2 years of age, young kids are learning about 10 new words everyday. If this is true, that means that they are learning approximately 3650 words between ages 2 and 3. Wow!
We are constantly changing. Progressing or regressing. Learning and re-learning.
How many new words or new things do you want to learn in 2011?
We all know this, it is so simple to understand when we read it. However, the challenge is not only to read it and understand it, the real challenge is to practice what we understand so well.
Yes, practice it day in day out, especially when you have distractions, a bad day or a good day.
Whatever is your dream, your project, your goal, pursue it relentlessly without wasting time.
You need a burning desire to keep you absorbed and focused, even when you have so many responsibilities and distractions.
36525 days to live 