Embracing family
We spend so much time talking about time, how elusive it is, how quickly it passes, and how we don’t have enough time to do what we need or want. These comments have something in common: Time seems to be an external reality out of our control.
A motivational speaker, Michael Altshuler, has an exciting twist on our perception of time: “The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.”
Our experience of time will be vastly different if we switch from passively experiencing time as if it controls us to actively scheduling our time. If we fall victim to the passing of time, we will have many regrets at the close of each day and the end of our lives. Many hopes and dreams will be unfulfilled, and many relationships may have faded away.
Instead, if we are proactive and look at every minute, every hour and every day as a precious gift God has given us, we will profoundly realize how much time we have.
One of the most effective ways to bring about the change we want is to identify our end goals. In doing so, we can implement a plan to achieve that goal.
Let’s reflect on comments loved ones have made at the end of their lives. What were they happiest about? What did they regret the most? What advice did they give loved ones? One of the last things my dad told me before he passed was to “love life.” Acknowledging our mortality helps us clarify with whom and how we want to spend our time because time is one of our most valuable resources.
Let’s also remember that it is not simply what we do with the time that matters but also how we spend that time. If we want to spend time with our spouse or kids, and we do so while checking our cellphones repeatedly, we are not spending quality time with them. If we want to spend more time in prayer and set aside the time but get distracted and daydream, we are not spending quality time with God. In other words, we need to choose with whom we will spend our time and how we will spend it. Quantity and quality are both necessary!
We just celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary and had to decide how we would spend the day. While we both appreciated the roses, chocolate and cards, we celebrated the day by going 22 miles together! We spent these miles biking, swimming, kayaking and hiking. We were so busy having fun that we didn’t even check our phones. It was an anniversary that we will never forget.
If we think about highly successful people we admire (maybe a famous athlete or rock star, a grandparent or neighbor, a saint) and how they became successful, we may be shocked to realize that we have the same hours and minutes daily. They choose to channel their time and energy toward identified goals and opt to do so in a more focused way than we have done. We have an abundance of time daily (1,440 minutes, to be precise, or approximately 960 waking minutes per day).
What we choose to do with the precious gift of time God has given us is our choice. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens.” The time has come to decide how we will spend our time. Will we let it fly by, or will we be the pilots of our time?
Here is some feedback from a Catholic reader in response to the Q&A from our previous column on unplugging to promote creativity and connection: “My daughter asked me to get a charging cable. I told her to enjoy some unplugged time. To my surprise, she went outside, played with her brother and then came in and picked up a book to read. No drama. No complaining. She was a kid enjoying the sunshine, time with her brother and getting lost in a good book. I think I need unplugged time, too!”
Questions? Please email Sarah and David at Success@EmbraceFamilyLearning.com. We would be honored to lift you in prayer and respond.
