This is a follow up on my last post about the importance of Time Management in our lives.
“Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend.” – Theopbrast
“Time comes to us one second at a time.” Author unknown
Generally, up to our mid- thirties, most of us feel that we have all the time in the
the world to be what we want to be and to do what want to do.
When we hit our forties , it dawns on us that we have lived more than half of our lives and we start to face our mortality. By the fifties, many of us are feeling emotionally and socially liberated and have accepted our mortality. We are no longer driven by titles or status, ambition and fears , but instead, we allow death to guide us through life.
You get yourself ready for death but at the same time get into the habit of
living for today-living life to the fullest. You live life on purpose and use the time left well.
You endeavour to create something that will touch people’s lives and outlast you.
Reaching the Age of Mastery(45 to 65)
and the Age of Integrity (65to 85+) where I happen to be , endows you with deep
friendships, satisfaction for mentoring the young and to explore your innate creativity.
You have the freedom to awaken a “dormant self” that was left behind as you worked for status and titles in society. This “new self” gives you a sense of aliveness like a fourteen years old. You write, you paint and dare to do new things. The psychologist call it passing the Time
Flies Test– immersing yourself into some pursuit or pleasure with such passion that
time flies without you knowing it. At peace with your mortality, you try to be more
efficient and more effective with your time; you want to conquer and savour more
out of life. At the same time, you pay more attention and time to maintaining
an adequately functioning body with an agile mind. You open yourself to new
learning every day and you become quick to absorb new experiences.
I would say that you look at life as the most priceless gift you have and you open your heart, mind and soul to receive it and enjoy it fully.
Reflecting on my life at this moment in time has helped me to understand
the real meaning and true purpose of life.
I am hopeful that these quotations about time and life would help you appreciate
the true meaning of life and to recognise that life is short but you can get it right.
- Time is the school in which we learn, time is the fire in which we burn.”
–Delmore Schwartz.
2. Never let yesterday use up today.”- Richard .H. Nelson
3. You cannot build a house for last year’s summer. – Ethiopian proverb
4. “ Don’t be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of. One man gets only a weeks’ value out of a year while another
man gets a full year’s value out of a week.” – Charles Richards.
5 . Not everyone who chased the zebra caught it, but he who caught it, chased it.- African proverb
6.“Ordinary people think merely of spending time. Great people think of
Using it.” – Authour Unknown
7.“ This time , like all times , is a very good one , if we know what to do with it.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
8. “Take care of the minutes and the hours will take care of themselves.”- Henry David Thoreau
9. “ You’re writing the story of your life one moment at a time.”
– Doc Childre and Howard Martin
10. He who rests grows rusty. – German Proverb
11. An inch of time is an inch of gold but you can’t buy the inch of time with
an inch of gold. – Chinese Proverb.
12. “The way we spend our time depends on who we are.” – Jonathan Estrin
13. “The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.” – Leo Tolstoy
14. “Time is the best teacher.”
15. “The common man is not concerned about the passage of time, the man of
talent is driven by it.” – Shoppenhauer
16. “They say that time heals everything but I would say that after losing a loved one, time just makes it comfortable to live with the loss.” – Jane Nannono
17. “At this moment in time, nothing fascinates me as watching my grandchild
blossom into an independent human being more so during the times we do not see each other.” – Jane Nannono
18. “If you love life, don’t waste time for time is what life is.” Japanese quote
Last but not least : Harry Emerson Fosdick’s Definition of a Successful Life:
To laugh often and much;
to win the respect of intelligent people
and the affection of children;
to earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
to leave the world a bit better,
whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch or redeemed social condition;
to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
– HARRY EMERSON FOSDICK
QUESTION : Are you busy just being busy or are you devoting 80%
of your time on the 20% most important things in your life?
