Tick Tock
There is an old adage that says that : There is no time like the present. It implies that that best time to do something is now- the past is passed and the future is yet to come so be in the “here and now’’.
If you are not fully present, your thoughts are either turned towards the past or fixated on the future.
Everything around us changes with the passage of time-everything is completely time-dependent.
Men created clocks to measure time so generally we have clock time and neural clocks.
There is a 12-hour clock and a 24 hour clock used by railways, aeroplanes. The Clock time has three dimensions: the past, the present and the future.
Time comes to us in seconds which add up to minutes that add up to hours that add up to days, that add up to weeks, months and years.
According to the neuroscientists, our brains have the capacity to organise the flow of our experiences into an orderly sequence of events. Our sense of time is expressed within experiences and memories. Our brains have multiple biological clocks that help us to keep track of time. One example of the neural clock is the circadian clock tuned to the rise and fall of daylight. It helps living organisms to adapt to the rhythm of the day.
A New year gives us a sense of renewal that drives us to think about areas of our lives we want to improve or change as we go forward in life. By tradition, on the brink of a new year, we re-evaluate and take inventory of our lives. Then we set goals and objectives to direct us into meaningful change in the new year. These are the new year resolutions.
Recent studies showed that 64% of people abandon their new year resolutions within a month.
The psychologists advise us on the following to help us honour our Resolutions.
- Goals take time to be achieved
- Not to focus on the outcome mainly but instead break the main goals into small measurable ones.
- We only achieve goals by consistently taking small steps daily or weekly.
- Be honest with yourself so that you do not set too lofty goals.
- When making resolutions, consider and anticipate challenges so be ready to be flexible and to use your core values to inform and guide your decisions and behaviour.
Peter Turla once said: “ Don’t spend a dollar’s worth of time on a ten cents decision.’’
Since life is made of time and New Year serves as cyclical marker, we set goals and objectives to be implemented and achieved in a set time. I have collected some quotes about Time and Life to help each one of us to use the 24 hours of the day effectively and efficiently. Being here and now.
“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.
We get ourselves ready for death but at the same time get into the habit of living for today-living life to the fullest. We live life on purpose and use the time left well.
We endeavour to create something that will touch people’s lives and outlast us.
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.
1.Time is the school in which we learn, time is the fire in which we burn.”
–Delmore Schwartz.
2. This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we know what to do with it.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
3. “Take care of the minutes and the hours will take care of themselves.”- Henry David Thoreau
4. “ You’re writing the story of your life one moment at a time.”
– Doc Childre and Howard Martin
5. Never let yesterday use up today.”- Richard .H. Nelson
6.You cannot build a house for last year’s summer. – Ethiopian proverb
7.“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.
8 . Not everyone who chased the zebra caught it, but he who caught it, chased it.- African proverb
9.“Ordinary people think merely of spending time. Great people think of
Using it.” – Authour Unknown
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 grandchildren
blossom into independent human beings 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
As we enter the new year, may we all learn to use our time effectively and efficiently as we go about doing the most important things in our lives.
QUESTION :
Are you busy just being busy or are you committing 80%
of your time to the 20% most important things in your life?
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