Time is Precious: Making the Most of Each Moment

To bring home the point that time is precious, let’s start with this simple exercise.  Count the days you’ve been blessed with so far in this life.  I have lived 17,183 days on this earth so far, as of today.  That’s 47 years and change, for anyone who’s wondering.  I’ve been thinking about those 17, 183 days, wondering what I’ve done with them.  Have they been productive?  Have I lived them to their fullest, from a place of love?  Did I recognize that time is precious, or did I live a bit too much of it in a wasteful kind of way?

When I think about this it makes me both grateful and a little sad, if I’m honest.  Thinking about the incredible memories those thousands of days come with makes my heart feel full.  But, I am sad for the loss of opportunities in those ‘lost’ days.  The one’s that disappear into the fog, unnoticed.  And, yes, they too are sadly in their thousands.  So, a question for you.  How many days did you count? How do you feel reflecting on those days and your time on this earth?

Dream of the Future, Reflect on the Past

Now, on to the sticky part.  How many days do you have left?   Let’s not look at this in any other way but positive.  Don’t let fear of the unknown or your impending demise steal the joy from what you have right now in this moment.  I want you to leave this page inspired to live your best life, because time is precious!  So, look at that row of digits that represent your life so far (it’s probably quite substantial if you’re anywhere near my age) and ask yourself a question.  What do you plan on doing with the rest of your digits?  You might be motivated by the realization that there’s no way of knowing how many more you have coming your way, and that’s okay.  Use that motivation to create a life you love.

I am not someone who dwells too much on the past.  I believe life is happening now and that the tomorrow we dream of is being created by the way we show up today.  But, in saying that, there is still value in the experiences of our past.  We learn from them, we cherish them, and we build our future around their influence on us.  Take this lesson on how precious time is to reflect on your past and take all the good from it.  Take it as a reminder to make the most of each opportunity.

What’s all the Fuss About?

So, let’s get real here, why is time precious?  I mean 17,183 days sounds like an awful lot to me.  The thing is, those days are behind me now, aren’t they?  There are no do-overs, no second chances.  You don’t get to re-sit the test if you failed the first time.  Besides the air we breathe and the water we drink, time is the most precious thing we have.  I still can’t quite understand why we seem to think we have an endless supply of it.  We humans are acutely aware of our mortality, after all.  We suffer loss, overload ourselves with the reminder of death through news and television ALL THE TIME and yet we can’t seem to grasp the seriousness of this one simple lesson: time is precious, don’t waste it!

One of the biggest lessons here is to live a life without regrets.  When the time comes, and it will, make sure you have celebrated every moment you were gifted on this earth.  Don’t be someone who saves the good dinnerware for a special occasion.  Make today the special occasion!  Know that it is or isn’t as special as you choose for it to be.  Make being alive your reason to celebrate, I mean it’s a pretty good reason, right!

Spend it in Love

What could be more important than spending your precious time with the people, places and things that you love.  The people that make your heart sing, that make you feel you belong.  Or the work that fills you with purpose and passion.  If time is a precious commodity, it’s purpose is in service of these experiences.  Time with friends, time with family, time with your creative endeavours, time with your spiritual practices.  Time, ultimately is the facilitator.  We make of it what we choose, so make sure you choose to spend it doing what you love with the people you love.

Sit down and consider your priorities.  Are you spending enough time doing what you love?  Or, are you getting caught up by the distractions of life.  Are you wasting minutes, even hours of your day, staring at a screen instead of into the eyes of a loved one, for example?  One of the saddest things in our society is the disconnect we are suffering because of the technology that should be bringing us together.  Real human connection is what this life experience is about and definitely what you should be spending your precious time on.

Spend it on Growth

When you’re looking back at your life and you get asked what you did with your lemons, will you be able to say ‘I made some damn good lemonade’?  Learn to see every day as a new opportunity.  It doesn’t have to be earth shattering, but if you work on being your best self in small ways every day you won’t have that nagging thought that you didn’t squeeze all the juice out of those lemons.

Some of the ways we can put this into action would be being the best kind of person you can be.  So, treating people kindly, working on your patience etc.  Other areas of growth would be learning new skills that enrich your life or expanding your horizons (and memories) through travel.  I believe travel is a powerful agent for personal growth, check out my blog 5 Ways Travel Will Help Your Growth As A Person.  Maybe travel’s not your thing but you really want to eat healthier or work out more.  Whatever growth looks like to you, set a goal for yourself.  Growth is a natural part of life and the more growth the less chance for regret!

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Spend it in the Service of Others

When we realize that our joy is linked to our capacity to give joy to others we see a new way of using that time that is so precious to us.  Lifting others, bringing them with you on your journey into a happier life, is one of the most rewarding things you can do.  It is, again, a reminder of how we are all connected to each other.

Take a moment to think about the times in your life when you made someone smile.  Acknowledge the memory that was created in their memory banks because of your actions.  This is no small thing.  You played a part in the happiness of another human being.  Through your openness, connection and love.  Their precious time, their digits were spent in joy because of you.  Make it a movement, people!  Spread that love around!

The Magic of Mindfulness

There is a magic tool that needs to be marketed like your favourite fizzy drink, and that’s mindfulness.  I see mindfulness as one of the best ways to be fully aware of this moment, this precious moment in time.  Mindfulness is, essentially, awareness of (and gratitude for) the present moment and what better way to appreciate what you have than tuning in and being more aware of it.  Keep practising mindfulness, it will serve you well in making great memories.

Here’s a little exercise for you to try.  Pick an out-of-this-world, fantastic memory.  Sit with it for a while, remember the way it felt in the moment.  Now, I have a question.  Were you looking at your phone at the time, or were you fully, 120% present?

All the good ones, every one of them, are made fantastic by the fact that all parties are present and aware of the blessing of the moment.  That’s what makes those moments so special.  That’s what makes them the one’s where sparks fly!  We are connected and our energies light up the sky.  Being present allows you to truly connect with others.   It allows you to feel, to see, to hear and to soak up the gift of another moment.  Quite simply, without being mindful and present you would be missing out on so much.

Moments to be Treasured

I think it’s important to reflect on the moments where we were living life from a place of pure joy, those out-of-this-world moments we looked at before.  Those moments are the one’s where we are fully connected to this human experience.  For me, these are moments when I danced in the rain with my babies, saw their faces and heard their cries for the first time, danced under the full moon with the most special group of humans.  I have moments where I laughed and moments where I cried, but if they’ve made a permanent impression on my memory banks, I consider them special.

The thing about realizing your time is limited is that you want more and more of these gems.  You recognize the magic in them, you want to tip the scales heavily in the favour of joy and bliss and happy moments!  Be inspired by the joy you’ve already experienced, find ways to create more of it.  Know that it is only in being mindful and aware and present that we can supercharge this life.

Questions to Ask Yourself?

Here are some questions to get you thinking about your time.

  • Is MY time precious?
  • What do I enjoy spending my time doing?
  • What would I regret if I never got to do it?
  • How can I be more present with my time?
  • What area of my life could benefit the most from a little more time?

I’ve put the MY in caps in the first question because I want you to isolate it to yourself.  Forget everyone else for a moment and, hand on heart, ask yourself this question.  Hopefully it will get you to think about what you have done with your time, but more importantly what you could be doing with a conscious approach.  The wonderful thing about awareness is it empowers you to make new choices, starting now!

Let’s Keep this Light!

One of the main goals of this website is to get you to look at your life more closely.  To see the value in what you have and to push you to create the best life you can, in your own authentic way.  I want you to think.  To question.  I want you to look in the mirror and say to yourself ‘if my time is precious, how do I choose to spend it?’.  Then step out into your day with the awareness of the beauty of this life and the knowledge that a happy life starts and ends with you!

What I don’t want is for you to slip into the woe-is-me mindset.  Every minute spent in regret is a wasted one, it will quite literally get you nowhere!  Instead, become aware of the fact that you have been given a chance at life.  You’ve been given a chance to: run, dance, love, sing, paint etc.  Climb mountains, sail the seas, go out and do that which your soul calls you to do, because each moment that you leave something unsaid, or undone, is a moment lost.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading, being here and growing with me!

Steph x

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