Time for everything

I remember it was Easter Sunday, I was about 7 or 8-years-old, sitting in church praying the service would end quickly so I could get back to our little house a short walk away and tear that Easter Basket open. There I sat impatiently, waiting for each minute to pass; I could feel each second. It was painful, and for an 8-year-old, being deprived of his Easter Basket was something that no human being, or even God almighty could justifiably explain.

I’m pretty positive that everyone has had a similar experience having had to wait for something and being cursed by the plague of time. Tick-tock, tick-tock… the clock tells time. Seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, and decades, time passes by, sometimes slowly and sometimes without haste. Described as a curse by some and as a blessing by others, time is nothing more and nothing less than the sequence of events in an individual’s life. Religious leaders, philosophers, and scientists have all pondered, questioned, and even tried to predict these sequences but still time prevails and remains owned by only the individual that is living in the moment.

So, why do I write about this personal commodity known as time? I do so to share an observation. This is not an opinion or guidance; it is merely one eyewitness’ explanation of what I am fairly certain you too will agree with.

Question: What is the number one excuse that people use to explain their failure to achieve their goals? Ponder this query for a moment and relate it to your own existence. Before writing my answer to this question, let me pause for a sidebar. In my question, I purposely chose the word “excuse” because I want you, the reader, to focus with me on the absolute answer here. You see there is a stark difference between an excuse and a reason. One way to look at it is a reason is an explanation. An excuse makes it sound like it was okay. Another way: An excuse is a reason justified by dishonesty.

Excuses are a justification for giving up or giving in. You didn't explore all your options, or ignored or denied your options, you didn't plan ahead, and you didn't ask for help, or you didn't accept help offered. Excuses are reasons that rely on you being dishonest with others and yourself.

The ability to make an excuse relies on choice. A valid reason restricts your choices. Example: I was late because my watch didn't work. Excuse. There are CHOICES you had to figure out what time it was. Ask someone. Call a time service. Keep a clock in the house or car too. You didn't plan ahead properly because for some reason it wasn't important to you to be on time.

Okay back to the question: What is the number one excuse that people use to explain their failure to achieve their goals? I believe the answer is “Time!” We’ve all heard it, I hear it almost everyday. “If I only had the time… My, my, where did all the time go… I ran out of time.” And my personal favorite, “I don’t have time.”

There was a time when I would agree with the person that uttered these statements. Nowadays I think to myself when I hear these phrases, “Didn’t make time.”

Another observation I made regarding time is this 24-hour matter. According to Wikipedia, “A day is a unit of time equivalent to approximately 24 hours. The word 'day' can also refer to the (roughly) half of the day that is not night.” Both refer to a length of time. Remember, time is owned by the person living the moment. For any reason this individual can decide to do what ever they want with their time.

Steven Jobs, chief executive office of Apple Inc. says it best.

“Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

Wow! “Don’t be trapped by dogma…” I like this. I have had days as short as 10 or 11 hours and others as long as 30 or 40. The 24-hour clock, though fact, does not control my day.

I have to be careful here and keep my promise not to give “opinion” nor offer any “guidance.” All I want to express here is that from my observation at the ripe age of 40-something (smile), I sleep when I need to, eat when I need to and spend all the time I can with my family. I love them so. As for my goals, there is only one “reason” that I will not achieve them; I see him every morning in the mirror.

I will depart this prose with the immortal words of Mr. Jack London, my childhood hero, “I don’t wish to merely exist, I want to live and experience my life.”

Tick-tock, tick-tock… the clock tells time… and lost time is never found again.

Oh and one last favorite quote, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
--- Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)


"Thanks for reading, thinks for visiting."

Copyright © 2010 by Palmer Pinckney II