How much time do we really have?

I want to talk a little about time and how we use it. There are 24 hours in each day. Many people spend roughly 7 - 8 hours sleeping so that leaves about 16 hours each day for work, leisure and anything else we need or want to do. It’s true, we can never have more than 24 hours each day. Time is constantly ticking away and each moment that passes is a moment that we can never have back again. Successful people have the same amount of time as unsuccessful people. Stressed out people have the exact same amount of time as relaxed people. We all have the same amount of time to use or waste each day no matter who we are or where we live.

Time is a gift and what we do with the time we are given is entirely up to us. We choose how we spend our time each day and we are rewarded accordingly. Some people choose to spend hours each day watching TV, surfing the Internet or playing video games and then complain about never having enough hours in a day. Well it’s really about choice isn’t it? I know there are people out there who watch one show on TV and record a second show on another channel at the exact same time so they don’t miss anything. Some record many shows during the day and spend their evenings catching up on all the shows they missed.

There is also video and computer games that take hours of time from some people’s lives. Online gaming can be especially addictive when you’re interacting with other people on the Internet and many hours can be spent each day in these types of leisurely activities. Surfing the Internet can be an incredible time eater. There is so much information out there it is impossible for anyone to view and absorb it all. And much of what’s on the Internet is not worth our time anyway.

Information is added to the web each day at an astronomical rate. And not all the information on the web is valuable. It takes so much time to sift through the garbage on the Internet to find information that is valuable it’s no wonder so many of us get sucked into the web and lose track of time. The Internet is also a great way to escape reality for a time and many lives are spent wasting away in front of the computer screen in an attempt to escape the responsibilities of real life. Real life, real time, spent in pursing escape and pleasure which is really nothing more than short term happiness.

So, how much time do we really have? The answer never changes. We have 24 hours each day to use for our benefit or waste away. It’s not so much about how much time we have. We are all given the same amount each day. Rather, it’s how we USE the time we’ve been given. So what are you going to do today with the time you’ve been given? Could you set aside a little time today to make a goal for yourself that you can work toward achieving?

How about taking a look at how you really spend your time today? Keep a log of everything you do today and be honest. Perhaps you can even keep a timer handy or watch the clock a little more carefully today as you fill in your log. After you finish and before you go to bed review your days activities and how much time you spent for each. Are you happy with how you spent your time, your precious life? If you are, wonderful! If not, I suspect there’s room for improvement.

Think about what you want in life and how you can use your time to get where you want to be. Keep a time log for a week to get an even more realistic picture of how your life is being spent. Start this simple task and something wonderful can happen. You can take control of your time and not let it waste away leaving you wondering where it all went. Life is short enough, don’t let time slip through your fingers. Embrace the time you’ve been given and create the life of your dreams!