One of the best tools I ever used was a 7-week calendar with 1-hour increments. Each week has exactly 168 hours. It seems the major complaint one hears from most folks these days is there just isn’t enough time. The truth is we all have the same amount of time. It is how we choose to use it. If you will spend a week completing the handy little calendar based on your daily activities, how you spend your time will be quickly revealed. Frankly, I was appalled at my own results. I actually uncovered all kinds of time that was available to me. Furthermore, the way I was spending my time was far from productive or satisfying. It was no wonder frustration and anxiety chased me around.
The value on that exercise turned out to be long lasting. When I sense that feeling of my plate being “too full” , I simply pull out the 168 hour calendar and reevaluate my priorities. A reevaluation may come frequently or it may not. There are no defined rules as to when you reevaluate YOUR TIME.
Creating time in your schedule for the things you love to do is empowering. Deciding how much of YOUR TIME you give away to others is also empowering. Relenting to the uniqueness in you and the desires that are pushing on your soul is empowering.
I have to wonder if most people avoid their own talents simply because they can’t see how it would make a difference. The real truth is anything we enjoy doing will be done with heart and passion. That alone is enough of a reason to pursue the dream. Tucked deep in each one of us are gifts and talents pushing to get out. We will either recognize their presence or take them to our grave. If the latter happens, the world around us has been deprived because each of us carries a purpose. Your purpose will always affect the life of another. The Butterfly Affect by Andy Andrews is a great read to influence how you live each day.
It all started when I began a journey of emotional healing through counseling. I designated one morning a week to do nothing but write. Writing was my saving grace. My journals filled up between each counseling session. I could sense more freedom with each word I wrote. It also had to be long hand with a felt tip pen. Okay, that may sound silly but I am being transparent to make a point. You can RELENT or PARTIALLY RELENT. The choice is yours. I totally relented to my kinesthetic learning style. This is part of finding out how YOU are wired. The more freedom I found from my own life trauma the more the desires of the divinely installed gifts began to surface. I loved writing so much I decided to turn my experience into a book. I would not let anything interrupt the time I blocked out to write. Two years later Escape from Darkness was published. There are no sufficient words to properly describe how that accomplishment boosted my courage to JOURNEY ON AND FORGE THE WAY TO MORE UNCHARTED TERRITORY!
I leave you with this encouragement. Take the time to evaluate your time! Complete the 168-hour calendar and take charge of your life. Time is a gift to be stewarded in a way that points us in the direction of our predestined purpose. Unwrap your gift today and by all means
ENJOY THE JOURNEY – VB