Time

Never put off till tomorrow what can be done today. I can’t count how many times I’ve heard this phrase over the course of my life. I’m sure it’s something very familiar to you as well. Yet how many times in a day, week, month, and year do you find yourself saying “Oh I’ll get to it later”. And when later rolls around, we still find all the reasons to avoid, evade, and bypass taking action. The seemingly adapted notion, as a society, that time is boundless, endless, and everlasting. But what if we became consciously aware that it’s not. For every action wasted in procrastination is a moment of abundance and joy that is lost.

The truth of the matter is, that time waits for no one. There’s also the truth that the authentic energy that presents itself when a new idea is birthed is as powerful as it gets. You know what I’m talking about. That kinetic, fire burning sensation that runs through you when you have a new idea, think of innovative ways to execute a plan, or collaborate with your favorite colleague, friend, or partner around something fresh and exciting. The energy that breathes life into your brain, your body, and your emotions.

Time connects all things and is truthfully the only constant we have. So why not make sure we leverage it for all its value toward an abundantly joyful and purpose driven life.

Simply defined, time is the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.

I’m not sure what within that definition stands out to you, but for me it is the idea of continued progress. Meaning everlasting work. Something I’ve personally found more necessary and crucial than ever before, in the past few months. Challenging not only myself but others with the ever pressing question of “What’s next?” You have this brilliant idea, mission, or intention but what are you going to do with it? How do you bring it to life? How do you give it time?

These are often the most difficult questions I come into contact with, specifically as a coach. The thoughts about where to start? what to do? how to reach others? etc. is often what causes things to fall by the way side. The idea becoming more work perhaps than we originally anticipated. Too challenging. Too complex. Too diverse. And overall too time consuming. But, if we think of time as that indefinite continued progress, then these elements and questions should no longer be seen as our challenges but our motivators to do the work.

Ralph Marston says-

“Delaying the work just makes the work more difficult. So choose to do the work without delay, to do it now. No longer will you be burdened by what must be done. You can be satisfied with what you have accomplished... The sooner you do the work, the more leverage you have. Time has great value, so get that value working for you instead of against you.”

It is my thought that if we can keep this in mind, then action will naturally come. Much of the pressure on just how to do it becomes eliminated and the work starts to flow.

Therefore, this week I challenge you to not waste any more time in getting things done. No matter what the idea or task, push yourself to take immediate action. Big, small, or indifferent. Try this for a few weeks and see what changes you notice in what you set out to accomplish. How quickly are things getting done? Are actions becoming easier and easier for you to take? Are you more motivated? Are your levels of energy higher? Does your rate of completion increase? How does your taking action affect others around you?

These are all valuable questions in measuring your own levels of success. So take the time to sit with yourself and be honest as you navigate and draw correlations between time and effort giving yourself permission to do what needs to be done.

The bottom line is, that we all have work to do and the time to do it is now.

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” - Barack Obama

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