Driving from one appointment to the next today, I came across the most amazing field of sunflowers. Though I operate on a pretty strategic schedule, I chose to carve out some time to stop and walk out into this magnificent field of flowers. Honey bees were moving from brilliant flower to flower and I stood in a quiet and sincere moment of gratitude.
My CEO coaching clients often express to me that their lives are too busy and time “just gets away from them.” They wished they had more time to–as the saying goes–stop and smell the roses. We live in a world that continues to support and encourage being busy. Many people become addicted to the adrenaline created from running up on timelines and cramming five hours of work into two. But how does all of this serve you?
How do some people live a life driven by chaos while others flow with ease through their days? Each operates out of the same time resource pool: 24/7. The illusion that time seems to sometimes move faster than other times is self-made. The difference is built on a paradigm of abundance vs scarcity. Not having enough time is a statement built on lack.
Of course, there is not enough time to do EVERYTHING. But that is what Greg McKeown calls “Essential.” Most things people fill their time up with are things that are not getting them any closer to the life they want to live. They are living a life by default, not by design. We have a great quote hanging on the wall as we go up the stairs in our home. It says, “Design your life, or someone else will”. A powerful adage. One to live by.
As humans, we have the gift of choice. We can choose what to think, what to feel, and what to do. So it is with the things you commit and dedicate your time to. There is always a choice. Take it.