How many times have you said “ I don’t have time! “Or to hear you give this answer? The question you should ask yourself is how do you want your time to be filled ?
Imagine if you got up tomorrow morning and set yourself up for full use of your time : what would you do? Do not tell me that you would play all the time with your mobile or watch all the Big Brother on TV because you missed some episodes and you want to catch up!
I like to think that each one of us has a great responsibility: that of using our time in the best possible way for ourselves and for others and, I am very sorry for Big Brother fans, but I don’t think this is the way best…
So, at a point where the question can blow you away, I admit it … that’s why I want to give you 5 tips to guide you in the answer, but before that … do you know the story of the jar of mayonnaise and the cup of coffee?
A professor stood in front of his class, during a philosophy lesson having, in front of him, some apparently incongruent objects with respect to the subject to be treated. His students look at him astonished!
Unperturbed, he picked up a large empty mayonnaise jar and started filling it with golf balls. He asked the students if the jar was full and they said yes.
The professor then took a jar of gravel and tipped it into the jar of mayonnaise, shook it slightly, and the pebbles settled in the empty spaces between the golf balls. He asked the students again if the jar was full and they agreed it was.
Then, the professor took a box of sand and poured it into the jar, obviously the sand spread everywhere inside .. He asked once again if the jar was full and the students between bored and stunned, they replied with a unanimous ‘yes’.
At that point, the professor took out two cups of coffee from under the chair and poured their entire contents into the jar thus filling the empty spaces in the sand; the students laughed.
“Now” – said the professor as soon as the laughter subsided – “I want you to consider this jar as your life. Golf balls are the important things: your family, your children, your health, your friends and your passions, the things for which, even if everything else is lost, and only these remain, your life. it would continue to be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, the house, the car… the sand is everything else, the little things.
If you put the sand in the jar first, there will be no room for the gravel or golf balls. The same is true for life; if you spend all your time and energy behind the little things, you will no longer have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are indispensable for your happiness; play with your children, enjoy family and parents while they are there …
Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set priorities … the rest is just sand.
One of the students raised his hand and asked what the coffee represented. The professor smiled: “I’m glad you asked, it just serves to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there will always be room for a couple. of coffee with a friend “.
Here are the 5 tips I want to give you:
- Don’t say “I don’t have time”. Time is our greatest wealth, but we protect it very little. We keep the diamonds and jewels we own in the safe, but we allow someone or something to steal our time! When we say that we don’t have time for our parents, our children, grandchildren and grandparents or that we don’t have time for our hobbies, self-care and passions we are lying to ourselves. The time is the same for everyone : it’s up to us to choose how to use it in the best way.
- Follow your values. Our values guide us. Values represent our internal compass , the beacon that illuminates our destiny. Even before the principles, even deeper there are our values. If you lead a life that contradicts your values, how can you be happy? So take a piece of paper and write down your values ; hang it in your room or office and every time you have to decide what to do ask yourself if your choice matches your values … if the answer you give yourself is too often “no”, then you should change something . In his speech to Stanford students, Steve Jobs says these words:<<… My third story is about death. When I was 17 I read a quote that went something like this: “If you live each day as if it were your last, surely you will be right once.” It struck me a lot and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked at myself every morning in the mirror asking myself, “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer is “no” for too many days in a row, I understand that there is something that needs to be changed. Remembering that I will die soon is the most important tool I have ever encountered to make the great choices in life… >>
- Television is harmful. The news broadcasts propagate a pessimistic view of the world. It seems that everything is wrong, that it is impossible to find work, that the world is a horrible place to live. Don’t worry, you will learn the most important news anyway . The rest of television, apart from a few good movies, is a big waste of time .. ok, I’ll give you your favorite series: a little cuddle to relax after a hard day
- Money is important, but it doesn’t buy time. The opposite is true: time buys money but not the other way around. The new phone you just got, the coolest car, the fashionable dress you didn’t get with money, but you traded it for your time! You have decided to trade some of your time for these items. It may not be wrong, but be aware of it!
- Change is possible. You can change your habits, you can change your lifestyle, you can also change as a person. If you want change, know that you are the only person who can lead it. Do not be too angry with the things that happen to you, risking to ruin not just a moment, but the whole day .. if you want your time, know that you are the only person able to govern it.
