How to Achieve a State of Happiness Part V… Make Time!

Hi everyone! 

I’ve had a busy week but here I am back again for another one of my blog entries about happiness!  Are you sick of them?  I hope not because I suspect there will be more coming your way!  It’s kind of funny because all of this started when I posed the question out there for myself “How do I achieve a state of happiness”.  The answers  to that question had been popping into my mind continuously since.   Have you ever asked yourself a question and experienced how an answer just pops into your mind (not right away, sometimes in an incremental basis over days or weeks)?   This is one of these instances for me.

Today I want to talk about another very important component to Happiness…  TIME.

We are all here on this planet for a very limited period of time.   Let’s be super optimistic and pretend for a moment that we are all going to be here for 90 years… well, given that there are 24 hours a day, if you multiply that by 365 for the number of days in a year, it gives you 8,760 hours and if you multiply that by 90, you get 788,400 hours in your lifetime (you can break it down even further to minutes and seconds if you like).  It may seem like a lot at first glance but when you really think about it, it is not that much time!  We spend at least 30-50% (236,520 – 394,200 hours) of the time sleeping!  Time is FINITE for each of us.  Time stops for no one.  Regardless of what you are doing, TIME keeps on tick tick ticking away and each and every one of us has the same 24 hours a day.   Throw on top of all that, the variable called illness/accidents that can put a premature end to it all! 

How is this talk about TIME relevant to achieving a state of Happiness?   Well, it is totally relevant because I’ve come to realize that there are a few distinct ways that people see time and and I’ve noticed how certain views actually stands in the way of achieving Happiness: 

1. There are those who frequently complain about not having ENOUGH time to do things that makes them happy.

   I used to be one of those myself until I realized that each and every one of us has the same 24 hours allocated to us each day.  The ultimate CHOICE is ALWAYS in our hands.  We MAKE time for things and activities that we prioritize as important.  Some make their children/family their priority; a lot of men have the tendency to make their jobs a priority; some make their hobbies a priority; others make things that they don’t enjoy and don’t want to do their priority so they can “get” to the “good stuff” later.  Whatever it is that you are doing with your time, it’s YOUR CHOICE AND NO ONE ELSE’s so whatever it is you are spending your time doing, if it is not making you happy, maybe it is time for you to revisit the CHOICES you are making!
     

2.  There are those who takes time for granted.  For one reason or another, they are not engaged with the moments that comes and goes.  There is no focus.  Time just slip by unnoticed for these people.

   This is a sad situation.  I’ve volunteered at nursing homes from time to time and I’ve witnessed the sadness in so many who had done just that in their youth and as a consequence lived the remainder of their lives with regret. 
   

3. This 3rd point I am going to make is what I do currently with MY TIME and I hope that sharing it will help people rethink how they spend their time wisely.   I start my day with a smile because I can and to me, it is an easy choice to make between a frown and a smile.  Regardless of how I feel, a smile NEVER FAILED TO MAKE ME FEEL BETTER!  I spend every moment of every day focused on what will make me happy at that moment and I do it!   Guess what?  Miraculously, doing what I want to do the moment I want to do it ALWAYS made me happy.  The only times when I am NOT happy is when I decided against making the choice for HAPPINESS at the moment.  Does that make sense?  

Famous Chinese Philosopher Lao Tzu once said ” Time is a created thing… To say ‘I don’t have time’ is like saying ‘I don’t want to’.”

 

I want to wrap up by this last message.  

Time is the most valuable thing that each and every one of us has.  For each and every one of you who shared your time with me, I want to say THANK YOU because you had share with me something that is priceless!   

There is a storm coming this weekend but don’t let it stop you!  Take the time to rethink about how you are spending your time and choose HAPPINESS!   

Until next time, wishing you all a day of Happiness!