Time

I know Stephen Hawking, Albert Einstein, and other great minds have all theorized about the concept of time; however, for my money, there’s really only one authority I trust. I’m, of course, talking about the Tenth Doctor (played by the incomparable David Tennant). Here’s his summary of time: “People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but, actually, from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it’s more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly, timey-wimey-stuff.” Well said, Doctor, well said.

Time is a funny concept to me. I’ve seen a number of TED Talks and productivity experts show a chart of the average number of weeks in the lifespan of a human being as boxes that simply need to be checked off. The main gist of the chart is that “you only have a limited amount of time on this earth, as represented by these boxes – what are you doing to be great each week?” The psychology of the message is if you aren’t doing amazing things each week, you’re wasting time.

Pfft. It may just be me (I suspect not), but those charts stress me out and make my left eye twitch.

As the saying goes, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. I believe the same goes for time. What some people consider a waste of time (reading a book for entertainment, watching TV, spending time with family and friends, etc.), others consider the most fulfilling use of their time.

There’s been study after study and article after article about what people on their deathbeds wish they could or would have done differently with their time. The three regrets that tend to surface the most often are:

• Not being true to themselves. This is about living according to the expectations of others or of what society expects of us. It takes courage to be our true selves.

• Working too much/too hard. This one comes up ad nauseum.

• Not spending enough time with family and loved ones. As does this one (come up ad nauseum). Spending too much time at work and focused on career growth/trying to get ahead at the expense of family and friends.

I haven’t seen a single regret that has anything to do with making sure there was a gold star in each week’s box.

Yes, time is precious. The most enjoyable and fulfilling times I’ve had are the ones where time doesn’t matter at all and I’m doing something I enjoy (hanging out with family and laughing, sitting on the patio with my wife and our animals, taking the dogs out for a hike). And I’m completely content without the added pressure of feeling I need to do something “meaningful” or “impactful” each week.

Don’t let anyone tell you that whatever it is you do that brings you joy is a waste of time. Embrace the wibbly wobbly.  

Until next week.

Cheers,

Andy

(All written content created the old-fashioned way.)