"Time is your most precious gift because you only have a set amount of it. You can make more money, but you can't make more time.
When you give someone your time, you are giving them a portion of your life that you'll never get back. Your time is your life. That is why the greatest gift you can give someone is your time"
Rick Warren
This beautiful quote perfectly sums up why the gift of time is so important. It doesn't come in a fancy box, wrapped with a bow, nor is it something we can buy but it is something that we can all give and receive. It is more valuable than the most extravagant and expensive gift and yet all too often we take it for granted. But it's not just about the giving, receiving someone's time is also something we should treasure.
In our busy lives, it can seem as if time is something we don't have a lot of. We rush about trying to be all things to all people, spreading ourselves so thinly and constantly feeling like we are up against the clock. We celebrate our ability to multi task and berate ourselves for all the things we didn't have time to do. But the question we need to ask ourselves is how are we valuing our time? Are we giving this precious commodity away too easily?
Think about the way you spend your money. No one runs around flinging their hard earned cash out to anyone who asks. We recognise the value, we think about how we spend it and what we want to spend it on. We consider our needs and the needs of those that are most important to us and our time should be the same. Of course this is often easier said than done, when our To do list's grow ever longer and the pressure of expectations of us seems to never end.
We need to remember that in valuing our time, we are valuing ourselves. The first step is to work out what and who is truly important to us. Recognising the things that bring us the most joy and satisfaction gives us a clear steer as to where we need to be focusing our time and attention. Next we need to be present, if we have made the decision to give the gift of our time to someone or something, we owe it to ourselves to fully commit. Put the phone down, turn off the tv, come into the moment and savour every second without the constant background chatter of thinking about a thousand other things. Finally and most importantly, remember that taking time for ourselves is also hugely beneficial and necessary.
Time is precious, so this new year why not set the intention to truly value every single second of it.
Love and light
Sharon x x
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