As the year is getting started, some of you have tried to kick off your New Year’s changes. In a previous post I wrote about New Year’s resolutions, promises or commitments, as well as your Why and finally New Year’s Excuses. It is now 2 weeks into the New Year and I bet some of you have already made up an excuse why you could not keep your New Year’s commitments. And one big excuse, regardless of time of year is “not having enough time.”
In holding with our mission statement, I am going to make a statement of accountability. People make time to do what they actually want and care about. If you did not make time to go to the gym, it is because sleep, TV, shopping, Facebook or something else was actually more important to you than the gym. This may not make you feel the best, but, if a friend did not call because they “did not have time” what they are actually saying is “you were not important enough for me to prioritize a call for.”
Observe your own behavior. If you look at it honestly, you will see the pattern of actually giving attention to what you care about the most. You may think, “I want to be able to lay on the beach and do nothing.” Although that may be true. If you are not doing that, it is because electricity, food, shelter, etc is more important and you actually want that more.
Everything in life is a choice. You have the power to choose what you want to do. That includes what you do and do not make time for. So quit using “I do not have enough time” as an excuse. You need to own up to your own actions and decisions. Begin admitting that “I do not want to make time for X” instead. Time is our most precious resource. It is one of the things that, once spent, you can never get back. You can lose all of your money and earn it back. But you can never get time back once it is spent.
Honor the resource of time and be accountable for your own decisions. Remember, you make time for what you care about. Spend it wisely and don’t make excuses for it.