“The trouble is you think you have time.” Buddha
David sat in a state of shock. Five years left to live, his doctor had just told him, ten at the most. Devastated, David started having nightmares. He saw a gravestone with his own name carved into it.
What could he do? He didn’t want to die.
Louise glanced at the bulging legal files of the alleged wrongful convictions of people locked up in prison yet still maintaining their innocence.
What could she do? She’s just one person.
Feeling completely powerless, Chris sat down next to his father, seeing not one but two life debilitating diseases take their toll removing a little bit of his hero every day. This can’t be right, he’s far too young, thought Chris.
What could he do?
Have you ever stopped to take the time to think about who you are, what you stand for and WHY you are doing what you are doing? Are you living or are you existing? Is your work fulfilling or are you just filling in the moments?
When you know who you can help, the problem you can solve and what influence you can have, you put people at the heart of your decisions. When you focus on the social impact, you create meaningful and fulfilling work to solve personal, professional and global problems.
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
J. R. R. Tolkein
Exploring the problems they each faced, David, Louise and Chris discovered their own solutions. Allow me to share their secret with you. They each had a purpose. They each had a WHY. They united their passion with their purpose with a plan. They took responsibility, took control and took action.
David Breaker sought help and worked hard to lose 20 stone to save his life. Now as a Weight Loss Coach and a Healthy Eating Educator he helps many others to start living not existing.
Dr. Louise Hewitt set up the Innocence Project London, a pro bono organisation where with criminology and law students and lawyers they investigate the cases and raise greater public awareness that wrongful convictions in the UK do happen.
From Marble Arch to the Arc de Triomphe, Chris Leek ran 87 miles, swam the English channel, without a wetsuit, and cycled 181 miles to raise awareness and money for three purpose-driven charities very close to his heart. Chris’s WHY kept him focused every minute of his world record holding triathlon time of 69 hours and 29 minutes.
Do these three stories of transformation and success motivate, inspire and encourage you to take positive action and focus on your WHY? Are you fulfilled by and valued for your work? Be honest, could you be, do or have more? Then stop because time won’t stop for you. As Geoffrey Chaucer said, “Time and tide waits for no man.”
It’s time to challenge your thinking and identify your opportunities. Why spend the rest of your life not enjoying what you’re doing, not being with those you love and not having what you desire?
The way you live your life is as a result of your everyday choices and the questions you ask yourself. Are you making the right choices? Are you asking the right questions? WHY is the most enlightening of questions. When you focus on WHY, you feel connected, fulfilled, that you belong. How do you feel about what you do and WHY you do it? What you do every day matters.
“A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.” Charles Darwin
Stop filling in the moments, choose extraordinary over mediocrity to achieve the success you desire. With passion, purpose and a plan, you can make a big difference. Life is short and in next to no time, your time will be over! What will you choose to do with the time you have on this planet?
Don’t give yourself a hard time, time flies. However, buy yourself time just in time to make up for lost time before you run out of time! In fact it’s all just a matter of time, so don’t call it a day, instead have a whale of a time.
Call a time out, you’ve caught the stitch in time and third time lucky, you’re now on borrowed time. When the time is ripe perhaps you can withstand the test of time! You get the picture, I could go on but it’s high time I stopped!
As time is such a critical element in your life, you will likely use many of these idiomatic expressions around time every day without necessarily being aware that you are. Time is too precious a resource to take for granted or waste. You will never have this moment again. Now is your time!
ACTION POINT
How will you spend your time today, tomorrow and for the rest of your time?
Whose life are you living? What is important to you?
Carpe diem! Focus on Time!
Amy
Here are the three Focus on WHY episodes referenced above.
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