Recently I was watching a Ken Burns documentary on PBS the other day about the history of the National Parks in the the US (at least I was until I fell asleep). I was shocked (but not surprised) by a photograph showing hundreds of rotting buffalo carcasses slaughtered for sport. It was an example how our ancestors managed to nearly destroy the buffalo population over a very short period of time.
At that time the Great Plains must have seemed like a vast limitless resource that would go on forever. Much as we view outer space today. So why not kill every buffalo in sight, the supply is limitless. This naive and dangerous attitude led to the destruction of many native species and the pollution of our natural resources. But that’s not my point here.
I believe this sense of limitlessness is the reason many of us waste our time. We know intellectually that our time is limited. However deep down on an emotional level, many of us believe we will live forever. And that belief leads many to waste time on things that don’t matter. When a resource appears limitless it has no value.
Last week when I wrote about how successful people understand that their time is a limited and valuable resource. I believe that most of these individuals understand this limitation on an emotional level. This enables them to feel the value of their time and act accordingly. Add a healthy (some would say too healthy) dose of ego and you have the ingredients for success.
So what about the rest of us? How do we develop a true sense of how limited and precious our time really is? I wish I knew a punch line or catchy story to help. Over the years I’ve used a number of illustrations in coaching sessions and workshops to make this point. Sometimes they work, but not often enough. But when they do the result is pretty amazing.
But breaking free of the sense that one lives forever is different for everyone. It happens when you’re ready…or not at all. Sometimes it happens after the loss of of friend the same age, sometimes it’s bad news from the doctor or it comes from anything when the person is ready.
The sudden realization of your own mortality, while painful, is also a release. Truly understanding that you have a limited number of days on this world enables you to see the true value of your time. It frees you to spend it wisely and enjoy what you have.
What do you think? Please use the comment section below to share your thoughts.
For some related information see my article on Ezine about how our ability to focus is related to the amount of attention, time and energy we give.
Also see our latest podcast on this subject at The On Target Podcast.
Photograph by npatterson (no relation)
{ 1 trackback }