How You Spend Your Time is How You Spend Your Life
About a year ago, I was talking to a student of mine who is really (really) behind in school. He has a lot of assignments, classes, and credits to catch up on and time isn’t on his side.
He told me that “his problem was that he had too much free time on his hands.” I responded by telling him that he didn’t, especially because he had so much to catch up on. I told him that he needed to spend his time wisely and not squander it on video games and TV.
We talked about what he still needed to catch up on, his attitude, and some of his past experiences. At the end, he told me that he’d “try to work on his schoolwork.”
I told him that how he spent his time is how he spends his life. If he chooses to waste his time, he’s wasting his life. Inversely, if he spends his time wisely to catch up on his schoolwork, he would be productive, sharper in his academic skills, (and using his life wisely).
This applies not to just him, or even me; it applies to all of us. How we choose to spend our time (at work, at home, and everywhere else in the middle) is how we choose to spend our lives.
Even for me, I can either be productive or waste my time. If I waste my days, then I’m no help to myself, my family, or anyone else, but if I’m productive, I am helpful to everyone (including me). If things don’t go my way, I can choose to be angry and use that as an excuse to not try, or I can be proactive with a growth mentality and use it as an opportunity for growth.
How I envision my life helps me decide how to spend my life. I want to live it fully. I want to be present with my family and my friends and spend lots of quality time with them. I want to build precious memories with my loved ones. I want to always be passionate about everything that I do. I want to live a life of honor and integrity. That’s how I want my life to be, and that’s how I’m going to approach each day.
Remember, how you choose to spend your time each day is how you live your life. Choose wisely.
Roderick Conwi is the Executive Editor at Nourishment Notes. He is also the author of The Procrastinator's Quick Guide To Getting It Done. To get powerful insights that enhance your day, join his free newsletter.
