Life Is Short. What Will You Do With The Time That's Left?
The time that we have left before we die is finite. What will you do with it? We do not know the day, or hour, that we will depart this world. However all of us know how much time remain in our current life and many of us are already making changes to improve it. There is only one valuable thing that we can carry with us when our time has run out, and that is the way we have made use of our time.
Most of us spend much of our time in a reactive mode. We respond to what happens around us, either internally, or externally. When something unexpected happens to you, for example getting a sudden job promotion or being fired, or being rushed to the hospital because you have fallen ill, your life is no longer under your control and you are forced to respond.
Many times however we do not have a choice of what responses would be available to us during these times, as many situations are completely outside out control. One of the best ways to do something constructive with the time that we have is to learn from it and make changes to improve our future.
The more that you are able to control your life and get into a proactive mode, the better your position will be. Many people who look forward to what they want instead of reacting over what has happened in their lives, will be happier and more content.
One way of doing this is by having clear goals for your life. Goals have been said to concentrate the power of thought, which makes them feasible and effective tools for achieving whatever you hope for in life.
Do you have life goals that are important to you? Do they include a successful career, having a great relationship, having a family or achieving financial security? Whatever your dreams are, goal setting will make them possible.
There is no guarantee that things will always turn out the way we want, but there is a strong possibility that they will if we plan properly. The more specific your goals are the better. A more detailed and action oriented goal gives you an increased chance for success.
For example instead of just saying that you want to increase your income this year by 10%, why not say that you will earn $50 thousand dollars in your business by January 1st of this year.
By setting your goal more clearly you are more likely to achieve it. Other benefits of having goals is the feeling of satisfaction that will be experienced when the goal has been achieved. Also goals make us think positive about our lives, which always makes us feel better and more confident.
It is important that we set small mini goals right away as this will give us the feeling of accomplishment and confidence in ourselves as we go along. The best way to be successful at setting mini goals is by asking yourself what small change you want to make in your life first thing in the morning out of bed, before you do anything else.
This is a good time as it is before anything else has happened to you and you are still in a positive mindset. If this goal is difficult to achieve, why not make it simpler? For example if you want to lose ten pounds by the end of the month, why not start off with just losing two pounds.
Whatever your goals are, remember that if you take one small step at a time towards those goals, the total distance covered will be much more than the one step itself. By setting smaller sub-goals as we go along we give ourselves small successes and build our confidence from there. These successes will motivate us further to achieve our higher goals and aspirations.
A good time management system will help you to achieve all of your goals in a timely and effective manner. If your goal is to improve your health by answering a minimum of 10 minutes of exercise every day. Note on a calendar what time you are going to do it at everyday, and never miss that time slot.
If you have decided that this is the most important thing for you to do everyday, then even a short exercise session would be better than nothing. As the days go by, you will be able to feel the change in yourself as you are more active and healthy.
If you have made a commitment to yourself, then stick to it. If you fail one day, do not get upset and feel that you have failed completely. Just make an adjustment to your schedule and try again the next day. By adjusting your schedule and giving up an hour of television or partying with your friends once in a while will surely lead to more health and happiness in the long run.
You will also find that there are many other things you can adjust in your life that will benefit you without much distress or sacrifice on your part. When we set goals for ourselves, we feel more positive about ourselves as our self-confidence and self-esteem increases.
Nothing is more satisfying than achieving a goal that we have been working towards, especially if we have had to overcome some obstacles in the process. It is self-appreciation at its best!
If you are feeling low, then setting goals for your future will help you get out of that rut. Also by having specific goals, we give ourselves something to strive for, and it is always easier to work towards something as opposed to nothing.
Everyday there are opportunities and possibilities that present themselves to us. Instead of letting them pass by without taking advantage of them, why not make the effort and try them out? You will be surprised at how much you can do when you put your mind and energy into it.
If you try to do the same thing everyday, then you will get the same results every time. However if you are able to do new things and take risks that are not in your routine, then you will undoubtedly discover a lot of exciting new things about yourself and your life.
All of these goals that you set for yourself will help to improve your level of self-esteem as well as teach you how to be more assertive and self-confident. If we have these attributes in ourselves, then they are more likely to manifest themselves in our lives.
We use our goals and ambitions as a way of keeping ourselves focused on what is important in life.
Conclusion
Don’t get caught up in the rat race and just exist day by day. Have a clear picture in your mind of what it is you want to accomplish and then take the steps necessary to achieve it. Doing so will make your life more fulfilling, interesting and fun as well.
As you can see life is an adventure after all, so make it one where you are in charge. Not one where others are making all the decisions for you. Make your life one that will have meaning and value to yourself as well as others. Remember that life is not measured by the amount of time we spend on this earth, but by the quality of those moments that we spend here.