Time vs. Priority….
by Donna Spellman
“I meant to do that, but I didn’t have time…” Or, “Someday when I have more time, I will….” Time is a small four-letter word that holds so much power over what we do. What does time mean? Time is defined as “the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.” It seems like the existence of time feels somewhat out of our control, almost as if it’s just something that happens and we’re just observers. Time passed. Time is passing. Time will pass. What we did, are doing, or will do with our time seems to be somewhat reactive to what’s happening in the moment.
But what if we were to replace the word time with priority? “When I make it my priority, I’m going to….” “I meant to do that, but it wasn’t my priority.” With this replacement of a simple word, we gain control. We realize that we all have the ability to prioritize time based on needs, likes and wants, responding to what is happening around us. I suspect that we would take more responsibility over what we did in the past, what we are doing right now, or what we plan to do in the future, if we continued to realize that we most definitely control what we do with our time based on our priorities.
When my children were much younger, my husband and I made family time our priority. Every decision we made was based on our time spent together as a family. Every minute of our time was centered around the three greatest gifts we were given, our children. Now, in their adult lives, they are less dependent and they, too, have their priorities which weigh in on how they spend their time. Sometimes their priorities involve us and sometimes they don’t. When we look back on their most formative years, my husband and I agree that our priorities during that time left us with no regrets as it relates to time spent with our family. We are happy with the choices that we made to make our family our priority, even though we surely forfeited other opportunities that seemed less important to us at that period of time. Those other opportunities were postponed to another period when they, too, might become the priority.
My parents are getting older and while I am juggling many responsibilities, I make it my priority to spend as much time with them as I can. This means frequent trips out of state, and trading off other tasks, events and gatherings, all because time is passing quickly and they are my priority. I could very easily talk myself into believing that something else “should be” my priority and therefore, I can’t travel to see them as often. But when it comes to prioritizing time, especially time that is perhaps limited in its duration, I have learned that it’s impossible to get time back. Therefore, right now, they remain my priority. I know that the time will come when they will no longer be with us and my priorities will again shift. But much like the time we devoted to our children when they were young, I will never have any regrets for recognizing and acting on my priorities.
You might be wondering why this is an important message. It is important to recognize what is important to you, where you need and want to prioritize your time, and lead with your heart. You will never say, “I wish I had spent more time with the people who are most important to me.” You will have no regrets. And you will be freer to recognize your priorities as you step into the future.
