Time: Friend or Foe?

Is time your friend or is it an enemy?

Simply defined, time is just a tool we use to line up with one another, and we use it to describe the sequence of events in the past, present and future. Yet many people unknowingly struggle with achieving their goals and dreams, because they don't recognize the significance of their relationship with time. For your affiliation with this system of measurement, has a direct and lasting impact on your personal and professional success and happiness.

Consider the problems that can arise from our perception of time.

There's not enough of it... it slips away from us... time is the enemy... the clock is ticking... time is money... there's all the time in the world, or it's a ticking time bomb. Think about these statements and which ones resonate with you personally. For the words you choose to describe time, reflect your relationship with it.
 
And what is a relationship, but a connection, or affiliation from which we can choose to grow, expand and be nourished, or it can be a relationship of stagnation and dis-ease.

Like our personal relationships with family, friends, colleagues or customers, the ones that thrive are those which are fed. What thrives is what we choose to pay attention to.

Nowhere is this more evident than in our relationship with time.

Sometimes we don't fully grasp the significance of our relationship with time. We choose to ignore it, other than for the most fundamental necessities like making appointments or getting to work "on time". If this sounds familiar, you may have great hopes and dreams, but struggle with building positive momentum. There doesn't seem to be enough action in the law of attraction, and so the road to your desired destination may be filled with unwanted detours and a stream of challenges and obstacles.

Others are consumed by a scarcity of time and in this scenario, time becomes the enemy, as you put an ever-increasing amount of pressure on yourself to get more done, in less time. Life becomes a great big task list, and you start to feel more like a "human doing" instead of a "human being".

Many of the popular goal setting systems out there, fall into this category. These systems, and some are quite complex, unknowingly make an enemy of time by using far too much structure. Ultimately you rebel because the tool hinders, rather than helps you.

So many conventional approaches make an enemy of time or disregard it all together.

These are extremes on a continuum and are counterproductive to your personal happiness and ability to use time in a manner that propels you toward that which you most desire.

How do you know if your perception of time is helping you?

Simple, when you are in the flow... time is not an issue, yet you are engaged in activities that move you positively forward toward your desired destination.

The way you manage your time ultimately determines whether you achieve your dreams. For anyone who’s ever failed to realize a goal, and that would be most of us, you may not have recognized the real value of time integrity, or perhaps fell victim to either over-planning or under-planning.

The middle way can hold great promise, for it recognizes that your power lies in your attitude about time.

Let's look at 5 things you can do now to improve your relationship with time.

1. Start by choosing to respect time. Commit to having a healthy relationship with it; one that feeds your spirit AND your bottom line!

2. Don't ignore time, but don't make it your taskmaster either. When you use the scarcity of time to motivate you, you're spirit will eventually rebel. For thoughts about the scarcity of anything, be it money, time or happiness, will not enrich you or help you achieve your greatest dreams or goals.

3. Align your attitude about time with your desired future and present experiences. In other words, if we get too focused on future outcomes, we forget to enjoy the here and now. So choose to enjoy the journey, as you do the things that support your goals.

4. If you want to improve your use of time, choose to improve your relationship with it. Pay attention to how you're investing your hours, days, weeks and months.

5. Know that daily planning helps you choose the best route possible, and so you automatically  improve your relationship to time. It is part of the creative process, and simply a series of questions you ask yourself to choose the best route. Before you jump in and DO, know - what is the most important thing for you to accomplish this month, week, day or hour? The answer is typically the activities that support your foundation goal. That is the one that when complete, enables the fulfillment of many of your other goals and dreams.

So it is not time that is the enemy or friend, but how we choose to use it, that determines what we accomplish in this lifetime.

Consider the words of Jesse Jackson when he said "Time is neutral and does not change things. With courage and initiative, leaders change things."

So choose to be the leader in your relationship with time.

By the way, if you're a subscriber to the "Business Owner's Guide to the Universe" Online Success System, you'll find more help on the subject of time integrity in the February Podcast due for release the last week of February 2008. So watch your inbox for more tools and strategies to help you do less and receive more. If you're not a "Business Owner's Guide to the Universe" subscriber, and would like to find you how you can overcome the obstacles that can limit potential, like your relationship with time, or if you'd like more support to stay inspired and on track toward your greatest goals and dreams, you can find out more below or on our Tools Page.