Have you ever noticed how time seems to crawl when you have very little to do? (In other words- you’re bored!) What happens to time when you are faced with multiple, competing priorities and deadlines? Time seems to develop wings and flies! The point of these two extreme examples is this, time is always a constant, and it is us who change!
In A Course in Miracles time is defined as a teaching device and a way to enable us to learn how to use time constructively. Once we are able to do this, “time stops when it is no longer useful in facilitating learning”.
What does this mean to us and our everyday lives? Everything! We are constantly juggling duties, responsibilities, personal and professional interests, on and on. For many of us this creates a sense that we have no time simply because we have not learned how to use time constructively in the moment.
This is a true experience of mine. Recently, my husband and I went away on vacation and stayed for 5-days at an all-inclusive resort. We are both ‘early risers’ and were fortunate that we were in the Caribbean as their time zone was the same as Winnipeg’s- this was great!
We both rose at our usual time, did our usual morning routines: exercised, read, did some writing and planning. The first morning we were both shocked to find out that after doing all that it was still only 8:00a.m.!
Why? We didn’t have to juggle getting breakfast ready, seeing children out the house to school, getting dressed and ready for work at a certain time.
All these ‘extra demands on our time’ were taken away; time literally felt as if it stood still yet we had gotten so much done before 8:00a.m.!
If you feel or think you are constantly running out of time, feeling pressed for time, or thinking you have no time, stop and take a look at how you are using your time. You might be surprised to know time is not being used constructively.
Maybe you would benefit from reflecting on how you change when faced with multiple competing priorities. A powerful question to ask yourself is: am I using time as a teaching device or as a crutch?
Keep Well…Phyllis
