Are you making time work for you, or are you letting time go by? Are you mastering the creation of time or playing victim to it?
What are you focused on, really?
Take for instance, do you make time for your own personal and professional development? Do you make time for play?
People often ask me how it is that I am able to read so many books in one year … when they see how “busy” I am. You see, I strive to read one book a week on average. Last year, I read 53 books in total.
Let’s first address the notion and perception that I am “busy” … which denotes that I am managing my time versus managing my focus.
I hold a firm belief that time can be and is created, or the idea of time is created, for when we are focused on the things we truly are meant to focus on, the inspired action that fully aligns with our What, Why and Who presents itself and all gets taken care of in its right timing.
Busy is nothing more than a lack of clarity, prioritization, focus, and preparation. Busy is running on the hamster wheel of life, chasing some illusion or metric of success.
We spend so much of our energy watching time pass by, watching the minutes slip away. Busy is nothing more than a function of “burying under shoulding yourself.” When we manage our time, we are watching the clock. A surefire way to create endless and useless amounts of busy.
Sure, my plate is full …
Full being a higher vibrational energy than busy. It indicates I have agency of choice to decide what I bring onto my plate and how I use my energy. Full comes from a place of leadership, of alignment, and of my own personal integrity. Full has a richness to it, a sense of satisfaction, peace, and joy. It’s connected to my “why” and to how I show up in my leadership.
Full acknowledges that I am managing my focus. When we manage our focus, we watch our impact. In fact, we seek to invest for impact, rather than pure profit. We put the desire to serve first, knowing all is and will be taken care of, as a result.
When we elect to create fullness, rather than busy in our lives, we focus on the impact we create for others, and the impact we create within our own lives.
My life is full, and open, and expansive. I choose to fill it with things that feed and nourish my soul, bring me endless joy, and open up pathways to be of greater service … to inspire, influence and impact others.
Now, time is simply time (and an illusion at that). We all have the same bucket to play in … each of us has the same 24 hours each day with which to draw from, at least in this human experience we are having.
How you choose to use that time is paramount.
As does everything in leadership, it comes down to the choices you make.
Leaders choose to use their time wisely to learn, to grow, to challenge themselves, to give, to receive, to be still, to meditate, to recharge, to nourish their mind, bodies and spirits, to witness, to contemplate, to think strategically and creativity, to play, and to feed their souls.
They also create an abundant source of free space, white space, openness in order to dream, to imagine, and to play in the infinite possibilities and potential that life offers. Believe it or not, it’s actually in the non-doing energy that we are able to tap into our purest creativity and innovation.
We need space to just be.
Leaders recognize that these choices determine the quality of their lives, the quality of their minds, the quality of their emotionality and spirituality, their level of abundance and wealth, and their overall state of health.
In reading, I am able to nourish all parts of myself.
When I read, it’s as if the author is at my table and we are discussing our hearts, our truth, and our own journey and experiences. As Robin Sharma said, “I was honored to have a conversation with the author.”
I experienced this revelation recently with Michael Singer, the author of “The Untethered Soul” (and several other books) on one of my flights.
Was he actually sitting next to me? No.
So, how was that possible? I opened his book. I read page after page and engaged with his thoughts, his words, and his ideas. I was able to go inside and ask myself deeper questions about “who I am,” as a result.
In a few hours, sitting on a plane, I emerged different, more open and with a new perspective. It’s really that simple. And, I even took a little nap to provide my body with the blessing of rest and recharge on that same flight. Oh, and I wrote this blog.
I was able to accomplish all those things with intention. I emerged from my flight feeling refreshed, energized, and expansive.
Now, as opposed to the two gentlemen who sat on either side of me both who chose to spend their time the entire flying playing cards (solitaire) on their iPads. Not that there is anything wrong with that. But, these same two men were both grumbling with all they had to do once the plane landed. The difference in our energy was the choices made.
It’s why I am able to read a book a week. I choice to use those opportunities to expand my cup, to nourish my soul, and to be intentional. This is how I continue to feed and grow my own horizons.
Now, I am not saying this to judge, but merely as an observation.
We all have choices, and there is a responsibility that exists for all of us inside those choices. How and what are you choosing? Is it aligned with who you are, who you are growing to be, and what fills and feeds your soul?
Sometimes, we need to mindless scrolling on social media or playing an online game. More times than not, from what I’ve witnessed, this becomes a cop-out and excuse, a way to shriek responsibility and to play victim, complaining you don’t have enough time.
More times than not, your soul is not crying out for more wasted focus or busy. It’s asking you to feed it with beauty, wonder, curiosity, and creativity. It craves being full.
So, ask yourself whether you want to expand your horizons and knowledge, and are you embracing those opportunities and possibilities that are gifted to you to do just that?
I choose to use planes and car rides (thank god for Audible) to expand my own development. Windshield time is a blessing for me.
As I recently saw quoted by Robin Sharma (one of my many teachers): “Stop managing your time. Start managing your focus.”
My focus is to grow, to expand, to evolve, to become more awakened every day, to give more fully of myself and to stay open to possibilities. I choose a path that essentially provides me opportunities to live my life on purpose full out, with great passion and intention for how I choose to show up and serve. This is my choice and how I manage my focus.
What better way to feed my soul than to have conversations with some of the greats: Wayne Dyer, Brené Brown, Brendon Burchard, Robin Sharma, Paulo Cuelo, Elizabeth Gilbert, , Gabby Bernstein, Deepak’s Chopra, Earl Nightingale, Gay Hendricks, Don Miguel Ruiz, and Viktor Frankl … just to name only a few of my favorite people to engage with!
For me, the list is endless!
These giants and titans who I am ever so grateful to stand on the shoulders of in this lifetime. To invite to my table and engage in real connected conversations with them. To learn, to grow, and to evolve with them.
So, the questions you get to ask yourself are threefold:
1) Who am I and who am I choosing to become?
2) What is it I really want for my life?
3) How will I choose to manage my focus and spend my time?