The precious present

Time is precious.  We know this, yet we still tend to take it for granted.  It ticks by without us noticing.  Once it's gone, it's gone forever.  We will never know that missed moment again.  I try to make the best use of my time.  Regrets are lessons we haven't learned yet.  I try not to ponder on time that has passed.  There is no time like the present, and there is little point in looking retrospectively, wondering what if...  

Each of us will know what the best use of our own time looks like.  We are all unique.  We value different things, and are pursuing individual goals that represent milestones on the journeys we ultimately tread alone.  How do you choose to spend your time?  Do you love what you do with it?  If not, why not? 

I function best when I'm in 'flow', but this doesn't just happen.  Diary management is, I now realise, one of the most important skills and one that is perfected only by bitter experience.  

Recreation is just that - time to 're-create'.  I try to use mine well.  Using our time creatively and constructively doesn't mean doing an awful lot.  Some of my best spent time is time spent doing very little.  Time spent being is time well invested.  It pays high dividends, and enables me to do a lot more, a lot better.  

We all have the ability to nourish ourselves.  So much of the time we spend awake is consumed with activities we do because we must.  There are always jobs that need doing.  We might enjoy these pursuits, but chances are we spend a considerable chunk of our lives engaging in things that leave us feeling depleted.  We need to redress the balance.  Each day we need to do something we enjoy.  Something we derive pleasure from.  Every day we need to do something we know we are good at.  Proficiency and mastery are both tremendous mood boosters.     

"Time is free, but it's priceless.  You can't own it, but you can use it.  You can't keep it, but you can spend it.  Once you've lost it you can never get it back."