Time = Choices
Life is not about achievements & accomplishments but love and relationships . The best expression of love is time. The most desired and priceless gift of love is focused attention. We all have different amounts of energy, wealth, talent & personality. However, we all have the same EXACT amount of time ⏰ 168 hours a week 28,835 days in a life (for an average American) So what are you investing in?
In order to invest in others, we must take care of ourselves.
What does that look like?
Self-care and making the best decisions everyday.
We all know what were supposed to do, eat right, excercise, get plenty of rest, drink plenty of water, have a time to relax and meditate, etc.
Now that we established the basics, lets focus on the "thriving" part of our lives.
We can be in the best shape of our lives, have the best job but how do we celebrate that? Who do we share that with. We all need connection, affirmation and love from others. After all, that's what makes the world go round.
How are we actually spending our time? Are we wise with our choices?
What does this really mean?
From my humble perspective I will say it means to be Intentional.
There is something about words that really intrigue me and in this past year I have been fixated on the word "Intentional".
Being intentional is one of the most important choices we can make.
If we actually look at the definition of "Intentional" we find the root word Intention,
"a mental state that represents a commitment to carrying out an action or actions in the future ." Intention involves mental activities such as planning and forethought. Then if we take the word Intentionality, where the word intentional comes from,
"a philosophical concept defined as the power of minds to be about, to represent, or to stand for, things, properties and states of affairs"
Simply put, think before you speak or act and prepare and plan to choose the best response based on the information you have.
I look at it as playing chess, (lol - I don't really play chess), each piece is moved with the end in mind from a strategy with a purpose. Ok, I digress.
One of our top assets is time. What are you spending it on?
As I looked into how we spend our time, I found many of these actions interesting and I never really thought about it myself. The average person spends more than 90,000 hours in their lifetime at work. According to MSM Lifestyle post, you'll be surprised at how people spend their time without realizing it.
With the average lifespan of 75 years, did you know you spend 26 years of your life sleeping and another 11 watching TV? Or eight years shopping? The average women spends 136 days getting ready, which includes applying make-up, taking a shower and dressing up for a party. Men spend 46 days getting ready. We spend 3 years washing clothes. We spend just 6 minutes laughing everyday. The earlier generation of the 1950's was jollier, chuckling for 18 minutes in a day, says an Ocean Village poll. Other time consuming acts include; driving in traffic, our love life, complaining, texting, eating, surfing the net, shopping, deciding on what to wear, going to meetings, having our hair and nails done, playing video games or dieting. What about recreatio, such as golfing, bowling, playing tennis, working out, and meeting friends at happy hour? Are these time absorbing actives doing something to you or for you. Will they improve your lifespan? Will they give you joy and will they make you smile? Are you connecting and engaging with others? As we age, we see things differently. I know from my experience of major health issues and having several losses of loved ones, I have began to cherish each day as a gift. I don't want to waste my time. I want to not only invest in self-care so I may thrive and not just survive. I want to enjoy my family and friends and make wonderful memories. I want to leave a legacy that has changed lives just showing others how to invest in theirs from the inside out so they too can live a life of joy and purpose.
I leave you with this... What have you done in the last 24 hours? What will you do differently today? Be intentional and make today awesome! Written by Miranda Griffin, Juice Plus+ Wellness Coordinator