It’s an old saying. It really is not reality. When the water hits 212 degrees it will boil whether I am watching or not, and yet it rings true. This is how it feels. You are waiting for something to happen, usually something good, something you’re looking forward to and the more you look forward to it, the longer it seems to take. The other side of this is when you are in a hurry for something to happen the impediments seem to run rampant. Is it just me or is the slowness the people in front of you drive directly proportional to how badly you need a restroom?
Of course we know the truth is, time is constant. It doesn’t really speed up or slow down. Yes your weeks vacation seems to fly by, while the same length of time at your job generally feels like it drags, (though I love my job and time flies when I am in the midst of it) but the truth is all of this is really related to what we focus on. There are a couple of things to understand.
First of all do your best to get yourself into doing the things that make time fly. I believe for each of us there is an optimal assignment that best uses our time and talents and when we find our way into this, the work feels meaningful and the time flies.
Second, don’t procrastinate. One of the greatest lies some of us, (and especially creatives) tell ourselves, is that we do our best work under pressure. It might feel that way but it’s not. Stress is tremendously bad for you and trying to jam sixty five high pressure activities into the last minute because you chose to procrastinate is not helpful to anyone. The best way to complete large projects is to break them down into “bite-sized” chunks and cross them off your list. This quickly begins to feel like progress and progress feels goo.
Last, remember time is precious. Don’t wish your life away, waiting for a few great moments, do what you can to turn more of your moments into great moments and cherish the time you have. Some day soon, your capabilities will be lessened and your world will likely become increasingly small. The time to enjoy your moments is when you’re living them. These are the good old days. Make your moments count.
They say a watched pot never boils, but I might ask the question why are you sitting around watching pots. Turn those lost waiting moments into something productive. The water will boil soon enough.
AMOKArts 