Monday, October 4, 2010

168 Hours

The clock said 5:00am.  There didn't seem to be any kids or dogs jumping on me (for a change) which was good.  But, the alarm was ringing which was bad.   To snooze or not to snooze?  That is the question.   Do I get more "rest" (that's good for me) or do I stay committed to my schedule including a pre-dawn workout (that's better for me)?    The tug-of-war rages inside my brain.    Damn that alarm!   It's still ringing.    Okay, okay...   I stumble out of bed.   I guess it's time to make the donuts.

Speaking of time, Carl Sandburg once said.....

"Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you."   

What Sandburg didn't say (explicitly) is that while time is the "coin of your life" you can't use coins to buy more time.   Warren Buffet and Bill Gates can not buy even one more minute than the rest of us.   We all have a fixed supply.  168 hours per week, in fact.   Period.   All of us.  No exceptions.    And therein lies the great challenge of our lives.  It's like a giant game-clock ticking down the hours every week.   But, there is no overtime.    Whoever gets the most accomplished wins!    

Of course "accomplished" is a relative term.   Accomplished might mean...

20 miles run
14 healthy meals eaten
10 productive meetings led
  8 great hugs
  6 hours reading
  3 new friends made
  1 goal achieved

And throughout the week we find ourselves "trading" (or maybe "rationalizing") constantly.   Is it better to work 15 minutes later and set goals for tomorrow or spend 15 more minutes with my kids reading a book?    Or, should I be reading a book instead of watching "Dancing With The Stars"?   Or, should I be dancing under the stars instead of working 15 minutes later?    

You get the idea.   Trade-offs.   We all have 168 hours to work with.   We have to find and strike the balance between now (immediate gratification) and the future (building for tomorrow).   It's impossible to do everything.   So, that means we have to be doing the most important things, the most valuable things.  The things that bring love and light into our lives.   Knowing what those are at any given moment is a gift.   Acting on it with purpose and intention is time well spent.

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TomMc