The time of your life (1)

[netpositive]

When you think of [x] as your business,
you also think of [y] as the machinery
that makes that business operate.

It would be nice if you could let everyone use [y],
but basically you've got to use it yourself.
Bobby Baldwin, as told to Mike Caro

Lessons from unlikely sources this week:

The original of the above quote used
"gambling" for [x] and "money" for [y].

But... that could so easily be rewritten
with [x] as one of many different words
and [y] standing for "time", "energy", etc.

My time in this life is important to me.
My energy in this life is important to me.
I use them as I need to, to make life better.
I use them to create happiness
for myself and others.
I use them to gather strength
for myself and others.
I use them to offer support
to myself and others.
I use them for teaching,
learning, and creativity.
I use them to face fears
and to move forward
in small steps.

Apart from the scars, the one remaining trace
of Brunson's run-in with death is an obsession
with punctuality. "To me, a man's word is his bond.
When you say you're going to be somewhere at a
certain time, that's your word, and if you don't
keep the appointment your word's not worth a damn.
I feel very strongly about it.... The most valuable
thing I've got is my time. It's more valuable to me
than money or anything else." It was the only sign
he ever gave of being a man who feels he is living
on borrowed time.
A. Alvarez, on poker legend Doyle Brunson

Comments

[cchan8.livejournal.com]

My time in this life is important to me.
My energy in this life is important to me.

Hmm, I have a different interpretation of this for MY life...

It was good to finally meet you! Hope we have further opportunities to hang out in the near future.

[netpositive.livejournal.com]

It was nice to finally meet you too! Hopefully the future holds something in addition to my just being way overscheduled... :)

So how would you interpret that for your life, then? I value alternate perspectives on what I'm trying to say or work through-- sometimes there's something I haven't seen or really understood because I'm too close to the subject, in a sense...

My most direct and immediate interpretation of this right now is that I feel I have been spending a lot of time and/or energy on things that aren't necessarily of benefit directly and/or immediately to me. So I am feeling currently that I need to change things in some fashion, because I feel like I really am running out. Some options include:

(1) changing so that sometime I can perceive and receive benefit from what I am currently spending time/energy on;
(2) changing so that sometimes I spend time/energy on different things that benefit me more than what I am currently doing;
(3) changing so that sometimes I put my ability to benefit from my efforts in front of others' ability to benefit.

[cchan8.livejournal.com]

I interpreted what you were saying more along the lines of (1).

But I have been feeling more like (2) and (3), that I have been spending a lot of time and energy on a major project for somebody else, and feeling a bit frazzled even though it is voluntary. I feel a bit out of control of my own time and energy. Life is too short to be feeling that way!!

After this project is done, I need to take back control of my time and energy. There are things over which I have no control, but these two can be mine if I set firm boundaries. For example, tonight I have time by myself and I nearly volunteered it to my boyfriend... but I will spend time with him tomorrow night.

Sommat scary...

[daecabhir]

I seem to be wrestling with a similar dilemma myself, in that no matter how much energy I put into the things I do, I somehow am left wanting. And at the crux seems to be a lack of time for self, even to the point of not having time to take a hard look at myself and what I have been doing to decide what needs tweaking.

Something that resonates with me from the Franklin-Covey readings I have attempted over the years, but have not been able to implement, is that one is much more likely to be happy or content when one's actions are in line with their core values, or the things most important to that person. Someday I hope to understand myself well enough to answer the question of "What do I value most?", because somehow I think it would make resolving the conundrum of where I should apply my time and energies easier.

Fighting against that of course is an upbringing that promotes being involved and helpful, never sayiing "No", and not quitting. And sometimes there is a need to effectively "quit" what one is doing, even if it means disappointing someone or hurting their feelings, to do what is intrinsically right for you.

And lo', he said: Healer, heal thyself.