Since my (now long ago) mid-thirties, I have been very aware of the limited time we are blessed with. I am a bit obsessed to be honest and while it can be good to be aware, it can also be a bit of a dark cloud overhead. Of course, since I am interested in the topic, I read books like Four Thousand Weeks and then do the math on how much time I probably have left-Hmmmm…
While it is not great to walk around feeling like the hourglass of your life is running low on sand, we cannot pretend we have an infinite amount of time. To help with this I actually created a pictorial timeline with my estimated demise and potential activities, between here and there. While this may seem a bit morbid, it does have a way of clarifying your priorities. If you think you have an endless number of 5 or 10 year segments in front of you, that allows you to be unfocused and taking action can always be tomorrow. Creating a timeline is simply a reflection of reality-we have a “sell-by date” and if we have some goals or dreams, we might want to be calmly intentional about the things we want to do. It also can help you shed some “maybes” that you are not real serious about. If you remember my rant last February about the “you won’t bounce back forever” continual drumbeat you might think this is just a different version of that. Not so, that was a discussion on the panic-inducing volume of media messaging on the topic. This is a way to counter that by creating a timeline and a plan. Does life go according to plan? Never! But this is the difference between being on the river of life in a canoe with a paddle vs. without. It gives you a chance to be intentional and know that you are directing your actions where you wish to go. When life knocks you of course, you will know which direction to turn. It also allows you to put your energies where they will give you the most benefit. We have a limited amount of energy each day, week, month and we should be aware of where we are spending it.
If you are a go-with-the-flow type, knock yourself out and toss the paddle. I am just not wired that way and I don’t want to squander the grains of sand I have left.
Todd Powell Boats 