I was listening to a podcast by psychologist Esther Perel where she referred to time as never existing on its own.
It is what you do with your time that matters.

That struck a chord with me.

We are told:

Just give it time.

Take your time.

Time heals…

But it’s not that simple, is it?

I strongly believe that you can have all the time in the world and still get nowhere.
What you do with the time you have been given is paramount.

Time passing by will not heal, grow, or change anything.

Time will not ease my grief or trauma if I do not face it, feel it and work through it.
Time will not make me more productive if I do not take concrete steps towards my own professional improvement.
Time will not make me or any of my relationships stronger or deeper.
Time will not provide me with a rich and experienced filled life if I do not step into my discomfort zone.

Time is the sort of resource that you can waste royally without even realizing it.
Years and years can pass until one day it is too late to wake up and try.

This is because time is a resource that can only work when used in conjunction with action.

Time is everything yet can mean nothing.

I always go back to self-awareness as this is my anchor for every choice I make in my life.
If I am not self-aware and mindful of how I am spending my time, I cannot possibly identify shortcomings in my life strategy.

I also read this quote recently: Mindfulness = Attention + Intention.
We can be aware of all the things around us, but if we choose to be inactive, we will not grow.

Time should be utilized hand in hand with effort.

We refer to certain things and goals in life in time-related or period-based language.

A 4-year degree
A 2-week fitness challenge
A 3-week cabbage soup diet…

The time will pass regardless.
If I do not put in the actions and effort needed to achieve those fitness goals or obtain the degree at the end of the 4 years, I will be left with nothing.
Time would have gone by and I would still be at square one.

The opposite also rings true.
Effort has a co-dependent relationship with time.
One day spent of working towards a goal will not mean a thing.
Give it 365 days of action and we have different ball game.

Time is a precious commodity when used in togetherness with behavior and mindset – bounded in a lifelong marriage and commitment to working side by side, day by day.

May we use our time and actions wisely.