The whole concept of just a little more applies across many areas of our personal lives as well as in business and government. Many of the world’s greatest accomplishments as well as the worst atrocities were powered by the desire for just a little more.
My earlier blogs include Just a little more money, Just a little more health, Just a little more success and Just a little more love. But today’s topic supersedes them all. It’s what most of us want more than money, health, success or even love. Just a little more time.
Many years ago I was a partner in a deep sea fishing charter boat. After 10 hours on the boat, in the hot sun, with lots of fish in the cooler, the fishermen always asked, “Can’t we have just a little more time?”Then there was my neighbor, being three months behind on his car payment, who begged the repo man, “Please, I need just a little more time.”
In the new Wonder Woman movie, pilot Steve Trevor sacrifices his life to save others. He and Wonder Woman have become very close and as he leaves her for his appointment with death he says, “I wish we had more time.”
I spent an evening with a friend whose father had terminal cancer. He said, “As my dad lay on his deathbed, he whispered in my ear, I wish I had more time.”
We can always earn more money or exercise to get healthier. We can even work smarter and create more success. Maybe we can become a better lover. But how do we create more time? The sands pour through the hourglass and stop for nothing.
A depressing thought, isn’t it? But wait a minute. Would you be interested if I could show you how to get justa little more time? We usually talk about the time in our life being seconds, minutes, hours, days and years. Instead, maybe we should be talking about the life in our time and not the time in our life.
If that’s a good approach then let’s make sure we agree on the definition of life. There is a little life and there is a big life. A little life might be doing the same thing every day without knowing why. A little life might be never understanding your real purpose on this planet and therefore not knowing what actions to take to realize your destiny.
What about a life lived so well that it made a positive difference in the lives of others? That would be a big life. What about a life lived in forward gear and not in neutral? That would also be a big life. What about a life spent breathing in everything? Now that would surely be a big life.
To have a big life we must make our life more impactful. We can’t reach that goal and make a difference if we don’t pay attention. We must focus on what’s important. Instead of counting all the time we spend, let’s divide that time into timespent in gear and time spent in neutral. Time driving toward your destiny and time spent coasting. If real living is having a big life and a life in gear, then more time isn’t really the answer. The real goal is just a little more life.
To get just a little more life youneed to realize that 80% percent of the time we go through life with our subconscious guiding what we do and where we go. You might even call it autopilot.
When we are in autopilot the world goes by without us noticing, without our conscious control. Only 20% of the time do we take control of the stick and experience the exhilaration that comes from piloting our own life. Conscious control gives us freedom, freedom to have a big life, alife full of purpose and meaning. When I talk about this to friends they always tell me, “I want more of that life.”
How do we get the freedom that comes from being involved, in gear and at the controls? Let’s look at the math again. If 80% of the time we are in autopilot and 20% we are in control, a small difference could have a big impact.
Let’s look further at the math. If we sleep 8 hours a day that equals 480 minutes. Our awake time would then be 960 minutes. In that 960 minutes, we are in autopilot 768 minutes and at the controls just 192 minutes. What if we could make a small shift in time? Let’s imagine that out of every hour we took back control of 5 extra minutes. Five minutes when we are fully aware and involved. That would give us 80 minutes a day more life time. This increase in your life time is 42%. The big life, not just coasting.
Research says that our thoughts wander to four areas.
The first is the past. The past has but one purpose, to teach us. Dwelling on the past brings little value and wastes precious time. The second is the future. If you are always hoping the future will be better, you are focusing on something you do not control. The third is what some writers have called elsewhere. Our thoughts wander from here to there without much meaning or value. The fourth, and the most important, is the present. The key to living in the present is PMA. Present Moment Awareness is the time when we take charge of our thoughts and actions. It’s living life right now. Living in the present and even in the moment allows us to experience life real time.
Life real time. What a concept. To live life real time you must be alert.Turn on all your senses. Experience the sounds and the colors of life bustling all around you. Life presents itself to us constantly, but we don’t listen and we don’t see. Listen to the song and experience the melody of life. Close your eyes for just a second and hear what was unheard. Now, open your eyes and really see. Everything around us is saying, “Look at me. See how wondrous I am.” We are surrounded by miracles. All we need do is see. By really seeing and listening we take control of those moments and they become ours. Really ours. No more autopilot.
The next step is to become involved. In many cases, the difference between a littlelife and a biglife comes down to playing instead of watching. Get off the bench and get in the game. There must be a strategy prepared to play the game, but in the end, the game is won on the field. AsTrevor said to Wonder Woman, “I’ve tried doing nothing and that didn’t work, so I’ve decided to do something.”
You want to have a big life? Do something for others who can’t do it for themselves. You can’t do that in autopilot. Decide to live in the present just 5 minutes more per hour and you will expand your conscious life by 40%. When you get involved and your conscious pilot takes over, you live life real time.
Can you take just a little more time to get just a little more life? Yes! Can you do something to make your life a big life? Absolutely!
The whole concept of just a little more applies across many areas of our personal lives as well as in business and government. Many of the world’s greatest accomplishments as well as the worst atrocities were powered by the desire for just a little more.
Then there was my neighbor, being three months behind on his car payment, who begged the repo man, “Please, I need just a little more time.”
I spent an evening with a friend whose father had terminal cancer. He said, “As my dad lay on his deathbed, he whispered in my ear, I wish I had more time.”
A depressing thought, isn’t it? But wait a minute. Would you be interested if I could show you how to get just a little more time? We usually talk about the time in our life being seconds, minutes, hours, days and years. Instead, maybe we should be talking about the life in our time and not the time in our life.
When we are in autopilot the world goes by without us noticing, without our conscious control. Only 20% of the time do we take control of the stick and experience the exhilaration that comes from piloting our own life. Conscious control gives us freedom, freedom to have a big life, a life full of purpose and meaning. When I talk about this to friends they always tell me, “I want more of that life.”
Let’s look further at the math. If we sleep 8 hours a day that equals 480 minutes. Our awake time would then be 960 minutes. In that 960 minutes, we are in autopilot 768 minutes and at the controls just 192 minutes. What if we could make a small shift in time? Let’s imagine that out of every hour we took back control of 5 extra minutes. Five minutes when we are fully aware and involved. That would give us 80 minutes a day more life time. This increase in your life time is 42%. The big life, not just coasting.
The first is the past. The past has but one purpose, to teach us. Dwelling on the past brings little value and wastes precious time. The second is the future. If you are always hoping the future will be better, you are focusing on something you do not control. The third is what some writers have called elsewhere. Our thoughts wander from here to there without much meaning or value. The fourth, and the most important, is the present. The key to living in the present is PMA. Present Moment Awareness is the time when we take charge of our thoughts and actions. It’s living life right now. Living in the present and even in the moment allows us to experience life real time.