Author: Derek

Your Life – Your Time – Your Choice

Wherever you believe you are today, living the kind of life you desire or experiencing the emotions of a life as yet unfulfilled one truth is that, ‘the way in which you decided to spend your time over the past few years has brought you to where you are right now!’

Decisions you took five, ten or even twenty years ago are still affecting what you are experiencing in your life today. Unless you review where you are and strike out for where you want to get to or simply renew the path you are on, the chances are that how you choose to spend your time in the next five, ten or twenty years will be led by events, crises, other people and whatever wind blows hardest, NOT YOU.

None of us can expect a smooth path throughout life and very few people are ever able to claim that they achieve all they set out to achieve, however, the decisions you will have taken in the past were taken by an entirely different person; a person with different priorities and outlook on life, more able and motivated to spend time on things that were of the moment and immediate; knowing at that time you had plenty of time to make longer term decisions later, and to think about the future sometimes. There was and is nothing wrong with that provided at the time you were aware that the day of change will come.

Would you today trust decisions affecting your wealth, family, career, happiness and success as well as well-being to that relatively inexperienced person? YOU as you were then? I’m not so sure many of us would – of course that’s a benefit of hindsight.

Naturally this will depend on how much fall-out of those decisions is still affecting you today. If you are highly successful then the right decisions were made, if you are still striving to be successful a revision will be helpful, if you are struggling then the wrong choices were made.

My research and personal experiences show quite clearly that the biggest factors in the well-being of people when they reach the age of 60+ are the decisions they took between the ages of 35-55 and how effectively they used their time since then on their most important things. Recently referred to in the press as the EARLY MID LIFE CRISIS. October 2010

In 2011 the biggest issue for YOU may be the decisions you are now taking knowing you having to work for more years than previously planned as the retirement age is moving further into the future for most people. Is this an opportunity for re- evaluating your career path or re- thinking what time for retirement you will have, what you want to achieve, where you want your life to be?

We are all so bogged down daily responding to demands, opportunities and pressures, calls, momentary tasks, bleeps, noises and all that makes each day pass often too quickly that we rarely take time out to consider what is really going to be important to us in the medium and long term.

For some of us it may be that we are on our own with too much time and too little of interest to usefully spend our time with the resulting stress and frustration.

Of equal importance, many of us fail to recognise the crucial role of using at least some time on the things that will make the medium and longer term a fulfilling and more satisfying experience.

The clock is running for all of us, but not everyone has a ‘road map’ to follow or effective self management skills to make a difference. It has been said that there is no value in trying to find success in city ‘x’ if you are looking at a map of city ‘y’.

We all know what that can feel like – lost in the one-way system.

Why do I highlight the ages between 35-55 as being of great importance?

• Firstly, during this period key decisions, opportunities and challenges become very much clearer. You will have experience, knowledge, wisdom and probably major responsibilities. A feeling that some options are opening up and others closing down. The hopes and aspirations of others will be focused on you and what you are going to do in the future for them.

At this time the successful person wants and expects their success to continue, the less successful want to know how to improve and make a difference and they may be stuck facing a bleak future.

• Secondly, with life expectancy becoming longer the decisions you make during this period in life are likely to be the ones that live longest in impact on your prosperity, success and enjoyment you will experience in your life.
• Thirdly, too many people reluctantly but inevitably accept a life full of disappointment and experience doubts about their abilities and confidence much lower than they are capable of with a little effort and focus all of which diminishes them, their families and society.

YOU CAN ACHIEVE AND ENJOY SO MUCH MORE OF WHAT YOU WANT BECAUSE YOU DO HAVE THE ABILITY –FACT.

The lack of self awareness, self management and time effectiveness leaves too many people challenged at work where the requirement is to achieve more in less time. The pressures to meet expectations of family, friends, ourselves with a work life balance leads to stress with inevitable effects on productivity, morale, loss of time and health.

Finally a whole generation of people are on or about to land on a plateau, wondering where the last ten years have gone and worrying about how the next twenty or so years will work out. Unless and until this is resolved the time will come when it is almost too late to change. FACT

Help is available to you to become more self aware, to identify your strengths and abilities and to apply this knowledge to recognise and take decisions that will improve your experience and sense of achievement over the next few years.

Help with actionable ideas, new habits and inspiration to use your time and your skills with greater confidence, less stress and overall a happier life experience.

Stop putting up with the things that are getting in the way – right now!

YOU should start from where you believe you are, and challenge yourself to choose and explore your habits, expectations, thinking and priorities in particular those that are either increasing or reducing your effectiveness and focus.

You may need a new ‘road map’ based on your goals and ideals, maybe a new set of goals and dreams turned into action.

Revitalise yourself so that you will be ready and able to make significant change – right now.

Give yourself rewards and a pat on the back for being open minded and honest enough to say ‘I CAN AND WILL DO BETTER’.

To help you start the thinking process, try this little exercise:

1) What decisions are you not making today that you know you should about the next ten years if you are to fulfill your potential and success at work and in life?

2) Now ask yourself: When you look back in say ten years time which of these will you regret not making?

3) If you continue to spend your time the way you are, will this be good enough to achieve your goals and ideals?

TIME IS YOURS ALONE – USE IT OR LOSE IT– IT CAN ONLY BE USED ONCE

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/time-management-articles/your-life-your-time-your-choice-4499855.html

About the Author

Derek Butcher, specialist in helping people to find solutions to Time and Life Choices through http://www.timechampions.com Advises many international and UK based businesses to achieve improved performance through developing the abilities of staff. Derek is a passionate supporter of the family as a wonderful part of life experience.

He can be contacted on timechampions@aol.com