We’re too quick to blame a lack of time for our inability to live our dreams. We see time as a restriction, something to be fought against and complained about. When we haven’t achieved what we set out to, we bemoan that we “didn’t have enough time” and that “there aren’t enough hours in a day”. We need to put an end to this. Time is a limitation we construct to function as an excuse for when we fall short. It’s a barrier to our freedom and we’ve had enough. We’re ready to set ourselves free from time, are you?
Not having enough time is an excuse which, like any other, forms a self-imposed barrier to achieving our goals. Time doesn’t set us free, in fact, it does the opposite; it limits us, confining us within the barriers of what we “should” and “shouldn’t” be doing. The only way to be free and to truly live is to break down this barrier of time and stick two fingers up to anyone who tries to tell us that “we don’t have time for that”.
If anyone should have the right to say that they don’t have enough time, it’s you. You’re the CEO of your own start-up, a busy mom of three or a student working two part time jobs. For you, 18 hour days are the norm, not the exception. From dawn till dusk, your schedule is packed, your calendar full and your inbox bursting. By all accounts, you shouldn’t have time to do anything but eat, sleep and work. But this is where you’re different. You defy convention by making time for what slips to the bottom of the priority list for too many. A life full to bursting doesn’t mean that you can’t work out; every day, you make time – be it 20 minutes or a full hour – to workout in your office, in the conference room or on the roof of your building. You’ll train whenever and wherever, and you’ll always put the effort in to find the time. You could easily make excuses, but you’d rather not. You’re one of the Free and you want to keep it that way.
Deadlines and time frames are self-imposed, man-made constructions. If we want to be free, we need to learn that time is under our control, that we can decide how we delineate the day, there’s no structure we’re obliged to adhere to and no higher entity we need to impress with our time management skills. It’s all about you. And nothing is more you-centric than working out, focusing on your body, your breathing and the pain as you push yourself up to and beyond your limits. We make time for other things we consider important, so why not working out? Why should caring for your body fall victim to laziness, reluctance and excuses? Time is holding us back, but it needn’t do so any longer.
We all have the same amount of time. Whether we’re in New York or New Mexico, Chicago or Shanghai, we all have 24 hours in a day, it’s how we choose to use them that sets us apart. When it comes to time, you call the shots; only you have the power to grab potential time limitations by the scruff of the neck and make them know who’s boss. Next time you’re about to tell yourself that you don’t have time to train, think to yourself, “is this true? Or am I making excuses?” One way or another, we can all make the time to train. The question is, do you dare?
