What if we told you that time doesn’t exist? Would you feel less stressed? Less pressure? Do you think you would achieve more in life, or less? It’s all about our perception of time and how we choose to use it. Confused? Then let us set the record straight and uncover the real meaning behind “time” – the currency of life.<
Made in Our Brain
First of all: time doesn’t exist. Yes, it isn’t natural, it’s a human invention. According to Einstein, time and space are interdependent, therefore time is actually an endless flow of movements and changes… Sounds pretty complicated, right? That’s why, humankind created what we call past, present and future. We gave it a name and a definition to make it more concrete for us. We needed this to project ourselves: we need the present to know who we are, the past to know where we came from, and the future to know where we are going. Then, time was divided in hours, minutes, seconds… For us to measure it and organize ourselves. So in the end, time is just a human conception, our perception.
Time paradox
Ever heard the saying “time flies”? Or maybe you have the feeling that days, weeks, months and even years are passing quicker? Well, time isn’t accelerating or slowing down, it is our perception of it that changes. Our perception is two-fold: There’s the way you perceive a moment in the present. For example, during a new and interesting activity, like a holiday in a completely new country, where time passes super quickly. However, during familiar, unexciting moments, for example a meeting that you’ve been in one thousand times before, times passes slowly and every minute feels like an hour. But on the other hand, when you remember those moments, your perception is totally different. Now looking back, the two weeks you spent on holiday feel like a month and the boring meeting seems like it lasted no longer than a minute.
In fact, when we are focused on a new task or experience, our brain records everything possible to give us an extensive understanding of what is going on. Therefore, in our memory these moments last for an eternity. lf nothing new happens, your brain pushes away details and records almost nothing. That’s why, when you think about this one hour meeting, it feels like a minute long.
Time is yours
So it’s all about our personal perception. And once you know how it works, it means that you can influence it. Yes, you can master your time.
Do you want more? Do you need more? That is possible. Offer your brain novelty. Take new routes, do new activities, learn new competences, go on adventures, travel more often…by doing so, you will look back on your past and feel as though you really got a lot of life in your time.
