It’s about TIME we took a fresh look at TIME (And here’s why.) – SCN Encourager

It’s the one thing we all share equally – but use so differently.

Yeah…

Your time…

My time…

They’re very personal areas.

But isn’t today a great day to think about what we do with our TIME?

Even if just for a little bit?

I hope so!

Because one of Lailah Gifty Akita’s observations about time has been haunting me for the last couple of days.

So there you have it.

I’m stuck.

Stuck in time, so to speak.

Along with her other books, Lailah wrote The Alphabets of Success.

She was born in Ghana and is continuing to make a big difference for others around the world as an author and also via the service organization she created in her country, the Smart Youth Volunteers Foundation.

And the hot potato quote she tossed my way is this:

“Our lives are defined by TIME, appreciate its beauty.”

This recommendation stands against the normal flow of maxims about time, which typically admonish you to invest it, block it, manage it, or simply just stop wasting it. 

But I think Lailah’s angle about the value of APPRECIATING TIME is a fresh approach.

You should know (from her background as a survivor), it’s entirely possible she came up with this insight while seriously reflecting and writing things down in the months following her recovery from a horrific shooting incident.

I’d say that overcoming that experience alone would inspire a fair amount of perspective, wouldn’t you?

(Of course, I can say for certain… as I was never threatened with bodily harm before I began writing. It’s only been AFTER I started writing that I had to watch my back… particularly at home!)

But Lailah’s definitely onto something– APPRECIATING TIME.

And unfortunately, I’m finding that appreciating –unlike acknowledging, recognizing, or monitoring – requires a lot of work.

There’s nothing passive about appreciating something at all.

Appreciating demands situational awareness, a belief in a few core principals, self-evaluation, the truth, significant effort, and the willingness to change and improve.

After all, isn’t this what we do when we appreciate our loved ones, the people we work with, and the people we serve?

You bet it is.

And I’m also finding out that even appreciating YOU the way I do takes some work, too.

(Dang it, Lailah!)

So the theme for every Encourager this week will be about APPRECIATING OUR TIME.

And I wouldn’t get your hopes up for anything too earth-shattering, though.

Goofing off with my time is still what I do best –

especially during March Madness.

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