| If you are 65 and expect to live to 80, you have 15 years left. If you get granular, that is 780 weeks. Oliver Burkeman, author of 4000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, doesn’t pull punches on time. As we discussed last week, we all have an expiration date. We are handed a life sentence the moment we take our first breath – the clock starts ticking right then. We start living “the dash” – the time between that first breath and when we are called home. We have no idea how much time we will be given, but we do know one thing … We have been called into this life on purpose, for purpose. And once we really start to get a grip on the preciousness of the time we have, then we need to have a sobering look at how we spend our time’s currency. Wisely? Purposefully? Creating and building a life that is worthy of our calling? Or frittering it away? We look at inflammation a lot when we talk about our bodies – what creates it, how it impedes a vibrant life, how to correct it, and hopefully how to heal it. According to the dictionary, inflammation is a prolonged inflammatory response that involves progressive change. It is characterized by the simultaneous destruction and repair of the tissue due to the inflammatory response. Your body is being set on fire, and trying to repair itself at the same time. The logic is stunning – have you ever tried to build a house while simultaneously burning it down? How’d that work out for you? However, this is how many of us live our lives daily. – We eat food that starts a fire in our bodies. – We don’t move or exercise enough and become stagnant. – We entertain toxic thoughts. – We have hobbled relationships with a consistent, inflammatory pattern. – We stay in jobs that are just horrible – bad bosses, awful co-workers, etc. So, back to the start, I said if you’re to live an average lifespan of 4000 weeks, and you’re 65, that means you have 780 weeks left. Are you willing to live those remaining weeks in chronic inflammation? – In a body that’s become a burden? – In a job that you dread? – In relationships that drain you? – In your thoughts that put you down? Oliver Burkman said, “Resisting a task is usually a sign that it’s meaningful – which is WHY it’s awakening your fears and stimulating procrastination. You could adopt “Do whatever you’re resisting most” as a philosophy for life.” Ask yourself this as you’re contemplating the mountains in your life: Is it a mountain or a molehill? Am I making this into something bigger than it is? What’s my part in all of this? Am I taking wholehearted responsibility for myself? When we spend our precious time making mountains out of molehills, when we are living in chronic inflammation of the heart, mind, body, and soul, the clock still ticks, the pendulum still swings, and those weeks keep flying by. Scott Peck said, “Until you value yourself, you won’t value your time. Until you value your time, you won’t do anything with it.” Life is too short not to live it vibrantly – in Full Bloom. Today is the first day of the rest of your life! |
