Time Scarcity
by Rosangela C. Taylor 

Artigos Motivacionais
Live English Program

"I'm late, I'm late! For a very important date. No time to say 'Hello'. Goodbye. I'm late, I'm late, I'm late."  (White Rabbit, in Alice in the Wonderland)

Isn't that funny - or almost tragic - how we can always be running out of time? People keep saying around: "I don't have time for this, I don't have time for that..." - Have you noticed that yourself?  Or "in yourself"?  Do you say that, too? I bet you do!

What's time, after all? Is it what you think it is? Or is it what you make it be? Think about that.

Think about how you make your time, or even better, "what you make with your time". It's said that time is life. That must be right. If you have a life, you have time. And.... "what" you do with your life is, therefore, what you do with yor time! Simple, huh?

If you live your life like this: get up in the morning, shower, have breakfast, go to work, or to school, or don't go anywhere... soon is midday, right? The time passed, so did your life! 

What are you doing with your life? Important things?  Useful things? Necessary things?  Enjoyable things????  Maybe none of those!  And that, dear reader, is the point! How to use your time - and your life - in a way that you can make the best of it. The best of your time, therefore, is the best of your life!!!

Have you noticed that this century had brought more stressed people to earth than we have ever heard about in the past?  Why that? I have thought about that.... I think it's because this crazy rat-race we live in, and this has been possible through the great advances of technology. (I love technology!) Think: today we can have virtually everything! Information, goods, facilities, going easily from one point to the other, contact people around the world, buy stuff from around the world, read everything, talk about everything, and be stressed about everything, too!  We have so much to do, because the possibilites are so vast nowadays, that we do want to do everything!  (No wonder why we don't have any time left!).

We want to meet people, we want to date, to marry, to have kids, friends, a carrier, practice some sport, travel, drive, fly, buy, sell, play golf, play soccer, play an instrument (Oh, my goodness! I haven't had time to play my drums!)... And we end up playing dumb so many times, because we get all wrapped up on our own expectations and our "must do" inner talk. We become slaves to ourselves, and then, we blame the time!  We blame the world. The boss, the lack of money, the husband, the kids, the weather and so forth.

Time is life. When you die, only then you run out of time because you run out of life! So, it's not right to say you don't have time!  (You are still alive, aren't you? Hey, don't tell me I'm writing to a zombi!).

Unless you are dead, you shouldn't say you don't have time! And if you were dead, well... I guess you couldn't say it anyway! ;-)

The problem with the current society is in the way we manage our time, and not the absence of it. Want an example? How many times a day do you surf on the internet and get absolutely nothing from that?  Just silly stuff like, news that don't make your life better, or hours searching for songs or movies to download, or chatting on MSN?  Wow, MSN and other IMs are HUGE waste of time - and so is the whole internet! - if not used correctly. Unfortunately,  that's the reality for many people.

Don't get me wrong!  I LOOOOOVE the internet! And I am plugged in to MSN, Yahoo! Messenger, Skype.... and many social networking sites around the net!  I love them, I love the option and the opportunity to be connected to the world. By the way, you can MSN or Skype me if you have English questions! See? That's a great use of internet!  Have you EVER done that??? NO??? What a shame! :-0

Those tools are great! BUT.... and there is always a "but".... we do have to learn how to use them to our favor, and not against our success (personal, professional, etc).

Another example of huge waste of time (and brains, for that matter!): television. TV was a great invention!  I admit it. But what is being broacasted is that useful? Enlightening? Enriching? What if the same tool would be used to bring progress instead of stress?

I don't watch TV. I see it as an illusion, a device that's planned to bring people the sensation of what they wish they would have, and while they spend their time wishing and drulling, they don't get in action.  So, it's all an illusion, not real!  Like soap operas, for example. Many people, specially women, like to see the intrigues and romance featured in soap operas, because they miss that in their own lives. That's my guess! Of course if they were doing something more exciting than watching TV their lives will be more fulfilled, with no need for watching other peoples's exciting lives!

Does TV bring relaxation? I can't relax while being bombarded with commercials, people shouting all the time, annoying voices saying fast "buy now!", "do this...", "call now!",  all the time, or "Do you have arthrites? Try CVIUN... but be aware, it can cause instant death!" (well, in not so may words!  I'm mean, aren't I?)

My point here is that there is so much agitation and brainwash on TV that I can't see it as enriching or relaxing.  There is always someone trying to make you think and act the way they think is the best - according to their own interests, of course! I don't really think I can relax, be more educated or have fun in front of that screen. But... I guess different people have different ways to use their time. I don't blame them... I just regret.

I regret because those people who say they don't have time to call or visit a friend, or to study, or to improve themselves in other ways, are the same people who waste huge amounts of time watching soap operas, news, shopping channels, or surfing on the net looking for silly stuff, reading and forwarding stupid emails with chain-letters and silly content, like polar bear pictures saying how important is to be nice to your neighbors and nature!  And ... while they read and forward those emails (to make someone else waste their time... I just love those sympathetic people!),  they are not doing anything useful or great to themselves, nature or the society! They just stay there, sitting down, storing calories in the body, making their brains numb, and forwarding wishes of a better world.  Thinking that this way they are helping the humanity, the breast cancer research institute, and people to recognize the first signs of a stroke!

A better world or a better life does not come from wishes, only. It comes from action and for action we need to put on some time. But time well spent, not wasted.

What to do then, to avoid all that waste of time and be happier and more accomplished in life?

The answer is "planning and management". That's the "what" part of the equation. But now, "how" to get there?  To know "how" is crucial to any successful development.

How to plan and manage our time in a way that we can be smarter, have better outcomes, and feel fulfilled in life?

Think about that for a week or so. I have an answer, and it works... I have been using the plan myself. But I'd like to hear from you, too. Do you have any ideas of how we, the society, could manage better our time to have a more fulfilled and happier life, with purpose and growth?

Next week I'll publish here the "how" aspect of that matter. If you write me your ideas, I can mention that too, and give you the credits, of course! I'm sure many people would benefit from such insights, after all, we all are here to live our lives plentfully, and we do want more time (!) to do things that really matter, right? 

So, let's do it!  Let's starting brainstorming... writing, exchanging opinions with people alike, and we'll get there!  You can improve you time, your life, AND YOUR ENGLISH!!  Want a better deal?  Ok, here is it!  It's all for free!!  ;-)

I love you all, readers!  Stay tuned!  :-)

Want to practise a little of British English?
Hear the White Rabbit and Alice in this excerpt bellow:

Alice: Oh Dinah! It’s just a rabbit with a waistcoat... and a watch!

White Rabbit: Oh my fur and whiskers! I’m late, I’m late I’m late!

Alice: Now this is curious! What could a rabbit possibly be late for? Please, sir!

White Rabbit: I’m late, I’m late, for a very important date! No time to say hello, goodbye! I’m late, I’m late, I’m late!

Alice: It must be awfully important, like a party or something! Mister Rabbit! Wait!

White Rabbit: No, no, no, no, no, no, no, I’m overdue. I’m really in a stew. No time to say goodbye, hello! I’m late, I’m late, I’m late!

 ***

 And remember:
To have success with your studies, do what the Doorknob said to Alice:

"Read the directions and directly you will be directed in the right direction"

That's it for now!
Coming up next week: directions on how to make the best of your time!

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