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You are not wasting your time when you spend it wisely. Even when you do it slowly.
I have to thank my friend Dave Korotkov for posting a TED Talk by Carl Honore entitled “In Praise of Slowness”. This is a great talk about the importance of slowing down to get more out of life. Yes, that was the trigger for this Thinking Out Loud! For your convenience, I have embedded the TED Talk below this blog.
Time Is Precious!
Time spent with your children on their terms, or with your life partner when they need it most, isn’t wasted.
We made a choice years ago to have my wife work out of the home. We had four children and with the cost of daycare, she would be working for nothing. She would be gone for what could potentially be the most incredible part of the kids day. If she had been working outside of the home, she would have been rushing to get them to daycare and school and potentially missed some of the most precious moments with the kids.
Have you ever noticed that if you’re not there whey they are thinking about something, you missed it?
Wasting Time With Teenagers (and Young Adults).
Some of our most precious moments happened, and still happen, when we’re just having a “lazy” morning with the kids. Sitting on the couch in pajamas with a coffee and just letting conversation happen removes barriers. There are no airs or expectations, just “chillaxing” and letting the moment happen. There is something to be said for just “being”.
Our experience is that when you try to engage teenagers and young adults when you want them to talk just results in being told they have nothing new to talk about. You weren’t paying attention when they were ready to talk and you missed it. The best time is when you do something together and conversation just happens by accident. Okay, sometimes you get lucky and there’s a way to steer the conversation a little. Be careful though, when you force it, they’re done!
Spend Time Wisely
Next time you catch yourself wishing your child or teenager would just hurry up so you can go somewhere, think about what is truly wasted time. Are you wasting time fretting about getting somewhere else or are you spending it wisely and investing your whole heart and attention in the current moment?
“Wasted” time may be your best investment. What will it be?
Make it a great day,
Barry
P.S. What am I thankful for today? I’m thankful for the time my kids give me. I’m thankful for the time spent writing that helps clear my head. I’m thankful for every breath I take.
What are you thankful for today?
Have you ever thought about blogging and having your own domain so that you retain your data and control over your content?
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