Making Time

To realize the value of one millisecond, ask a person who has just now won a silver medal in the Olympics.

To realize the value of one second, ask a person who has just now narrowly escaped an accident.

To realize the value of one minute, ask a person who has missed his train.

To realize the value of one hour, ask the parents who have been waiting for their child to return home in night.

To realize the value of one week, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper.

To realize the value of one year, ask a student who failed the examinations.

This moment right now there's only one thing in our lives that we will never be able to reacquire once it's gone. And it’s not money or any material items.

I'm talking about time and it's such a unique concept and idea, that you cannot deny the fact that the whole world revolves around it. It’s actually the very foundation that exists and is based over it.

It’s time and time alone.

Because when utilized correctly it contains the ingredients to success, to happiness, to growth and ultimate prosperity. The person, who fails to utilize time, fails in life.

William Shakespeare has rightly quoted, "Time and tide wait for none."

All people, rich or poor, have been blessed equally with twenty-four hours. It is up to the person how he uses this asset. People say that time is wealth. How can time be equated with wealth? In fact, time is more valuable than wealth, for lost wealth can be revived, but the lost time cannot be regained.

French king Louis XIV said, "Punctuality is the politeness of Kings." One who holds to his appointment, and does not make others waiting, shows that he has regard for time.

A proper consideration of the value of time will also inspire in us the habit of punctuality. A person, who is negligent of time, will be always careless about his/her business.

The story of George Washington and his Secretary is quite popular. George Washington was the first president of the United States of America. He had a secretary who was in a habit of arriving late to his office. His late arriving forced the president to cut some important engagement and work in the office. Washington warned him several times. Every time, the secretary blamed his watch.

One day, the president had some important meeting but the secretary as usual came late and gave the same excuse. Then the president said, "Then you must get another watch, or I shall get another secretary." From then onwards, the secretary never came to the office late.

Once a young man applied for a certain job. The candidate was called for an interview on a certain day and a certain time. Three or four candidates were also called. The young man came fifteen minutes late. As soon he reached the office he hurried to the manager. The manager told him that he was late. The young man replied, "Sir, I'm only fifteen minutes late and fifteen minutes do not make any difference."

The manager said, "Yes, it makes difference. During the time you were absent, I have selected another candidate for the post. You may waste your time all you want, but you have no right to waste my time."

For all the things we want but at the very same time, if neglected it leaves us with very little because the truth is ⸺ Every morning when we wake up we are living minutes we will never get back. We are breathing air that we will never take in again.

You see every second a little of it slip away. And my point is that ⸺ there is no moment more important, more perfect than ‘right now.’

Not in a week, not after your take a rest, not in 30 years when you plan to retire and relax.

Because the reality is we don't get younger. Just like the sand in an hourglass traverses from one direction from top to bottom our life too will slowly dissipate, until it’s all over.

Question is, “Do we have a lot of time?”

… Of course not.

But, is it enough???

Yes. I say it is.

If you want to become a writer. You can become, by starting to write the first page and then to the next.

If you want to paint portraits. You can learn painting and become an artist.

Travel to amazing places. Sure, pack your bag, book and ticket and off you go. Bon voyage.

Wanna score good marks. Just study and prepare yourself before the exam and you are good to go.

The thing is we are missing an important aspect and that is ⸺ planning time.

Making time is an essential skill and there is only one rule that primarily governs it – 'Prioritization’.

Completing what you have started is one of the moral values that can help you to achieve great heights in life.

Yes, we should be working hard. Absolutely success comes from effort, hard work, dedication, persistence. But the key is to allocate your precious time to the work, to the things that make you feel like today is when you rule your day. That right now is so amazing you don't want it to end today.

That is when you take the first step towards the practice of ⸺ making time.