Every once in a while I get the feeling as if I do not have enough time in my life to do the things I want to do. This feeling comes up especially during the holiday season.
On my weekends I would love to workout, write, read, learn a new language, play music, watch Netflix and Youtube, listen to thought provoking podcasts, and explore new music.
But real life is not ideal. As adults we have freedoms, but we also carry responsibilities. There are gifts to get, bills to pay, doctor’s appointments, errands to run, etc.
I find it funny because when I was a child, time seemed to go on forever, and a lot of the time I was having fun. Then as a teenager, time still seems to drag on, but I was bored. Then I reached a certain age and all of a sudden it felt like there was no time.
This can be a reality check for a lot of creatives. I used to beat myself up over the fact that I didn’t have time to do everything I wanted to do. I would romanticize the life of a creative by envisioning myself waking up early and spending all day at a coffee shop and writing for hours on end. When that vision didn’t manifest itself into a reality, I would get down on myself. I would then replay the past in my head and think back to a time in my life when everything seemed to fit just right: I was exercising all the time, I was traveling, I was writing prolifically, practicing a new language, and my work schedule was near perfect.
I stopped being in love with the past when I went back and reread some of my old blog posts of a now defunct website. Though you couldn’t tell from my writing, I was definitely dealing with issues that I have now overcome. I was lonely, confused because didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life career wise, and was barely able to pay my rent each month, among other things.
It may not be in the vision in my head of writing prolifically for hours in a coffee shop, but this way I can find time throughout the day to do the things I want to do as long as I prioritize and look for opportunities throughout the day. For example, I can read and write on my lunch break at work, I can listen to music and podcasts on my way to work, and I can study a new language during rests between my workouts.
Best of all, ever since I’ve looked at it this way I’m no longer beating myself up. I am also much more present in whatever I am doing because I realize how valuable the time I have is, making me happier and more involved in the process.
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Photo Credits: Nathan Dumlao