Pipestone Flyer
Submitted by Felisha Crier Hosein, Founder - Keep On Learning Foundation
I heard a saying about time once that really stuck with me; “We all have the same 24 hours in a day, what is important is how we choose to use it.” We make time for the things that matter to us.
We all have the same time to work with, 7 days a week. The reason why some people accomplish more than others comes down to how that time is spent. I am a stay at home mom with two kids both under the age of four. As rewarding as it is, there is rarely an ‘easy’ day. My day consists of diaper changes, bottle washing, cooking, feeding, cleaning, entertaining, picking up toys, washing, serving, teaching, correcting, bath times, more cooking and more cleaning and so goes the day, attending to their every need.
I never quite realized how valuable my time was until I had kids. The transition from living on my own in university and having a job, to being a stay at home mom was not easy, but this is something I always wanted to do. Initially I felt like my life was ‘on hold’, it felt like I was not moving forward, but as soon as I surrendered my own personal goals and embraced my new life I felt a new sense of purpose. Suddenly all the things I thought were so important seemed less important and my personal goals started to change.
My children taught me that life was not so much about me, but more about giving and investing in others and I started to see this was more valuable.
It took a change in priorities, and a letting go of my own personal desires to see the life of giving was much more beneficial than striving for personal success.
Having limited time actually helped to make me more productive. When I need to get something done, I wake up before my kids get up and start putting things in place. I write things down constantly. All my goals, mini goals, short and long term goals are in writing. I find it helps to keep me focused when I can see it in front of me, plus it clears my mind; I don’t have to think about it constantly. And if a new thought on the subject comes to mind, I add that to it as well. If I don’t have a pen, I type things on my phone or record it. I can find two to five minutes to do these things in-between everything else that fills my day.
I am always making to-do lists. I try to schedule my calls, send out emails etc. when or if my kids are napping, and I get to have the satisfaction of checking things off as I complete them. At the end of the day, week, and month these small notes become pages and these little things completed become big accomplishments.
Whatever your goals are, I want to encourage you to go for them. If you can squeeze in five minutes for yourself every hour or so to plan or work on that thing, by the end of a nine hour day you would have dedicated forty five minutes to it. If you want to be a writer, you have to write, and then write some more. If you want to be fit, then you have to move. If you want to ace an exam, then study. If you want that job, make a resume and then apply. Whatever it is, don’t wait until tomorrow, because you will be just as busy with something else then. Take the little steps now. Remember, we have to make time for the things that matter to us.