Time is a four letter word

Time is a four letter word and is usually preceded by other four letter words, such as, "shit" or "damn", and then followed by, "I have no..." Working a full time job, attending to a toddler, running errands (for you and other family members), doing laundry, cleaning, sleeping, and ocassionally taking a shower can really suck up your time. But, what about all the other things we talked about here in order to create a positive life and create change? It seems that when you're pressed for time and you have other people in your life that require your attention, doing anything that smells of self-indulgence seems like a luxury.

So, firstly, I guess I'll have to actually believe (not only in theory) that doing whatever it is that will lead me closer to my goals is not a luxury, it's a necessity. Of course, that may require a certain level of understanding from the people I have in my life, which brings me to my next point.

Even if I can't find myself in the perfect mood or environment (or in the best of circumstances), I still need to work through it. So, there isn't any money for outside assistance or guidance (a yoga class, a massage, a class, a gym, a dietician, a cleaner, etc.). That just means that the process might take a little longer for me. So what? When I get home from work, and everyone is still awake, I can't do anything. Okay then, I'll just have to wait for when my daughter is asleep. It's not much, but that's all I've got and the point is to use whatever I have - even if what I have is very little time.

In the office where I work there is never total peace and quiet. I have learned to block out all the noise and the distractions in order to do my job. Right when I'm in a writing flow, the phone almost always rings, but I still need to continue where I left off. That's a skill I learned to develop, and it can be applied to almost anything. Life is unpredictable, and not everything can go as planned or how we wish it to be. When things disrupt whatever precious time we have, it's easy to just throw your hands in the air, and have a little whine. Go ahead, have a good whine, and then move on.

Managing time must become a habit. Setting a schedule may seem extreme, but it actually helps to set specific times for specific tasks. Like, everyone, even me, can fit in a 10 minute workout like this one I found on Fitsugar.com, 3-4 times a week. Skipping rope, alternating between high and low intensity for 10 minutes, has also been found to burn more fat and calories than a steady 30 minute workout. The same goes for meditation. Here is a 3 minute meditation by Deepak Chopra. 3 minutes! I can do that. Oprah also provides a guide for a simple, but effective 3 minute meditation session. Yes, I'll be mentioning Oprah a lot. Consider yourself warned.