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Calm in the Chaos - Tips for a Better Life

All the Time in the World


What will you do with all the time in your life?
Photo by noor Younis on Unsplash

by Jamie Spannhake

July 26, 2020


Calm in the Chaos - Tips for a Better Life

All the Time in the World


What will you do with all the time in your life?

by Jamie Spannhake

July 26, 2020


Photo by noor Younis on Unsplash

I recently listened to a short and fun book on Audible titled Juliet's School of Possibilities: A Little Story About the Power of Priorities, by Laura Vanderkam. It's a book about time management and how our focus and perspective determines the outcome, but it's told in story form with characters and plot. If you haven't read it, or listened to it, I recommend it. It's about 140 pages or a bit over 2 hours on Audible. 

One of the things I really like in the story is the character Juliet's use of the phrase "I have all the time in the world." She is a very busy business owner and mother, with lots of responsibilities, but she always focuses on the moment and makes deliberate choices regarding her priorities. This is in stark contrast to the other main character, Riley, who is scattered, stressed, unhappy, and failing personally and professionally even though she works all the time.

Related content: Mindfulness & Focus: The Story of the Lion vs. the Dog

Using a phrase like "I have all the time in the world" is a perspective shift like the ones I advocate in my book, The Lawyer, the Lion, & the Laundry: Three Hours to Finding Your Calm in the Chaos. When we believe that we have time for the things that matter to us, and we use words that support that belief, we are able to be present in the moment and focus on our priorities. We can enjoy our lives. We can feel better. We can be successful.

Of course, it starts with determining what matters most, in other words: what are the priorities in our life. I call this: creating your personal values statement, which is similar to a company's mission statement. When we are clear on our values, we are better able to focus on what matters to us and let the other things go. As I often say, "Saying YES to one thing means saying NO to something else," at least in that moment.

Related content: How I Apply the Principles in My Book, & How It Can Help You

From there, the words we use shape our experience of life. I discuss this in my webinar on time transformation: Transform Your Relationship with Time. I stopped saying "I don't have enough time," and replaced it with "I have too much to do" because I cannot control time but I can choose what I do.

Laura Vanderkam recommends the same kind of helpful perspective shift when Juliet uses the phrase "I have all the time in the world." She uses this phrase when she chooses to focus on a particular person or task. For that moment, all her time is deliberately focused on her choice. She has all the time in the world in that moment for that person or task. 

I like this idea. I like a tweak of this idea even more, because it resonates with me: "I have all the time in my life for ..." 

We all have all the time in our lives. That is how much time we have. Whether we make deliberate choices to spend our time on the things that matter most to us, or we don't make deliberate choices and we let circumstances dictate what we do with our time, we still have all the time in our lives.

What will you do with all the time in your life?

 Related content: Webinar: Transform Your Relationship with Time :

 

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The Lawyer, the Lion, and the Laundry Book Cover
In “The Lawyer, the Lion, and the Laundry: Three Hours to Finding Your Calm in the Chaos,” lawyer and certified health coach Jamie Jackson Spannhake helps you learn how to CHOOSE, ACT and THINK in ways that will clarify your desires and set priorities so you can reclaim your time and enjoy your life.
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