Even though it seems like we were just celebrating New Year’s Eve, we are entering the last couple of months of 2017. While I feel that this year has been very productive, and I’ve stuck fast to my goals, I still realize that I’m easily distracted and have a propensity for wasting my time, especially when I’m close to accomplishing a big goal… Let’s just say the devil stays busy when it comes to letting me walk in my purpose in peace. Below are 5 reminders that we all need to reclaim our time:
1. Use your transition times for personal growth.
Man plans, God laughs. You can do everything the right way, network with the right people, have all of the qualifications, etc, and things can still not seem to fall into place. I’ve learned over the years that all things work in HIS time, and very seldom in our own, so instead of allowing your closed doors to make you stop chasing your dreams, use the time in between your blessings to become a better version of yourself.
2. Alleviate anything that costs your peace.
I’m extremely private when it comes to my personal life, and I’m very unapologetic about it. There are some life lessons that I’m still navigating my way through, and one of the biggest things I’ve had to let go of in this season are relationships that no longer serve a positive purpose in my life. The price of my peace recently came at the sacrifice of someone that I love and will always love dearly, but as I strive to be the best version of myself, I realized that my love for me and my peace was stronger than my love for him. Life is to short to waste it on people that don’t contribute to you becoming the best version of you.
In this season it’s been relationships, but in the last season, it was almost a career that no longer attributed to my professional or personal growth. While we don’t have control over everything, we do have control over who and what we allow into our life with the potential to destroy our peace.
3. Be strategic in achieving your goals.
It’s easy to get sidetracked when the achievement of our goals don’t fit the timeline that we placed on them. While you’re waiting for the universe to align in your favor, make sure that you look at your time like an expensive investment. We can’t control when our dreams actually come to fruition, but we can keep networking with the right people, take classes or do research to perfect our craft, build our brand, stay consistent, and keep pushing to be the best at whatever we choose to be. Your action plan shouldn’t cease to exist because a door closes in your face, but instead, it should become more strategic to get you to YOUR open door.
4. Learn to make sacrifices.
There was a time when I would try my damnest to make it to every happy hour, birthday party, social event, vacation etc, but those days are long past. In the race to accomplish your goals and dreams, you won’t be able to make everything and still maintain your sanity. I love being in the mix of things almost as much as I love hopping on a plane, but in knowing that I can’t keep spending money without making money, in this season, if it’s not contributing to my professional or personal growth, it is highly probable I might not be able to partake. Yes, I understand that social media will have you thinking that you’re missing out on the best moments in life, however, the true test of your steadfastness to your dreams is through your ability to make sacrifices.
5. Balance your hard work with enjoying life.
Even though I just finished telling you about the importance of making sacrifices, I don’t want that to ever be confused with not taking time to sit back and enjoy life. You might not be able to get the socialiate of the year award while you’re working hard to create a life you love, but you should still take some time to simply just let your hair done and breathe. Your body will let you know when you’re reaching your breaking point, so listen to it. Hard day at work, go to that happy hour, clients driving your crazy, go get that massage, starting to go stir-crazy in your hometown, take that trip, but make sure you are keeping the main thing the main thing and don’t get so caught up in your fun that you forget that it’s only hard work and perseverance that will take you to the top.
