A Very Sensitive Question!

‘I who am blind can give one hint to those who see: Use your

eyes as if tomorrow you would be stricken blind. And the same

method can be applied to other senses. Hear the music of

voices, the song of a bird, the mighty strains of an orchestra,

as if you would be stricken deaf tomorrow. Touch each object

you want to touch as if tomorrow your tactile sense would fail.

Smell the perfume of flowers, taste with relish each morsel, as if

tomorrow you could never smell and taste again.’

Helen Keller

We all understand how important a goal is. What we do not appreciate
is the urgency. Unless we do that, we will not take the first step towards
reaching the goal. Our pace of work and effort level depend on the
urgency factor.

Ask yourself a hypothetical question: ‘If I know I am going to be
struck by lightning six months from now and that I will die, how would
I like to spend my life until then?’ This means that you have only six
months to live. Assume that you have taken care of immediate things
like insurance etc. List down the things you would not like to postpone.

Personally, I found this question very powerful. There are many
decisions that we postpone such as building a house, buying an additional
property, qualifying for some additional skill, enhancing relationships,
etc. Many times, we feel that there is plenty of time available. It is a myth.

It is not the availability of time that is important. What is more
important is our fixing correct priorities. A friend of mine used to do
an exercise. Every year he would assume he is not going to attend office
for one month after his birthday. With this mindset, he would clear
all papers that have been pending throughout the year. This mental
discipline, he says, helps to improve his time management skill and to
catch up on many things he has been postponing for months together.
How about trying it yourself ?
(From my book 'The Gift of Time')

N C Sridharan
www.thetimefoundation.com
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