If you’re anything like me, you can’t believe it’s already February!
And at the same time… you feel like January lasted for 56 days!
Sound familiar?
If you don’t happen to feel that way about this particular January, I’m willing to bet there’ve been periods of your life where time seemed to absolutely crawl, but when it was over you couldn’t believe how fast it flew past. Perhaps it was your studies at school. Or a past job. Or a phase of your child’s life (those ones are especially poignant, when we feel that they’ve whizzed past after lamenting how long they seemed to take. And yes, I’m talking about the diaper phase. 💩).
What’s the alternative?
I believe the trick is to strategically switch the time scale. When you find yourself slogging along and wondering how it feels like a Friday when it’s only a Wednesday, mentally “zoom out” and look at a larger timeframe. Keep zooming out until the timeframe allows you to feel a better sense of perspective about whatever frustrations or trials you’re currently slogging through.
Similarly, when it seems like life is whizzing past at an alarming rate (how did my beard get so grey and when exactly did that happen?), mentally “zoom in” and savour the moments. Enjoy the little things and practice gratitude, no matter how challenging it may be in the moment. Once you find one thing to be grateful for, others will present themselves.
When you’re standing in the stream of time - pan for the nuggets of gold.
Whenever I feel like I’m trapped at the mercy of time (whether it’s crawling or zipping by) I remind myself that this exact day, will NEVER come again. Whether it was a “good day” or a “bad day” there will never be another Thursday, February 1st, 2024. This is it. And guess what? I’m here to see it!!
Of course, you know where I’m going next - as Mortals, it’s always good to remind ourselves that at some point, a day will come when we’re not here to see it. So get into the stream with me and start panning, my friends!
PS: I’m leaning heavily towards the idea I discussed last time about changing the name of the newsletter to “Director of Time”. (I’m just trying to find a good subtitle) If I do change the name, you won’t need to do anything - it will still appear in your inbox or in your Substack reader.
PPS: Let me express a big thank you for allowing me into your inbox. With all of the emails and messages we all get, I am honoured and humbled that you invite me into your life. ❤️