Our lives are short as the time we have on this planet is both uncertain and limited. Yet, many people go through life frittering away time and available opportunities without planning and living life to the full, but only to regret too late. Is there a way to reverse it? Yes, this is possible by only valuing our time and living life intensely.
The great founding father of United States, Benjamin Franklin, aptly stated the truth: “Doest thou love life, do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of”.
Most people who are truly successful live lives that can only be described with one word: intense. They are intense about their work, their time, their money, and life itself. They use a different thought process than most people. On the outside looking in, you may not always be able to notice.
What exactly is that intensity, and how can we activate it in our own lives? It is living with an extreme sense and awareness of your purpose. You need to have a vision of which you always remain intensely aware. Acknowledge that you have a limited amount of time to accomplish your vision.
Pursuing anything with intensity requires that you be emotionally connected to it. You must possess a fanatical commitment, so to say, to follow through. Here are a few easy things you can do on a regular basis to keep the intensity trending UP in your life: Rediscover what’s important: Take an hour and make a list of everything that’s important to you. Add to it everything that you want to do in life. Now cut that list down to 4-5 things. Just the most important things in your life. This is your core list. This is what matters. Focus your life on these things. Make time for them.
Be positive: Learn to recognise the negative thoughts you have. These are the self-doubts, the criticisms of others, the complaints, the reasons you can’t do something. Then stop yourself when you have these thoughts, and replace them with positive thoughts. Solutions. You can do this!
When you suffer, accept and move on: Suffering is an inevitable part of life. We lose our jobs. We get physically injured or sick. A parent dies. This is part of life. We must accept the reality to move forward. When we accept our condition with a leap of faith, understanding dawns and the way forward opens. The great philosopher, Epictetus, advised: “It is not what happens to you, it is how you respond to it that matters”.
Touch humanity and volunteer: Get out of your posh house and neighbourhood, and find those who live in worse conditions. Meet them, talk to them, understand them. Learn compassion, and learn to help ease the suffering of the sick, disabled and those who are dying. Give up your materialistic lifestyle.
Keeping your intensity level up will not only make you more productive, it will make you more aware. Time will no longer just slip away and get wasted on the things you know are not important, in both your professional and personal life. When you are able to focus in on only the things that truly matter, amazing things will happen.
