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Long Days and Short Years

Guest post by: Jim Stovall

Article Overview: When he was well past 90 years of age, my grandfather shared with me a lesson regarding having a sense of urgency about life. He observed that, when we are young, a day can go by in the blink of an eye, but a year seems like forever. We all can remember playing outside on a wonderful summer's day and then observing, as if by magic, somehow the entire day slipped away. But, at the same time, when we are young, the calendar can seem like eternity. The next birthday, Christmas, or the last day of school is impossibly distant.

Long Days and Short Years

When he was well past 90 years of age, my grandfather shared with me a lesson regarding having a sense of urgency about life. He observed that, when we are young, a day can go by in the blink of an eye, but a year seems like forever. We all can remember playing outside on a wonderful summer's day and then observing, as if by magic, somehow the entire day slipped away. But, at the same time, when we are young, the calendar can seem like eternity. The next birthday, Christmas, or the last day of school is impossibly distant.

On the other hand, my grandfather told me that, as we age, a day can drag by while the years roll around before we know it. In our youth, time is judged to be an endless commodity. But, as we reach different milestone birthdays that end with zero, we begin to observe our location along the highway of life.

I, for several years, have participated in an accountability group with several friends I deeply respect. Every other weekend, we have a conference call to discuss commitments we have made and issues that are important in our lives.

One member of our group received a wake-up call from his 12-year-old daughter. As part of a family exercise around the breakfast table one morning, they compiled a list of vacation destinations that they would like to enjoy as a family. When it was all said and done, there were six proposed vacation trips to look forward to. Then, it dawned on my friend that in order to include his oldest daughter, they would need to take one of the trips each summer beginning immediately. Instantly, he realized there was no time to waste, and those precious years that had previously seemed inexhaustible were discovered to be amazingly few.

Think of all of the things you want to do in your life. Examine how far you have come and how much you have left to do. I think you will realize that none of us can afford to waste a year, a month, or even a day.

And, as always, today is the day!

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Article Tags: Jim Stovall, productivity, urgency



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