Time

We’ve all heard excuses like these:

“I wish I had time to write a book.”

“I’d love to work on my side project but I’m too busy.”

Bullshit.

Be honest with yourself. You didn’t do it because you didn’t make the time.

As Lao Tzu famously said: “Time is a created thing. To say ‘I don’t have time,’ is like saying, ‘I don’t want to’.”

I’d consider myself a busy guy. I work hard in my day job and do some freelancing on the side. I regularly cook, do house chores, feed and walk the dog, and visit family and friends.

For all my busyness, I still watch a fair few hours of TV a week. I spend way too much time on Twitter, Facebook, and browsing the web. I read for about an hour a day and usually squeeze in a couple hours of Playstation a week. And then I usually sleep for a good 8 hours a night, too.

That’s exactly why I’m reluctant to ever use the excuse “I don’t have time”. When I’m honest about how I spend my day, it’s clear that I have plenty of time to do the things I want to do. And you have, too.

“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”

— H. Jackson Brown Jr.

Time is a valuable asset we all have. We’re thrifty with our money, yet most of us spend our time without much thought.

I’m not saying you should spend all your time working. Consider where you are spending your time and dedicate it to the things that make you happy. And stop making excuses.