TIME: Don't Have vs. Don't Take

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"I would but I just don't have the time!"

How many times have you either SAID that or HEARD that said? As a matter of fact, take a moment and try to think of when the last time YOU said this phrase occurred...was it sometime today? Yesterday? We likely say something along this lines way more often than we realize.

Many times we say this to our kids when they are seeking our help and/or attention but we are busy with something else..."Mom! I need you to help me!" "Not now honey, I don't have time!" We don't want to sound like bad parents by saying what is actually true which would be, "Not now honey, I'm not going to TAKE the time for you right now."

Is that bad? No! Listen parents, there is no way in the world that we can devote all 24 hours a day to our children - IT'S NOT POSSIBLE! Now listen, if you're sitting in front of the t.v. eating Cheetos and watching a soap opera when your kid asks for your help and you say you don't have time - SHAME ON YOU! That's right... I said it.

But, if you are busy with something that helps the family (cleaning the house, balancing the checkbook or paying the bills, etc.), then there is nothing wrong with actually saying, "I can't take the time right now."

So many times we say we don't HAVE the time when, in reality, we simply choose to not TAKE the time. So, the question actually is this: What are you TAKING the time for during your day?

This SHOULD be obvious but it still needs pointing out - we ALL have the same amount of time every day. We ALL have 24 hours a day, divided up by hours, made up of 60 minutes, made up of 60 seconds each. It doesn't matter how rich or poor you are and it doesn't matter where in the world you live - TIME IS THE SAME FOR US ALL!

Here's what I want you to do to start this series off for the week - get out another piece of paper like you did during last week's series. Go ahead, get that paper and something to write with and write this across the top of that paper....

IF I HAD TIME, I WOULD...

Do that and then start writing things down - WHAT WOULD YOU DO? Don't over-think this, o.k.? Just write down what you would do IF you "had the time".

No, this isn't a trick. Take a few minutes and do this and feel free to add to it as you go through your day. DO NOT THROW THIS PAPER AWAY! Hang on to it - I will be coming back to it later on in the week.

Many times we don't want to hear the truth behind this fact but it's still true: THE TIME IS THERE!

I hope you'll join me the rest of the week as we go though and discover the time that is already in our day that we may be able to use for those things that we've always wanted to do.

Be thinking about that - fill out that list on that piece of paper and, in the meantime, whatever you do, where ever you go, be sure to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike