Recognizing Life’s Pace

T I M E /tīm/ noun
the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.

It just hit me that time has been a common theme this summer. First, it’s been a long time since I blogged (more details on why, to come).  Second, time has flown by as it’s already the “end” of summer, with August right around the corner. Third, now that I’m in my first full-time job, time is of the essence, whether it’s remembering to do your time sheets or analyzing work-life balance.

Honestly more as a reflection post, I’ve realized that I miss blogging and have been struggling to figure out when to fit in time to write (and read) more, for leisure.  Whatever your passions are and you enjoy doing, you need to make a priority. I love writing: I’m fortunate to write most days at work and continue to learn a lot. With that, many days I become either: burnt out and need a break of writing when I get home, so my personal projects get cut; or simply busy with plans to meet friends, head to the gym or climb into bed.

One of the most common questions that come up when strangers engage in conversation is, “What are your hobbies? What do you like to do for fun?” While this should be a simple question, it is often broad and hard to respond – yet the answer can uncover similarities between two friends and help anyone get to know each other. I don’t know how many times I’ve answered something along the lines of being so busy that I don’t have “down” time and that when I do, I’m trying to make time for friends.  Reality check: something’s got to give and I need to make time for me, doing things I enjoy – regularly. It’s not healthy to not have a hobby or something you enjoy doing.

Public Relations is a career that almost always requires a lot of hours of work and for less pay than those working similar hours on Wall Street. Other careers aren’t the same.  Whatever your field, I’ve realized that if you enjoy what you’re doing you cannot compare hours, workload or anything office related with others. Whether it’s you or your roommate who work the 9-5 job, and the other whose hours are always changing, it’s a waste of time to play the “my day was so long” card at home. No matter how many hours you work, someone will always say they had a rough day when you think yours was so much worse. When it comes to talking hours, I’d advise keeping quiet, just as is frequently the case with religion and politics.

Time moves quickly. Don’t let it pass you by. Make the most of every moment starting now; after all, your life is the indefinite progress of existence.