The Gift Of Time

I recently did a poll, posted a blog and asked clients "What would you do if you had an extra 15 minutes on top of the 24 hours in a day? (click here to read that post) and got screamed at from all parts of the globe.

"WHAT? 15 MINUTES? What's 15 minutes? What can anyone do in just 15 minutes?"

It's amazing how people take time and toss it out the window discounting how precious it really is. And by the way, we came up with quite the list and one of the reasons why I started working on my Time Mastery Program.

Soon after I was asked “What would you do if you had an extra 36 hours a month?” That would be a gift!

I am absolutely firm on setting personal boundaries. I choose the clients I want to work with and make sure we both grow from our coaching relationships. I literally book in work play time which is creative time for me, creating concepts, programs, articles, material and the most fun logos for each...and play play time for me where I book off a few days of the month over and above weekends to see friends, explore my beautiful city (Ottawa, even being the capital is one of the best kept secrets of Canada, didn't you know?) or to just read under the trees, walk through the woods or light a fire and listen to a new piece of music.

As my first degree was in music performance and I used to play in an orchestra in my first life, I make sure I have extra time for music. Also in a past life just for the fun of it I apprenticed as a chef, discovering new flavours, cuisines, so cooking with my son (who has turned into an amazing cook!) and friends, for friends, is way up there.

I am at a place in my life where I make sure I have plenty of time (it's all relative) for the special people in my life, my work, crises that pop up and as I work globally those are a given so I would say for the 36 extra hours I would just add some of it to each of the ways I play in my life. I work many hours, long, hard and intense hours as a Shadow Coach™ so all of that 36 hours would be for play, creativity , learning , taking one course a year over and above the learning I do now, teaching more and mentoring more up and coming coaches. I might not have oodles of time at hand to spend on whatever comes up but I can tell you that each person in my life knows that every moment I spend with them is one by choice, even if it's a short phone call. I no longer do anything out of obligation so jump into life with both feet because I want to 'be there' or 'do that' if you know what I mean. I'm not fitting life in... I'm choosing it.

I think we first need to change our mind set, then set personal boundaries, then choose what we want our lives to look like, whether for 24 hours or 36. It's all a gift, don't you think?

So if you were given the gift of 36 extra hours a month, what would you do with them? I’m not going to qualify that with saying “for life” or “for work” as that choice is yours, but what I will ask you is what would your life look like if you treated every hour as the gift it is?