Life is too short and time is passing too quickly.  We hear these clichés over and over again, but most of the time, we fail to take them literally until something happens to us or someone we love. Most of us have a tendency to take life for granted but as we age we realize that life and time are too precious and the stakes are too high to dwell on what might have been. Time cannot be contained. We can only capture memories of the things we did, the emotions we felt and the people we shared them with within time. Sometimes the memories are painful and we’d like to forget them, or we wish we could go back and redo but we can’t because time doesn’t stand still and a rewind isn’t possible. We can only learn from what has transpired within time, grow from it and move on.

Time is a precious gift though we rarely stop and acknowledge it as such. With every day time is equally allotted to everyone – 24 hours, and what we do with that time is totally up to us. We can spend our time wisely, or worthlessly, we can squander it, or invest it, we can enjoy it, or abuse it, we can live it, or retreat from it, but it moves on regardless. Time does give us opportunities to make changes within ourselves that will empower us to be better human beings. Time should be used to seek forgiveness for wrongs we have done and to forgive the wrongs done to us. Time should be used to change how we see others or even how we view ourselves. Time can also be used to build up your self-esteem because ultimately it will have a positive effect not only on yourself, but on those around you.

We need to use the time we have now, to live in the present, to embrace everything good, to love unconditionally, and to share our lives with others by showing them that we care. Make the decision to use the time given to you wisely, and you will not only find fulfillment, but enjoyment in the process. Refrain from wasting time by feeling sorry for yourself because there are people out there who would do anything to be in your shoes instead of where they are. Spend time with the people that have helped you to become who you are today. You can never thank them enough. Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves – regret for the past and fear of the future but life’s too short to wake up with regrets. Love the people who treat you right and forget about the ones who don’t. Sometimes it is helpful to remember those who don’t treat us well because they remind us to not treat others that way.

No one knows how much time has been allotted to them to live so live the best life you can live and be the best person you can be. Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it.  Time is important and should be treated as such.  Making plans for the future?  Don’t forget to check the time!