This past weekend I was sitting on the boat in the middle of a beautiful lake and someone cued some music and before long, some classic rock and roll started to play. It wasn’t long before Pink Floyd arrived and the song “Time” started and all of sudden I was reflecting on my life. Triumphs, shortfalls, miscues, victories, memories – some easily remembered others to painful to forget and I was totally mesmerized by the song. You can listen to this classic rock ballad here: Time by Pink Floyd

Time is more than a way for us to categorize events. Time is a powerful force that is much like momentum, it is either working for you or against you. I believe each person has been granted one handful of life and time is the great EQUALIZER. C.S. Lewis said, “The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of 60 minutes an hour, whatever he/she does, whoever he/she is.” We are all moving at the same pace and the gift of time is something we should redeem. Some key phrases we use when characterizing Time are:

“We lost time.” “We can make up time”. Whether we are traveling by car, boat, plane or train, time cannot be lost and it for certain cannot be made up. The moment is here and then it is gone. We must move to cherish the time we have and not ‘wish’ our lives away waiting on something better. Time is the great Equalizer.

Time is also a great ENERGERIZER. Time motivates. Nelson Mandela said, “We must use time wisely, and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right.” Doing the right thing at the right time never goes out of style. I love what one of my favorite heroines, Eleanor Roosevelt said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” There is no time like the present to begin to make your dreams come true. I think we can all get caught up in the tyranny of the urgent but we must remember that ‘reacting isn’t leading.’ Time must not be merely used, but rather invested wisely in the things that will take us to the places we want to go. Spending time on meaningless pursuits will only deflate us in regards to our ambitions but time invested properly will energize us.

Time is the great EQUIPPER as well. Time and experience are often the toughest teachers because they give us the test first and the lesson comes afterward. But they are also the best teachers because they prepare us for the opportunities that inevitably come to those who are investing their time wisely. “One secret to success”, said Benjamin Disraeli, “is for a person to be ready for their opportunity when it comes.” I’ve said for years, that the only thing that slips by faster than time is an opportunity. Time and experience can and will prepare us for success, if we heed their lessons.

The writer Solomon once penned, ‘To everything there is a season…there is a time for everything.” Let’s determine to use the gift of time to be ready and prepare for the arrival of great opportunities that come packaged with tomorrow.

One last thing about Time, too many of us allow the past to control the present thus killing the promise of our future. Learn from the past but leave the past in the past, it doesn’t have anything new to say. Besides, it is never too late to begin to be the person/leader you want to be. Let’s get started right now, because Time Marches On…