Welcome to this month's inspirational newletter, which I hope you enjoy and feel inspired by.

Appreciate Time

Time is a companion that goes with us on a journey. It reminds us to cherish each moment, because it will never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we have lived.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard

In the beginning of August I spent two weeks in Lucca, Italy. I was there working for a WYSE leadership programme (www.wyse-ngo.org) with 33 young people (aged 18–30) from 24 different countries . From start to finish I was running around, doing all that was necessary in my role, whilst enjoying the wonderful atmosphere and people around me. After two days I felt like I had been there for a week and by the end I was shocked at how fast time had gone. So I pondered on:

Where does time go?

Time is a basic ingredient of life. We have the same amount of it each day for us to use as we want. Time is irreversible: there is no turning back the clocks, hoping to retrieve any time we feel we've lost. We cannot store it, hide it or keep it.

Our predecessors created a system to help us manage time based on the sun: one rotation of the earth around its own axis became a day; one rotation around the sun became a year. The calendar and clock were then established to give us structure, creating a useful way for us to monitor how we spend our time.

In many western countries life is commanded by the things we need to do. Up at 7 am, work, break, appointments, home, friends, family and so forth, time rushes by. However in other countries,  time is slower. With many hours spent in contemplation, working at a different pace and enjoying the daily community so on.

Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it you can never get it back.
Harvey Mackay

It is easy to wake up wondering where yesterday has gone or maybe even the last years. Therefore it is important to be aware of how we use and appreciate it.

Are you appreciating your time?

Are you aware of how you spend your time?

Being aware of your situation and taking time to stop is truly a helping hand. By stepping out of doing, you are allowing yourself to be, having time to appreciate what's around you. Stopping also gives you time to evaluate whether you are spending your time the way you want to or not. Therefore by stopping you strengthen your awareness of what you are in fact doing and if you are satisfied. If not it will give you the choice to do something about it and make the necessary changes.

What are the changes you need to make in order to appreciate and live your time fully?

Yesterday is a cancelled check; tomorrow is a promissory note; today is the only cash you have – so spend it wisely.
Kay Lyons

A useful exercise that can assist you in stopping and making the most of your time is the following. This can be used at any time, whether it's for one or five minutes, or once or twice a day. Experiment with it and see what works for you. I would recommend that in the beginning you do it more often than not. This way you will build the muscles of your awareness, strengthening your sense and ability to be present.

Traffic Light

Red – Stop: Be aware – consciously notice what you are doing, where you are, who is around you.

Amber – Get Ready: Take a couple of breaths to appreciate and acknowledge what is happening before you move on.

Green – Go: Continue what you have been doing, this time with awareness.

How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. Annie Dillard

Appreciating time allows life to shine in all it has to offer. May you enjoy the way you spend your time!

Wishing you all the best wishes, Marisa

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