Hey reader,

Thank you for making time to read another blog. If you have read the previous blog, you must be aware how much I feel grateful, when you spare time to read these blogs. Also want to thank the beautiful feedback received from different people who shared their understanding and philosophy around time.

From the previous blog, we know how powerful time itself is, but we also need to understand that time is finite. Yes, we can’t just buy more time, right? We all have been into scenarios, where we wished 5 minutes more. From asking for time to play a little more, to asking for more time from the managers to complete the presentation, we grew up!

If we compare time with other commodities, for everything else we have options, opportunities, resources, or ways to increment it. For instance, we can gain more knowledge by reading or learning more. We can get a higher salary package with certain other degrees or maybe by working at a different location, or in a different field of work. There can be more ways to earn money, or maybe multiple, like by salary, real estate, equities, etc. But time, it is like a fixed deposit, without interest! You can not get more than you have, you can not have multiple sources to earn it. You can not have more opportunities to get more time, or you won’t get extra hours in a day if you work a thousand miles away from your location. In a nutshell, there can be infinite ways to play around in finite time, we can enjoy it, experience something, or simply sleep through it, but we can not create it. The time can not be earned or gained, but it can be lost!

Yes, it’s not a great asset right, that you don’t get any interests, any gains, but one might be potentially at a high risk of losing. Let me offer a glimpse from my own life, where I didn’t lose it outright, but came close to watching it slip away.

• So earlier, there happened to be a time, when there was time to travel (around 3 hours a day), and still get time to read books, write blogs, play piano and record covers, explore cafes in the city, and watch concerts on YouTube.
• Then years later, there was a time, when the travel decreased by an hour, and still had time to read, write, play piano, and watch concerts in real, however, I had less time to explore the cafes, write blogs, and record piano covers.
• In the past year and a half, while experimenting to be independent for the daily chores, observed an even bigger impact. The writing reduced way further, and recording piano covers completely vanished, while a majority of the time got occupied with the daily chores that could have been outsourced for the sake of time.

There happened to be various reasons for the changes, however, it turned out that a few additional tasks just pulled me away from the things that make me happy and helped me grow. Maybe, there would have been more blogs, more ideas, and more piano covers, however, all that time can not be brought back.

Sometimes, we are so lost in our day-to-day routines, that we don’t know the significance of the specific tasks we are doing. Once a person is gone, no one going to remember, how many clothes he ironed, but the little impact (even if it lasted only for a moment) left with the blog, music, or any art, that would become a memory for others.

All of our lives, we happen to be involved in some work. A part of it is for survival, like to earn bread, make sure of have clothes to wear, and have a roof over our head, and as we grow, we work to make sure the same for our loved ones. Another part is for our ambitions, for a quality life, or to enjoy life. However, just like the tides, time also moves in favor and against. There are some tough moments in life. Moments where we lose, the money, or the power, or the people. These moments are tough, especially if one loses a loved one. In these hard times, we feel like the time becomes slow. The grief, anger, and loneliness just swirl around the person who lost someone. And this is where, we need a ray of light at the end of the tunnel, to look unto. But what is that light?

One of my mentors shared a very interesting thought, that has been waving around my head, and here are the exact words:

You can never be “in the moment “ as many advise . You need to be “with the moment” because moment moves along with time. Think of it.. you will feel the gravity of relationship as long as you choose to be “with the moment “

When we are in the best and worst moments of our life, we happen to be so involved in the moment, that we forget that time is still moving. Some of us tends to move on, while some get stuck, into the moment. How necessary is it for us to keep moving along the time, with the moment, rather than being stuck in the moment. Best or worse, nothing is permanent, then why to remain stuck at one place?

And this is where the life goals come in. If one asks themselves, what is the motive of your life? Or maybe just now, can you turn on your selfie camera, and ask what is your motive in life? A lot of us will not do it, as the question is more of an existential crisis for many of us. For some of us, we do have some desires, or goals, like to settle abroad, earn this much, get a portfolio of X numbers, or to travel ABC countries, and then some people have the goal to set up a facility for stray dogs or to set up a music school for senior citizens.

Another fact is, that once the person gets married and starts a family, some goals and objectives, automatically get developed, like loving and taking care of the partner, buying the house, getting the car, and providing a better environment for the kids as well as parents, to provide better education to the kids, get them settled into their career and in nutshell, to make sure the family is safe, secure, happy, and loved. Their happiness becomes the utmost priority and objective in life, no matter what it takes. Can that be considered as a life goal, maybe yes, but from what I experienced so far in life, we can never keep everyone happy. Yes, it will keep us focused, like the light at the end of the tunnel, but what if one doesn’t have such an objective yet? Maybe for someone, who is living remotely, in a different time zone, with no family or close friends around to talk to, what will they do to stay motivated and inspired every day for life itself?

This is why, we should have at least a few selfless objectives, where we could contribute to society with the resources we have. Sometimes, feeding the stray animals, or making a person smile by your actions feels more fulfilling than getting the paycheck. What if we have the motive of making sure to keep ourselves joyful, come what may, and to make sure the people around feel a sense of happiness with our energy around? A colleague introduced me to a term called “Aura ++”. Not sure what it means, but maybe it is related to.. when we make someone happy, or when we help someone, not only do they feel good, or we feel good, but the person who watched us helping also feels good. Maybe that’s what Aura++ means.

There happen to be people, who go to places of worship, meditation, or spiritual gatherings, and while they are at those places, they have this selfless mindset, they support each other, help people, and be grateful. However, once they get back to real life, they just turn opposite. There are arguments, a lack of understanding, lack of help and support from the same people. This is why, to be selfless, or to act selflessly is so tough. Selfless objective sounds easy, but they are tough to practice as they demand sacrifice and surrender.  

Think of a soldier, no matter whether he is on duty or off duty, if the enemy is at the front, they won’t act differently. They won’t think twice to sacrifice their life to keep the civilians protected. This is what selflessness is, where a person is ready to sacrifice their all happiness, problems, and achievements, for nothing in return, not even appreciation. Is it not a profound shift, to live with a purpose so deep that both suffering and joy diminish in significance — as if walking through a tunnel where the nature of the path, whether smooth or rugged, fades before the certainty of light awaiting at the end? Do you have any such motivation to look up to, and if not, what could be the one, where you can act selflessly, and that will keep you driving?

In the ever-changing tides of life, where joy and sorrow come and go, it is a selfless purpose that anchors us. A goal that asks nothing in return but uplifts others and ourselves along the way. When we walk toward a light greater than our own needs, the roughness of the road loses its power over us. Find that light — and let it carry you through all seasons of life.

– Navneet