No Time like the Present
with Sharyna Sharman

I love this time of year. The days are getting longer, the weather warmer and the Festive Season is drawing near. For me it means I can achieve more in my day, have more energy and prepare to wind down, have a break and prepare for the coming year. The Festive Season presents the perfect opportunity to catch up with friends and family, have some fun and relax.

Unfortunately it seems to be the exact opposite for a large percentage of us. Most people I speak to say they have no time, no energy and are completely stressed in the lead up to, and during Christmas/New Year. Daylight savings seems to do little more than add more strain and stress to people’s already hectic lives. Lazy summer days seem to be a figment of our imagination and our reasons for barely seeing loved ones usually revolve around a lack of time.

In many cases we complain at least as much as or more about lack of time as we do lack of money. Time is becoming an increasingly precious commodity in our society even as our technology and advancements in lifestyle make life quicker and easier than ever before in history.

So what happened? Do we really suffer from lack of time or has this become a convenient excuse for us when we don’t really want to do something? Is it more lack of energy than lack of time? Or is time just accelerating beyond our capacity to keep up? More than likely it is a combination of the above.

So what do we do? In order to answer this question properly I think we must look at what time actually is. Time is all in our heads. We invented it in the sense of clocks and the linear path of past, present and future as a timekeeping map. It helps us categorise our lives and gives sense and structure but it has also turned us into slaves. We feel like time moves quicker and slower at different times when really this just proves how much time only exists in the mind of the individual based on their perception and current mindset. How quickly does 5 minutes go when you are running late and still have 10 things to do before you leave? And how slowly does 5 minutes go when you sit still in meditation for the first time and try and still your mind? The rate at which 5 minutes ticks over never changes. It is your perception that changes it. Time is not accelerating as we tend to believe, but rather our inability to be completely present and our tendency to rush from one thing to the next gives us the impression of time disappearing at an alarming rate. As an example, children never seem to be affected by time and we rarely stop to wonder why. They are too busy living in the moment to care about time and it is only as they start to get older and become conscious of time that it starts to affect them too, until one day they are just another stressed and time-poor adult like the rest of us.

We have lost the simplicity of life. The small pleasures, those quiet everyday moments, the ability to simply be. Right here, right now. Because that is all time really is. NOW. Just right now. That is the only moment you actually have and we spend all of that moment ignoring it. Little wonder we feel like we have lost it. In reality we never had it in the first place. So instead of focusing on ‘finding’ more time which only leads to more stress and lack of energy, focus on being present. It is not really time or energy that we lack but presence. Find it, you have it already you’re just too busy talking over the top of it. Presence looks different to everyone, to me it is being out with my horses. I am in the zone where time no longer exists and I am free.

You may find your zone in meditation, yoga, walking, chatting to a loved one, or a hobby, whatever draws you in. You will know when you have found your present because there is no rush, no idea of time and your mind is completely focused on now without skipping ahead to your next activity/day/week or yesterday. If you struggle with this spend time with animals or children as they naturally live in the present and their energy will draw you into it too. Prioritise your time to include you, things you have to do and things you want to do in that order, making sure you incorporate things from each category every day and do them wholeheartedly. Become entirely present and you will have less stress and more energy and time than ever before.

Sharyna Sharman is the owner and founder of Consciously You and specialises in Equine Assisted Coaching, using the principles of Compassion, Connection and Commitment to help clients better understand themselves and the deep connection we have to each other. She works with individuals, couples and groups and also offers workshops and clinics. Contact 0431 922 407 or Sharyna.sharman@live.com.au for more information.