‘ATTITW’: ‘All The Time In The World’
Seconds, minutes and hours pass by faster than some of us can imagine. Time is the bane of my existence. When others offer their time to me, I perfom.
I perform. Seems like a strong statement. I mean it in the weakest sentiment. More so nowadays I do mean perform. I’m having more business-related meetings and meetings of true importance. These will be helping me progress as a human, journalist and Project founder.
Today, I want to talk about time. Time we don’t have. The time we wish we could magically create. The time we wish we had back. The time we regret and yearn for. It’s the bane of my life. It makes it impossible to do everything I want to do.
More specifically, I want to talk about other people giving their time to sit one-on-one with you for any duration of time.
Group meetings entail commitments from various parties. It’s good, but there is a sense of community which is collective time spent. There is just something about one-to-one time that I find inherently paradoxical.
You’ll hear on a daily basis:
“I have no time”
“I’m so stressed, there isn’t enough time to do it all”
“I wish there were more hours in the world”
It’s funny because we all make decisions on how to spend our time. We complain about not having time. We can create time, make space for things we want to prioritise.
But when you hear these phrases so often, you wonder if anyone will have any time for you.
Imagine, you have an idea and want some support. You want to meet with someone to discuss your idea and suggest future collaborations. You hear all these moans and you’re discouraged. STOP.
This is a world where if you don’t ask, you don’t get. Being blunt and concise flies a lot farther than beating around the bush.
Having said that, if I ask someone to meet, I always think they’ll say no. I know and appreciate people’s lives are busier than mine. Also, why would you want to spend precious time talking to me? What would you gain?
It’s not self doubt, it’s an affirmation of the fact that everyone has very limited time.
In a world where you have to fight and grapple to reach the apex that you dream of, it’s hard to see a place for conversation and discussion.
Elder generations tell us that we have ‘all the time in the world’, it’s a lie. A categorical lie. We have time, yes. Many of us, including me, don’t know the most efficient way to use that time. We get distracted. Procrastinate. Netflix. It’s all a mess.
That’s why, when someone offers you their time to chat, discuss ideas or generally catch up, you value that time. That time is so precious.
I think it startles people when I’m so appreciative of their time. It could be better used elsewhere if I don’t perform. I perform because I know the facts stated above.
Time is precious, people need appreciation. It’s a complex formula and I don’t have the answer of the magic beans to change the solar and lunar patterns.
Amman, was one of those people where I thought I had won time to explain my Project. As interested as he was in the idea, as a small brainwave, he was a busy man. A final year, GENUN President who juggled all of this while applying to internships and maintaining a relationship. Without the hard work to gain his time, the Project never would be as big as it is now.
Dan spoke to me after launch and we’re planning to meet in London in the near future. I wanted to get his interview in Austin but my poor health didn’t allow that.
An example of two people who had no need to listen to me. They went out their way to learn and help the Project develop.
Now I know that others will prioritise you when they respect you.
It’s taken time to reach the point where people respect me enough to spend an hour listening to my thoughts and ideas.
If you want it bad enough, you’ll attract the right people.
Time is limited, spend it with the right people.