I want to talk with you today about time. You’ve likely heard the expression we all have the same 24 hours. And that’s true to an extent: there are 24 hours in a given day, and we all operate on that clock. That crazy thing that seems to mold and change, and sometimes it goes fast, and sometimes it goes slow. I want to challenge you that you are in control of your time and how you can make it work for you. 

You Are In Control of Your Time

My son and I had a conversation recently which had me thinking about the fluid concept of time. As I am writing this, we are coming into the summer months. I feel like winter just flew by for me this year. Other years, it feels like it drags on for eternity. Did you ever wonder why this happens? Well, there is the saying, “Time flies when you're having fun.” The reason for that is that when we are doing something we enjoy or something we are good at, our brains release chemicals like dopamine, which gives us almost like a high sensation. On the other hand, when we are doing something difficult or unengaging, there’s no dopamine firing. This is when it can feel like hours just drag on forever. Like Groundhog Day, every single day.  It’s not getting the dopamine it craves, so it begs you to stop doing the miserable thing, and to go do something fun instead. 

So back to the conversation I was having with my son; he’s about to enter high school, and he was talking to me about how people are mentioning how fast it goes, how fun it is, and how sad they are when it’s over. He was curious why that is. I explained to him that when you're in high school, as long as it's a pleasurable experience, maybe learning how to drive, maybe dating, doing all these cool things - your brain is releasing the dopamine. It feels like time is going super fast, and you’re having a great time. And then it ends. Maybe you go to college, and maybe you have a whole bunch of fun there as well. Or maybe it's just done, and you just jump into adulting with responsibilities like work and bills or a family. And maybe your brain misses the dopamine that had been created when you were experiencing those funner, happier, more carefree days of high school or college. 

How Can You Be More Effective With Your Time?

I want to encourage you to take control of your time and how you feel about the time you have. 

Ask yourself, or take some time to journal on the following questions:

• What is your perception of time lately? 
• Is time going fast for you right now? 
• Is life really good right now? Or is every day a battle? 
• Does it feel like you are fighting to get through every single minute of the day? 

If you find yourself feeling stuck and pushing through the motions, the trick is finding something to release some dopamine to to fix this, right? You deserve more than a life of just existing; you deserve to thrive with joy and excitement in your life. 

Maybe you instinctively know this, and you’ve been trying to fix this on your own. So maybe you have been searching for the “magic potion” or the “secret workout” or the one thing that’s going to do the trick and get you to feel good, have fun, and fall in love with your life. 

The problem is it doesn't work. 

Let me explain why. For example, you're really dehydrated, really thirsty. You could dump a bucket of water on your head, but that doesn't solve the problem. You could stick a fire hose in your mouth and that would get a lot of water down your throat really quickly, but that doesn’t solve the problem either. In a previous blog, I talked about why DIY isn't the best way to solve your current health crisis. Instead, in order to find solutions to the problems, we have to diligently take it step by step and make it happen. That's how you get to feeling good. That's how you get the dopamine flowing. You can't do it all at once. 

But what if you never start? Too many people stay stuck where they are instead of taking the steps to change it. 

If you are in the camp of not feeling so great, and life doesn't feel so good, why not start doing something else? Life isn't gonna get any better anytime soon on its own. 

So how many more years are you going to wonder what it would be like to have more energy and not feel so stressed out? 

How many more months are you going to sit idle not feeling amazing? 

How many more summers are you going to wish you could lose weight? 

Time is not slowing down. It keeps going. And going. And as we get older, it seems like it speeds up doesn't it? (it’s not just you; science says time really does speed up as we age.) Pretty soon, you're going to turn around and it's going to be five years or ten years having passed. If you don’t start now, you will have lost all that time not feeling your best, not looking the way you want to look, and not being able to do the things you want to do. You can always begin a new chapter in your health story; and you can start today.

Simple Strategies to Enjoy Your Time and Make Habits Stick

I know you want more for yourself. I want more for you. You can start now with some simple steps to make my life and my body that much better.

1. Start Small. Don't try to change your whole life all at once. It's not going to work. Don't decide you're going to go run a marathon tomorrow. If you want to be healthier, pick one thing. Maybe choose to leave a glass out by your sink so first thing in the morning, you can have a large glass of water. Choose one small thing, and make it something achievable. Something you can do without having to change much of your life. 

2. Be consistent. Do it every day. Find a way to track it. Put a checkmark on the calendar, give yourself a sticker smiley face, or whatever lights you up. Make sure you do it every day. Seeing your progress will make it worthwhile, and you’ll be amazed at how far you’ve come! 

3. Celebrate. When you've done it three days in a row. Hallelujah. Be excited! Give  yourself a pat on the shoulders. Do it again when you've done it five days, when you've done it 10 days, and so on. Celebrate every single time. I promise you, it'll make it an easier habit for you to repeat.

4. Duplicate. This is the easy one. Once you’ve created the habit with one action, you’ll simply choose a second step and repeat Steps 1 through 3: start small, be consistent, celebrate when you do it, and then repeat it with the next step. You’ll think about the next step. If you started with the morning glass of water every day, where do you want to go next? Maybe it’s planning out breakfast so it’s easy to grab (I have some amazing recipe inspo in my cookbooks here). 

Take some time to write a list of goals you want to achieve. Go back and review your list and choose the smallest one. Then see how much easier you can make that. What's one little thing you can do to make that one easier? 

If you need help with your goals and your accountability, schedule a call with me so we can start to make time - and dopamine - work for you.