“I’m too busy” I often think it.
But it’s not true.
I have more than enough time, and so do you.
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Ruminating
It’s easy to think you’re too busy. I certainly do.
But it’s that thinking that’s the problem. Thinking makes it so as they say.
Sometimes my whole day is thrown off by an inconveniently placed call. How will I get anything else done?? I’ll spend the rest of the day ruminating on my misfortune.
Thinking you don’t have the time compounds. It’s the old rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
It’s otherwise known as The Matthew Effect:
'For unto every one that have shall be given, and he shall have abundance; but him that have not shall be taken, even that which he have.'
- Matthew 25:29
It works something like this:
The richer you are, the more money you have to make more money, and by having more money you attract opportunities to make even more.
You get the idea.
Likewise the poorer you are the harder it is to get more money as your money is spent on simply making ends meet. It’s a vicious circle.
Looming Large
Money is material. Easy. But busyness, and time, are down to perception. It’s less obvious.
Imagine you feel too busy.
That might be 10 calls back to back, or one half an hour call in the afternoon.
Either way by feeling busy everything else looms large. It’s harder to get anything done and the day is squandered.
But if you feel like you have enough time everything changes. The day becomes manageable. If something important comes up you just move things around. The days are long.
If you feel like you have enough time then you’re doing things calls because you can. That’s the difference. Feel too busy and you have to do the calls AND that long todo list AND you forgot your laundry! F**k!!
Thinking really does make it so. Change your perception and change your reality.
Trust Me
It’s not just time. The same is true of trust. Trusting compounds.
Trust people and they’re more likely to be trustworthy. Trust everyone and you’ll trust the world more. It feels good to trust.
Likewise think the world is out to get you and that too compounds. One can always find evidence that someone’s trying to screw you.
But some people are f**king bastards… you’re probably thinking.
No one person is dishonest. They might act dishonestly, perhaps frequently, but they are not inherently dishonest. They’re just a person.
I’m not suggest you wire the money to the alleged Nigerian Prince. That’s not where this is useful.
It’s useful in the many many interactions throughout the day. Turn up with an attitude of trust and two things happen:
You become more open and collaborative
They will too
It’s a muscle. Maybe don’t send the Nigerian Prince £1m, or anyone you don’t know. But the kids asking you for £5 for their football team. Why not? £5 is a small price to pay to see the world in a kinder light. That sounds like a good deal to me.
My Week in Books📚
Churchill by Andrew Roberts
So good. It’s a slog but well worth. What stood out is just how flawed Churchill was (aren’t we all). He got many many things wrong but got a big one right and it save Great Britain. A remarkable character.
I’ll be updating the books I’ve read this year here. Any recommendations? Let me know! See 2021’s books here.
A Final Thought 💡
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
— J.R.R. Tolkien