Sustainable Ambition Forum - 10.12.21

 
 

In today’s modern world, it often feels like time controls us more than we control our time. Our calendars fill up with meetings. Time demands roll in and in. The seconds and minutes quickly click by on the clock. Busyness consumes us.

But what if we could control time more than we think? As this article points out, perhaps we construct more of our realities than we realize. Or, as Albert Einstein said, “​​Time is an illusion.”

If it is, what if that means that we can shape our time to our benefit?

Henry David Thoreau said, “It is not enough to be busy… The question is: what are we busy about?” And, in a podcast interview with Seth Godin, Debbie Millman said, “Busy is a decision.” To shape our time, perhaps we need to first ask: What do I want to be busy about? Or, to get control of our busy, am I clear on what I want to say Yes to and No to in order to set boundaries on my time?

There’s the adage, “You don’t find time, you make time.” Finding time is passive and sounds like a difficult exploration—where the heck is that time somewhere out there? Making time is an act of choice and prioritization. What do you want to make time for?

Can we change the experience of time? I shared in a prior newsletter how I recently re-read Alan Lightman’s book, “Einstein’s Dreams.” It’s a beautiful collection of short vignettes on time that makes one think of time and how to experience it differently. For example, what if you thought about the quality of the time spent doing an activity rather than the quantity? Or, is this a time to pause and get quiet or this a time to get loud and active?

Or, what if you could control your pace? Is this an event I should speed up or slow down?

What if we can make better use of our time? Listening to a podcast with Ryan Holiday, who writes on the stoics, he references Seneca’s philosophies on time. One being: “It’s not that life is short, it’s that we waste a lot of it.” What if we were to treat time as precious?

Or, Holiday shares how Seneca talks about the idea that death is not in the future; rather we are dying every day as each day passes. What if we were to not let important things go?

What if we realized that we could get more out of brief amounts of time? Because is time long or short? Sit for one minute and take deep breaths. Was that long? Or, was it short? What amount of time is needed for certain tasks? To create some space and a pause? To center and restore yourself?

And finally, introducing our featured podcast guest in Episode #31, should we take a long-term perspective of time or a short-term perspective? Dorie Clark would say it’s way more powerful to play the long game. What might be a new ambition if you were to take a long-term view? If you didn’t have to know how to get there right now?

Time is a construct. It is an illusion that we often falsely understand. How might you create your own perspective on time and start to bend and shape it to support your own Sustainable Ambition?

It’s a fun inquiry as you enter into this last quarter of the year that’s finally starting to feel like it might be morphing into a new normal. As we kick-off into the holiday season, how do you want to manage your time? How can you shape time so that one minute feels long? How can you minimize time so you don’t put too much time into something that doesn’t warrant it? What kind of experience do you want to create around activities that take your time? What do you want this time to feel like? What do you want to make time for?

I encourage you to play with this theme so that you can shift time from being something with negative associations and a sense of grasping for time towards one that’s more positive, playful, and powerful and puts you back in control. Time is an illusion you can shape.

To embracing the time we are given,
Kathy Oneto
Founder of Sustainable Ambition


The Round-Up

It’s never too late: I loved this story of a woman who left her 25+ year journalism career to pursue her second act as a teacher.

The gift of time: If you want to make better decisions, as this article emphasizes, you need to give yourself time to think.

Where do you find time? Great tips to gain back time.

Take the long view: I loved reading Dorie Clark’s great new book The Long Game (and feature her podcast episode below!). Her counsel: do away with short term thinking and embrace the long view. In doing so, we can become more strategic in both our lives and careers. If you’re looking to build Sustainable Ambition, I think The Long Game is a must read. Learn more and get your copy here!

How do you make your limited time count? Oliver Burkeman’s book, Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, is getting a lot of press. I loved this conversation with him and Jenny Blake on her Free Time podcast. Highly recommend a listen!

Does age matter? A force fit, but I’m enjoying watching Only Murders in the Building on Hulu with Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez. There have been write-ups about how this pairing match up so well despite the age difference. Or take Grace & Frankie, on Netflix, which is back for another season. Age doesn’t have to be a limiter, nor does generational difference have to put us at odds. Actually, where might the creativity be in bringing together different age perspectives?

A moment in time: The longest running digital art exhibit held nightly at 11:57 pm in NYC’s Times Square for over 12 years.


The Sustainable Ambition Podcast - Episode 31

Join me for conversations with experts, authors, and friends on
what it means to live with Sustainable Ambition.

What a coup! I was thrilled to have the opportunity to be in conversation with Dorie Clark, someone I have read and followed to help support my own Sustainable Ambition over the years.

In this episode, we delve into her new book, The Long Game, per above. We talk about the power of strategic, long term thinking on achieving any life and career goals we set out for ourselves. Anything is possible if you have the courage and strategic patience to play the long game. And Dorie shows us the way.

Listen in! And, you can learn more, get Dorie's FREE assessment, and get your copy here.

Find the podcast episode on Apple Podcast here.

Or, listen on our website here.


You can also find the podcast, subscribe, and listen on Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Overcast.


The Monthly Progress Practice: October

At the beginning of the year, we shared our Monthly Progress Practice. Progress happens through small actions, so we offer a monthly practice of small actions or micro-habits to inspire positive change this year.

Our guidance for October: Be interested. Get to really know those around you. Be curious. Ask questions. Be empathetic to what’s happening in their lives.



“Life is long if you know how to use it.”

— Seneca

“You will find no one willing to share out his money; but to how many does each of us divide up his life! People are frugal in guarding their personal property; but as soon as it comes to squandering time they are most wasteful of the one thing in which it is right to be stingy.”

— Seneca

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