An Awareness of Time and Purpose

When we get right down to it, we have to draw one inescapable conclusion: time is our most important asset. And like most assets, there never seems to be enough of it. There are always so many things to do, so many pressures, so many things to keep track of. Our lives seem to whiz by, and where has our time gone? If time is our most important asset, why do we know so little about it? Why do some of us stay so busy yet accomplish so little? Which of our accomplishments are all that important in the overall scheme of our lives? In a sense, it is when we simplify our lives and become aware of the rhythms of life, that we can cultivate our sense of time and priorities – and gain some knowledge and understanding that generally escapes us within the bustle of our daily lives.

Think what modern-day life encourages most of us to do. We try to be a good partner and perhaps a good parent, maintain a spiritual life, have many friends and a few deeper relationships, drive to work, perform meritoriously on the job, work overtime, keep up with the news, keep up with TV and movies and books and music and all the new ideas, travel, have several hobbies, dress in the right fashions, spent time on the Internet, keep good credit, be a good neighbor and participant in the community, do volunteer work, take classes, exercise, and so it goes.

One client told me : “No wonder, that I feel so pressured”.

In the end, what really matters? How busy we have been? How well we have lived? How much we have done?
what really matters to you?

There is a busyness that reflects a plan of activities, a pattern of priorities and a purposefulness/a mission that is satisfying. But there is a busyness that reflects a chaotic way of life and leads to a great increase in stress on the body, the mind, the soul, and on relationships. This is one factor related to some disturbing societal trends: the incidence of cardiovascular and immune-deficiency diseases in American and in the Western world over the last few decades has been astounding, not to mention the increase in rates of depression, family destruction, and substance abuse.

Dr. Baya Mebarek, Psy.D., LMFT
www.sandiegofamilytherapy.net

San Diego Couples and Family Therapy serves the surrounding areas of Sorrento Valley Road as La Jolla, UTC San Diego, Del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe, Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Penasquitos, Poway, University City and Escondido.