“Without time nothing is possible.  Everything requires time.  Time is the only permanent and absolute ruler.  She treats every living person exactly alike everyday.  No matter how much of the world’s goods you accumulate, you can not successfully plead for a single moment more than the pauper receives without ever asking for it.  Time is the one great leveler.  Everyone has the same amount to spend everyday.”  –William J Reilly from How to Avoid Work

As the new year is upon us, it is the time of making lists, setting intentions, and the ever so popular new year’s resolutions.  The definition of a resolution is a firm decision to do or not do something.  We set resolutions with the intention of staying committed to them for the next 12 months.  Most resolution lists are made up of things that are tangible, things that can be easily measured, such as joining the gym, eating healthy, finish project in your home, ect.  But what about the intangible, the things that can not be easily measured or physically touched, such as happiness, love, gratitude, kindness, ect. 

The Arrow of Time teaches us that time is asymmetrical, it keeps moving forward, never moves back.  In 7^th grade my science teacher Mr. Conway had a sign on the clock that said Tempis Fugit-time is always faithful, and time being that faithful great leveler, 12 months will have passed in the blink of an eye.  A year of “not having enough time”, “not going to the gym”, “not doing the things I want to do”.  As a result, a year filled with stress, anxiety, and perhaps disappointment. 

As the new year sets in, take this time to think about the things that you want and the things that are important to you.  How can you translate working out at the gym, the tangible, into something more meaningful and intangible? How can your day at the office be turned into an experience that is meaningful and supportive of  the things that are important to you?  Do your 9-5, workout, or hobby as an expression of your commitment to all that matters in your life. So next time you feel you haven’t the time to do what it is you really want to do it may be worthwhile to remember your resolutions and all that matters to you.  Do something now your future self will thank you for.