One of my mentors said to me once, “Amber, after all we do in life like school, work, parenting, chores, etc. when it comes to spare time, like time for ourselves, we often have so little. We’re spread so thin. That’s why you have to really love what you spend time on because really, does any of us have any to spare? You can’t buy it so better be sure to fill your spare moments with what you love, what brings you to life.”
This puts time on a pedastle and what you do in your time could be magic if you approach it as suggested above, by choosing wisely what we spend our ‘free’ minutes on. It’s important to acknowledge and feed what brings us joy, to give ourselves completely to something we love, guilt-free.
I trust what my mentor said because he is a business owner, a teacher, a loving partner, a friend and a successful producer. He approaches each new track with purpose because it’s an outward reflection of how he chose to spend his ‘spare time’. He picks labels carefully. He doesn’t throw around his magic because his time is precious (and limited) as he continues to hold down responsibilities in life. He seems to have found his equilibrium in life.
Sometimes it’s hard to find balance, to make all the puzzle pieces fit and give 100% to everything we do. Sometimes life itself will stop us short and make us take stock of what deserves our numbered precious moments. The fact is, even though time seems limitless, it eventually stops for each individual. It’s important to revere and respect it by filling it with things that make us better, happier people. Even a few minutes a day doing something that elates us is sure to feed the soul. Time is collateral but you cannot save it, you can only spend it in the right ways, investing in yourself.
So be sure you’re doing what you love, especially in fleeting moments of aloneness. Those are the moments we have most control over. In those moments, great things are born.
Amber Long 