Time is the most powerful thing that has ever existed on this planet, the only thing that has brought existence into existing. The most disappointing part about time is that it is untouchable and unchangeable. The sun rises and sets, winter comes and goes, and we can never change that. However, we can employ it and use it to our best ability. So let’s use time wisely. Be responsible for every minute that is given to you. Every human being has been given an equal portion and it is up to its owner to utilize it. Some have used time to become famous and rich. Some have become infamous but well it always comes back to one’s choice. Now, enough with this lecture about time, I would like to tell you a story written by Marc Chernoff.
Once upon a time there was a woman who had been lost in the desert for three whole days without water. Just as she was about to collapse, she saw what appeared to be a lake just a few hundred yards in front of her. “Could it be? Or is it just a mirage?” she thought to herself. With the last bit of strength, she could muster, she staggered toward the lake and quickly learned that her prayers had been answered: it was no mirage—it was indeed a large, spring-fed lake full of freshwater—more freshwater than she could ever drink in her lifetime. Yet while she was literally dying of thirst, she couldn’t bring herself to drink the water. She simply stood by the water’s edge and stared down at it. There was a passer-by riding on a camel from a nearby desert town who was watching the woman’s bizarre behaviour. He got off his camel, walked up to the thirsty woman and asked, “Why don’t you have a drink, ma’am?” She looked up at the man with an exhausted, distraught expression across her face and tears welling up in her eyes. “I am dying of thirst,” she said, “But there is way too much water here in this lake to drink. No matter what I do, I can’t possibly finish it all.” The passer-by smiled, bent down, scooped some water up with his hands, lifted it to the woman’s mouth and said, “Ma’am, your opportunity right now, and as you move forward throughout the rest of your life, is to understand that you don’t have to drink the whole lake to quench your thirst. You can simply take one sip. Just one small sip… and then another if you choose. Focus only on the mouthful in front of you, and all your anxiety, fear and overwhelm about the rest will gradually fade.”
This story teaches us an important aspect of time management. One can feel overwhelmed when trying to grab each and every potential opportunity that comes in their way, just like the woman who could not drink the water that she had found. Focus is the main aspect that is needed when it comes to making the most of your given time and it’s only through this that we can achieve our goals.
The short story was adapted from https://www.marcandangel.com/2018/08/12/7-short-stories-that-will-change-your-attitude-and-spare-some-pain/
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