After my sophomore year in college I truly began understanding that time is the most important thing I own.  I personally consider time as my most valuable possession.  However, its not simply enough to state how important something is, but show with your actions.  As the tale goes, actions speak louder than words.

Over the last week, my actions have not matched my words, and I haven’t walked the talk as well as I would have liked to.  This all comes down to being intentional with your time, and intentional with the actions you take during that time to reach your goals.  My thought process about time has evolved with reading John Maxwell’s book Intentional Living. We all lead different lives, and through the different chapters in mine these are the things that have been consistent in my success on how I spend my time.

Routine

I personally feel my most successful when I have a routine.  Consistency does more than just provide a schedule for you.  The aspect of consistency makes me accountable for what I’m doing, while also creating a sense of normalcy if things begin to go off the tracks.  When I have a routine set in place, or a schedule of what I’m doing for the day, I instantly become more intentional about the things I have to do and get done.  There is a purposeful drive behind what I want to accomplish.

Relationships

We are most like the 5 people we spend the most time with.  Knowing and understanding our own values helps with being able to identify people whom you should invest your time into.  I listen highly to my intuition to help me understand others’ intentions and to listen to their values.  My goals are more likely to be achieved when I’m surrounded by those whose values align with my own.  Now, I can quickly decide if someone whom I meet will create added value to my life.

Goals & Plans

Along with having a schedule, and being around those who support you.  What am I working toward? What am I trying to accomplish?  Once I have a goal, its important for me to map out what I need to do to accomplish those goals.  This feeds back into my routine and timeline that I’m giving myself to achieve them.  How often am I doing the things I need to do, to get to where I want to be.  Breaking down my goals helps me understand where I need to invest my time.

Attitude

A bad attitude never wins.  Simply put, everyone goes through life, and sometimes it really sucks.  Again, a great lesson my mother taught me to never feel sorry for myself.  Being resilient in our battles is important, and a part of reaching our success. When we go through difficult times, we possess the knowledge on how to handle similar situations in the future.  Maintaining a positive attitude about your situation, and your own abilities will help give focus and confidence to go forth in your goals.

With so many distractions surrounding Social Media, and all of the other distractions found on the internet it can make it seem like our days are sometimes wasting away.  Being intentional with our time, and our actions toward our goals in that time can help transform how we accomplish them.

Alex Pircer