Own Your Time
For the longest time I absolutely hated my commute to and from work. I’ve averaged 45 minutes each way for the last 6 years (with some days I was on the road for hours). They were often long, boring, and let’s be honest...I just wanted to get home to my stretchy pants.
But then there came a day where I realized what a blessing it was to have all that time. Me. Alone. In my car. No interruptions. That is an incredibly rare opportunity that I wasn’t taking advantage of. I was finding myself annoyed with all music and less than amused with the latest “Second Date Update” bit on local stations. So there was my opportunity to pivot. Just when I was letting my frustration with my commute bleed out into my joy of my work, my family, and just my overall happiness, I realized I had an opportunity to pivot. It was my One Little Spark to change.
All of this was happening during a period of time when I was trying to figure out what I really wanted to bring to this thing called life. We often find ourselves feeling lost when we have a glaring frustration, and so often we turn a blind eye to avoid the pain point instead of leaning into it. But this time I was digging into some research on Mindset and decided to lean into this new “thing” I was learning. Could changing my outlook on something as mundane as my commute really better my life?
Spoiler alert: YES! My goodness did things change. I finally downloaded podcasts and audio books and realized that I didn’t have to feel guilty for falling asleep in bed as I’d attempt to read a book. I found some that were family friendly so even the kiddos could get in on the fun. Our road trips even took a turn when we’d all listen to a book together or a podcast about our favorite vacation destination and share in our excitement.
Over the years podcast have been become my trusty travel sidekick. Yes, I’m that weirdo laughing to herself and sometimes even commenting back to my perceived best buds in the stereo. Don’t judge. The reality is that I was suddenly looking forward to my travels because I had unlocked this new door. I was gaining so much incredible information during a time that I had previously been really just wasting.
Some people have found audiobooks to be more their thing. Some people prefer podcast. Others just prefer the silence and their own thoughts to work through their future vision. The key is to find a way to unlock anticipation toward a time that you typically dread.
Whatever time you find yourself dreading, find a way to shift it to something powerful. You own your time. Take control of it.
