Tiny Wisdom: On Wasted Time

“Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely.” ~Rodin

John Lennon said time you enjoyed wasting was not wasted. The same can be said for time you didn’t enjoy if you decide to find value in the experience of the moment.

It’s easy to do this retroactively—to look back and ascertain that a frustrating moment taught you patience, or a disappointing moment taught you humility. It’s a lot more difficult to ground yourself within a less than ideal moment and decide then to use it wisely; not to remember it wisely later, but actually do something with it right then.

One thing I like to do when I’m immersed within an experience that feels like a waste of time is ask myself: How can I make this valuable?

It might mean practicing mindfulness when I’m somewhere I’d rather not be, breathing deeply when I feel impatient, or learning something from a mistake that I can use to improve in the future.

If our thoughts shape our world, then we can decide every moment is valuable and then make it so.

Today if you come up against time that feels wasteful, ask yourself: How can I use this moment wisely?

Photo by EPi.Longo