How many times have you said, “I don’t have time” to your spouse, your child, your friend? Well, I would suggest that there’s no such thing as not having time. We all have the same amount of time—24 hours in a day, 168 hours in a week.
When we say “I don’t have time,” what we’re really saying is that, for whatever reason—good or bad, justified or unjustified—we are choosing not to make certain things a priority right now.
Let me illustrate. One Saturday morning, when my son, Marky was a little boy, he showed me his ball and glove and said, “Dad, let’s play baseball.” Of course, since I’m Mr. Family Guy I said, “Sure Son.” Right? Wrong. No, I said, “I don’t have time right now, I’m fixing the toilet. Just give me a few minutes.” Well the minutes turned into hours and when I was ready that afternoon to play ball, my son said, “No thanks dad.”
In my mind, I could have justified that I had to fix the toilet at that exact moment. But in my heart, I knew that I could have dropped the tools in my hand and thrown the ball with my son. The toilet repair could have waited.
Think about all the demands on your schedule and take a look at the things you spend the most time on. The truth is, we make time for the things we want to make time for. But that isn’t always necessarily what we should make time for. Starting today, make it a priority to set aside time for what’s ultimately important—your spouse, your mom, your dad, your child, your friend.
If you want ideas of ways to spend time with your kids and your spouse, check out our All Pro Dad Resources page and our iMOM Resources page.
