When I ask a group of adults to tell me what they think about time, a common response is “There is not enough.” They feel “time-poor”, rather than rich in the time that they are given to enjoy each day. The reality is that we don’t always use our time to serve ourselves in the best way that we can.

This article will help you to resolve the direction in which you are headed so that the year ahead can be put to great use.  I can assure you that the five minutes you spend reading this article will be an investment worth making.

The average lifetime lasts only 28,000 days, or 448,000 waking hours. This time seems to pass very quickly, especially for those of us — including myself! — who have more years behind us than ahead.

How many of your 448,000 hours are you prepared to waste? The waste I am asking you to evaluate could be made up of many things, but here are a few personal examples:

· Are you unconsciously giving up years, months, or days of your time? Or are you consciously living, knowing who you are and why you’re here?

· Are you wasting time in denial, covering up the truth, and believing that things will just magically get better or change without your effort?

· Are you spending time frivolously as though you have all the time in the world? Or are you aware of how you desire to be spending your hours and days?

· Are you spending time in ways that don’t support you? Examples of this include worrying about things rather than taking action and making change, holding grudges or being angry instead of loving, and being stuck in a cycle of reactive thinking, blaming other people or circumstances for your current state of happiness or finances.

In these examples, we are disrespecting time, and in doing so we disrespect ourselves, leading to feelings of frustration. Through these feelings, we can recognize a disparity between the time we are spending and the goals that are important to us.

What are you waiting for? The time is now! It’s always a good time to make the most of your time, but as the calendar year rolls over to give the gift of a brand new one, take some time to reflect upon what you really want and how to go about achieving it. Once you decide that you don’t have time to waste, you will be more focused and less hassled.

Here is a practical activity you can do to guide yourself through the changes you want to make. Write out a list of past expectations you have had for certain aspects of your life, such as your health, family life, career, and finances.  Once you’ve finished, write a second list containing your new expectations for 2012, and read these to yourself every day.