Charlie's Blog

Now, this is not to make you sad or worry. On the contrary, it is meant to lift you up. 

There are really no guarantees that you will live to 100. The statistics are not in your favour for this. You may want to see the life expectancy numbers for your town, city or nation. These statistics matter. So, pay attention to them.  

Some people live to 100 others are not so lucky. Where I live, one can expect to live to 80.7 years old. 

น้ำขึ้นให้รีบตัก – nam keun hai reep dtak 

Thai proverb which means: When the water rises, hurry to get some 

Now that I’ve got your attention, what is the write-up about? 

It is about using whatever time you have, whatever time you have left, well. 

We do not really like talking about our own mortality – yet it’s a fact of life. The rich, the middle-class and the poor experience this. This is an area where we are well and truly equal. We are not here forever. 

Some of you reading this have experienced the earth-shattering caused by the death of a loved one. It feels so sudden, so permanent, so final. I too have been affected by the death of close family members. Nothing really prepares one for this. The grim reaper does his thing, and we are left to pick up the pieces. 

We have fond memories of those we love and wish we could do this or that, if we could go back in time, if we had more time with them, if we had some warning.  

If, if and only if. 

You may have read about the regrets people share at life’s end. One can learn a thing or two about life, listening to these regrets or wisdom provided by people in their 60s, 70s or 80s. 

How we pass our time is important and an interesting subject to study. 

So, here’s the big question: how do YOU spend your time?  

Do you want to succeed with your life? Do you want to be in good health? Be wealthy and contribute to the growth of your community? Do you want to have loving relationships with your spouse, your family, your friends etc. Do you want to have time on your hands for the people or things that matter to you? 

Then continue paying attention to this write-up. 

You may have heard or read, “time is our most precious resource”, “carpe diem”, and so on.  

These sayings are relevant in these times – we rush from meeting to appointment, from work to the commute, from this to that. 

Knowing these sayings and acting on the wisdom they carry is an incredibly beneficial use of time. 

Here are few thoughts to consider: 

Your time is precious. You cannot tell what is around the corner. Someday, your time will be up! Take some time to think about this. 

“The emperor is rich, but he cannot buy one extra year.” 

– Chinese proverb

Decide what is important to you! This is tied to the question: Why am I here? (More on this in a later blog). Spend more of your time on the people and things that align with your values. 

Listen or watch interviews about what people regret when they are old or on their deathbeds. Learn from these.  

You cannot fit everything into 24 hours. It won’t work. You must make some trade-offs. Some things can wait whilst others must be done immediately. Understand this balance. 

น้ำขึ้นให้รีบตัก – nam keun hai reep dtak 

Thai proverb which means: When the water rises, hurry to get some 

Plan long-term, plan mid-term and plan short-term. 

Plan for things to not go to your plan. 

Plan to have no regrets when your time is up. 

Have a bird’s eye view, have a frog’s eye view, have a worm’s eye view. 

The future you dream of, is in what you do with your time now. 

So, get on with it. What are you waiting for?

Don’t waste your time.