James Carter
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been an obsessive clock-watcher. From the moment I would wake up, I’d be counting down the hours until lunchtime, then the minutes until clocking off work, then the seconds until bedtime.
It felt like I was always waiting for something — a weekend, a vacation, an event. And in the middle of all that waiting, I was losing sight of the actual living part.
This habit of mine became even more pronounced when I started my career as an entrepreneur. Suddenly, instead of waiting for the weekend, I was waiting for my business to take off, for my first big client, for that life-changing deal. The more I waited, the more it felt like life was passing me by.
Then one day, while scrolling through social media, a quote by Muhammad Ali caught my eye. It said: “Don’t count the days. Make the days count.” Those words hit me like a thunderbolt. Was this what I had been doing all along—counting days and not making them count?
I started to rethink my approach to time. Instead of viewing it as a finite resource that’s forever slipping away, could I see it as a series of opportunities to be seized? Could I stop waiting for life to ‘start’ and instead make every single day count?
The shift wasn’t easy. After all, it’s hard to break lifelong habits. But with patience and persistence, I gradually started to change my perspective on time. The process was transformative—and it’s something I’m still learning and evolving with every day.
So here’s how this journey unfolded—how I stopped counting days and started making them count.
My journey to making days count
It all started with a realization. I was living my life on autopilot, eyes glued to the clock, constantly waiting for something to happen. That’s when I decided to make a conscious effort to change my perspective.
I began by starting small. Instead of viewing an entire day as a waiting period, I broke it down into hours, minutes, and even seconds. I asked myself: “What can I do in the next hour or minute that will make this time meaningful?”
The answer wasn’t always grandiose. Sometimes, it was as simple as taking a moment to breathe deeply and appreciate the calm. Other times, it involved actively pursuing a goal or working on a personal project.
I also started journaling, documenting the moments when I felt like I made my time count. Looking back at those entries now, it’s clear how much these small shifts added up over time.
But the most transformative change was adopting a mindfulness practice. Being fully present in each moment helped me to stop fixating on the future and start appreciating the here and now.
The waiting game and why it’s a fallacy
The common belief I’d like to address is this: that life begins at a certain point. That it starts when you graduate, land a dream job, get married, or achieve some other milestone.
It’s a notion that’s deeply ingrained in our culture and one that I, too, subscribed to for a significant chunk of my life.
But here’s the kicker: life doesn’t begin at any particular point. It’s happening right now, in every moment that we’re alive. Waiting for life to start is essentially putting your existence on hold, while the world continues to spin around you.
This realization was a wake-up call for me. I understood that counting down to specific events or milestones was robbing me of the joy and potential of the present moment.
By doing so, I was missing out on countless opportunities to learn, grow, and simply live.
Taking control of my time
The pivotal change I made was to start viewing time as a series of opportunities, rather than a countdown to something better. I began to consciously fill my days with activities that brought me joy and fulfillment, rather than just tasks I needed to complete.
This didn’t mean overloading my schedule or becoming a ‘busy bee’. Instead, it was about being selective with what I chose to invest my time in. Whether that was spending quality time with loved ones, working on a passion project, or even just allowing myself some quiet me-time.
I also made it a point to be fully present in whatever I was doing. No more multitasking or distractedly scrolling through my phone. By giving my full attention to one task at a time, I found that not only was I more productive, but I also derived more satisfaction from my activities.
You see, when we stop waiting for life to start and start living in the present moment, we begin to see the beauty and potential in each day. Each minute becomes an opportunity, each hour a chance for growth.
Try it for yourself. Shift your perspective on time and see how it changes your life. It certainly changed mine.
Shifting perspective, embracing empowerment
In this journey of making my days count instead of counting them down, I’ve come to realize some crucial truths. Truths that apply not only to my relationship with time but to life in general.
Firstly, taking responsibility for our circumstances is power. Not in the sense of blaming ourselves, but in the way we choose to respond. I couldn’t control time, but I could control how I used it.
Secondly, societal norms and expectations can often cloud our judgment. We’re conditioned to believe that life begins at certain milestones. But when we learn to think for ourselves, we realize that life is happening right now, and we have the power to make it meaningful.
Finally, acknowledging dissatisfaction is crucial. It was only when I accepted my discontent with always waiting for life to ‘start’ that I could begin to make changes.
In essence, my journey has taught me to:
- Take responsibility for the way I interact with time.
- Question societal norms about when ‘life begins’.
- Acknowledge dissatisfaction as a catalyst for change.
- Empower myself by breaking free from societal expectations.
Remember, it’s not about waiting for life to start—it’s about making every day count.
