As you all know, time is one of the most valuable things we have.  It's always a delicate balance of priorities.  Everyone has time, its just a matter of what you do with it.  If you are prepping for a mountainous hunt you'd best make time to get into shape.  We should all make time to maintain some level of fitness even with nothing substantial on the horizon.  We owe it to ourselves.In the past I would catch myself making the statement, "I just don't have time". 

Truthfully, time is all we have and you never know how much is in the tank.  As I thought about it more and more, it's not that I didn't have time, it's that I didn't have time to do everything I wanted.  With tasks around the house or at work, there is always a priority level to follow.  The same goes for your time.  Really, when we say we don't have time, we're saying there is something more important I did or will do that takes precedence over said activity. 

Think about that for a minute. When I put it that way to myself, it gave me a much different perspective on things.  The beauty of it is that you own that priority list to spend your time on.  It may not seem like you choose what you do with everything we have going on, but you do.  If it's because your kids keep you super busy...I'll assume you took the necessary action to bring them into this world.  That choice was yours. 

Do you encourage them to remain active in school/athletic/church activities to help them learn and develop so they can become contributors to society?  That's your choice as well.  Do you spend too much time at work or on the road to and from?  You chose that profession, continue to show up each day, or don't want to move closer.  There are always circumstances, I totally get that, but somewhere along the way, it was a choice you made or continue to make each day.

I'm not insinuating anyone's choices are wrong, only you can decide that.  It's not my place to judge.  I'm reminding you, that you, find some value in what you, chose to do with your, time that is greater than other things you, could be doing. Mind blown right?  Not really.  I'm just laying it out there for you to think about. 

Some examples that come to mind are the excuse that you're too busy to go to church on Sunday morning.  Are you?  You made sure the kids got to practice or games five nights this week and all day Saturday.  You just put a higher value on those activities and moved church down the list. 

How about being too busy to cook and eat healthily?  Not buying that one either.  You are simply choosing convenience and processed food in order to open up time for another activity you value more than getting the proper nutrition.  How about those of us who do not get enough sleep each night because there aren't enough hours in the day?  Or...it could be you really didn't need to spend that hour watching TV? Look, I have and continue to be guilty of some of the things I previously mention and many others.  The fact is the choice is ours. 

Take a good look at what's truly important to you.  I advise making sure it adds value to your life and moves you towards achieving whatever goals you have set for yourself. Me?  Right now I'm doing my best to focus on faith and family while maintaining a professional career, freelance writing, and living a healthy outdoor lifestyle.  Where does that leave me?  Very busy.  However, I am consciously making decisions on what to spend my time on in hopes that in the end, I come out on top. Only I can define where my apex is!