NOT ENOUGH!

I was all set to do an update on my 'progress' with my personal year 9, when I had this niggling thought to write about something else.

There is always so much information bombarding us that there is just not enough.... of anything!  Not enough food to feed the hungry, not enough room for asylum seekers, not enough money to assist those in need... the problem is, that these are all such abstract ideas for many of us.  We have enough food to feed ourselves and our families, most of us live in countries where we are afforded civil liberties and have no threat of oppression and we either earn enough to support ourselves, or have access to government funding. Instead, I believe that we have to think more laterally about this.  We have to bring it back closer to home, to start to gain an understanding of what it is like to not have 'enough'.  In the process, I know that I've had the revelation that what I foresee as 'not enough' is actually more than enough, and it comes back to that old adage: "It 'aint what you go, it's how you use it.".

Perhaps then once we realise that we do have enough with what we're fortunate enough to have, we can stop putting undue stress and strain on a global system that can then address issues that are a little more urgent (such as the needs of people who really don't have enough.. of anything!).

So probably the most pressing thing....

Time
How many of us bemoan the fact that we have NO TIME!??
I'll be the first to put my hand up, that I never have enough time.
We apply all sorts of banal excuses such as:

• "I had to work late!" (Well, it is your choice to stay back...)
• "I just got caught up with something else!" (You mean, you got stuck looking at your smartphone / tablet / TV...)
• "The day just ran away from me." (See above.)
• "I'm just too tired!" (You know as an adult, you DO usually have a choice about when you go to bed...)
• "I just plain forgot." (Incorporate all of the above!)

They're all excuses.
If something is important to you, you will inevitably make time for it.  Conversely, if it isn't then you'll conveniently 'run out of time'.  And while I believe that we should always ensure that we look after No.1 first and foremost, we also need to realise that we make the choice to include certain others (people and animals) in our lives.  When we make sure we have time to address some of their requests and needs (of course, being realistic here!), the pay off is that they're happy...  therefore they're more likely to do something for you... THEREFORE you're happier!  See?  Looking after No.1 in that 'what goes around, comes around' sorta way.  Being happier, should contribute to your better personal well being.  In turn, you're more likely to be a happier, healthier you.

The point being here is, we choose to have, or not have, enough time.  And although we may be feeling pressure from outside sources as to how we choose to spend that time, ultimately the decision is always ours.

Now to put my ramblings into practice!