‘An unexamined life is not worth living.’
-Socrates
Do you remember the last time you did something consistently, every single day?
No, I am not talking about the usual tasks like waking up, eating and sleeping.
I am talking about doing something that is a mindful choice that when repeated every day steers you towards betterment.
Something that’s physically, intellectually or emotionally challenging. Something that makes you act, and repeat, with a clear goal in mind, every single day?
There’s a good chance that you don’t remember doing something with such disciple and commitment.
Most of us do not have such a focussed outlook.
And as a result, we fail to examine where we stand and sense if we are improving over time.
Time passes all too quickly, without us having derived all that we could from it.
But there is a way to slow down time, and dwell in each day, and squeeze out most of what we can do with it.
I’d like to share a personal experience at this point.
Ever since I started The Power Of Everyday project this month, I’ve seen a marked difference in my experience of the passage of time.
I have promised myself to write a blog post every single day.
A simple, easy to follow rule.
Once I started to do this everyday, the days have slowed down. It feels as if I’ve been writing every single day forever, while it has just been 11 days this month.
Even in a span of less than a fortnight I could sense an ocean of time.
While in the past, there have been times when I’ve not written and published for months yet, I would feel as if it hadn’t been long since I last wrote.
Time passed all too quickly without me having gotten much out of it.
I would definitely prefer an experience where I derive most out of my time. Wouldn’t you?
A mindful and deliberate act of disciplined creation helps one derive the most out of the continuum of time.
And hence helps one lead an examined life.
If you desire to experience this slowing down of time, to feel a sense of direction and discipline, promise yourself to do a simple task, every single day for a week.
It could be the simplest of the tasks.
But the rules have to be simple and well defined.
10 push-ups everyday for a week?
Reading one page everyday?
Or Writing a page in your journal ?
Take your pick as you like.
But try this one out.
A wise man once told me,
‘Time doesn’t move. We move through it. Time just stands still. Eternally.’
Maybe, by trying to do something every single day, mindfully and deliberately,
we can impede our flow through time,
And grow in ways that we absolutely must.
One thing. Every day. One week.
It’s worth a shot.
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