Why it's important to take the long view in managing time.

This probably sounds like something Steven Hawking should have written, since time was his business. Yet, in some ways, we are all experts on time. We cannot escape it. We live in it. We are managed by it. And thus somehow, we as human beings must find a way to use the time we have been given in a meaningful way.

One way to manage time is to see life as an ascent, a long climb to the top of a mountain. To make the climb, we must rethink time. The time horizon of the Life Climber is intentional, so as every day goes by, there is the focus on the end goal that defines the meaning and the purpose for today. As every brick in the foundation of a building contributes to the endurance of the structure, so every day in the Life of a Climber contributes to the end goal. My generation (Baby Boomers) lost a sense of any kind of patience and willingness to wait for much of anything. It happened because of an philosophy called Nihilism, which states that there really is nothing (Latin - nihil) beyond this life, so we must grab everything we can now. The generations following us are becoming even less patient. That causes us problems, since many things we’re trying to achieve cannot easily be built in a short time frame. Businesses talk about time compression, time to market, and the need to win with speed. While no one could argue that managing time is essential to winning at the market, that kind of thinking often prevents us from assessing where our lives will be 10 years from now. And 20? And 30? And 40? And even 50 G-d-willing. Why is it hard for people to take the long view? Patience is obviously one part of the problem, but so is the obvious challenge of having to persist for a long, long time before certain things become reality. Persistence takes effort and time.

A few examples

I can think of a few Biblical characters who had to manage serious time perspectives! Moses sat on the back side of the desert for 40 years before he could start his work … (in today's terms that means he wouldn't finish his time in the desert until the year 2058 if he started right now!) But he did and he persisted to achieve amazing things. Joseph was stuck in misery in Egypt for a long time. The Apostle Paul stayed with some people for 3 years just to ensure they were ready to move forward on their own.

Great things, great accomplishments and great changes require time … and pain … and persistence and guts … there is no way around it. The Crazy Horse Memorial project in South Dakota is underway and it will take another 50 years to complete … but it will be magnificent.

Without a long view, we miss seeing smaller things as part of the overall picture.

Without a long view, we lose our staying power, since we lose sight of the goal we are trying to accomplish. Without the long view, we fail to accomplish bigger, harder things. Why is the long view a benefit to the Life Climber? It gives us a wonderful perspective, and relieves certain types of stress. When my children were very young, I kept thinking of the day they would be young adults, then becoming a man and two grown women. And so they are … grown up. But if I had forced them to be what they could not have been when they were very young, they would not have grown in an emotionally and spiritually healthy way. It’s hard to be patient, but that’s the way of the climb. Some things simply take a long time.

In the beginning …

The Aztecs had a profound phrase: On the day I was born, I began my dying. They knew the hard truth of human existence; people eventually die. We all come into this world the same. Some of us are blessed to start at the starting line. Others were miles behind the starting line, and thus the road to the ascent is longer, and often much harder. But those who make it to the ascent through countless hardships find the view exhilarating, for they were never expected to make it there in the first place. Knowing that there is a destination makes the difference. It is fuel for the journey of our goals. A good reminder

Taking the long view is especially important for those who feel slighted or cheated by circumstances in life, for example those who were behind the starting line when the race for life began. Rethinking suffering and accomplishment through effortful focused energy drives one forward toward a purpose. In this way a person one can rise from the most dismal circumstances because every step along the way is a step up the mountain. We've all heard wonderful stories of those who persisted over the long haul to achieve incredible things.

Although the analogy is a bit strained, struggle is a bit like coffee: it can be something robust and strong and stimulating for life. If it is experienced incorrectly it becomes bitter. Yet purposeful suffering often builds people of strong resilience to persist on the journey to accomplish incredible things. It may be that in the eyes of G-d overcoming suffering is a greater accomplishment than gaining many material possessions. Time will tell!

Every step brings us to high place, at the top of a mountain. Keep climbing, because the higher the climb, the better the view.

As always, I welcome your thoughtful insights.

Dr. Jim Bohn

#purpose #encouragement #hope #future #struggle