Time has wings

I often wonder, what is one thing which, if controlled well, would help us resolve many of our issues in our life and the answer to that is “Time”! Time is one resource, which is equally distributed to all the living beings on the planet – some know how to make the most of it, and some crib about never having enough of it. But the most unique characteristic of time, is the fact that, it Flies!

Roshan was upset. Just few months back, his Boss was promoted as the country head of this retail chain and Roshan had replaced him as the Business Manager of Central Zone. But he certainly wasn’t very happy with the way things were turning out. He duly completed his day today activities and things were working out well, but he could not understand why everyone had to rush at the final hour to make things happen. When he wanted to advertise for the latest offers for Navratri next week, they got a Page 12  LHS Position. When he wanted Buying Team to buy “Dandiyas” for forthcoming Navratris, they couldn’t manage and his team had to fix an SIS in emergency. When he organized an Employee Engagement activity, the MCs of the event kept forgetting their lines. These things kept frustrating him. Everything would happen, but everything was a compromise. He wondered how to master these things and that’s when he turned to his Boss, Arun, for help. The first thing Arun asked him after listening to his problems was – “What are the plans for Christmas?” and Roshan exclaimed – “Christmas??? That’s way too far!”. Arun, smiled and said – “Time has Wings!”. He continued – “I understand that day today activities are important, and I appreciate the fact that you’ve been carrying them out well, but unless you have an eye on the future, you will never be able to command the present!”.

Time Flies, and believe me, it really does. Every time, you think that there’s enough time for a certain event, think again. Every activity in an event has a certain lead time, and if we do not plan in advance, it is certain that we will lose control on the same. Even if there actually is some time for the event to arrive, if we start planning for it NOW, most probably, the outcome will be as per our expectations. Whilst I agree on the importance of carrying out day to day activities as per requirements you do need to have an eye on the future and act upon it right now! So, to win you need to ensure that the balance of current and future is well maintained in our work and priorities.

Let me give you another example of how time flies.

Geet and Siddharth were room mates in a college hostel. They both worked really hard for the forthcoming midyear exams and were expecting good grades to show their parents in the festive break. When results were declared, Geet broke down. How could he get a “B” grade? He had worked so hard and his exams were fairly decent. He asked Siddharth about his results and Siddharth quietly replied “I got a B too”. Geet immediately concluded that the relative grading system is fake  and no amount of hard work can result in good grades. Now he cant wait for another six  months to prove his parents that he really worked hard. He gave up and then onwards, he only explained his parents that relative grading system was unfair and it was only meant for students who can butter teachers well. Siddharth was upset too. He met his parents and promised them that he would work harder for Annual exams. Within no time, annual exams came. Siddharth got an A, and Geet a B-.

Somebody wise has said “Days are long, but the years are short”. Short term results should not determine our priorities in life, because guess what? Time flies my friend. From one event to another, from one year to another and from one appraisal cycle to another, time does fly! If you have put in your best, the outcomes will be best. Priorities and direction should take precedence.

With these two stories, I have tried to explain how this unique feature of time, has to be captured and exploited by us. Kabir has said – “Kaal kare so aaj kar, aaj kare so ab, pal mein parlay hoyegi, bahuri karega kab?” (Tomorrow's work do today, today's work now, if the moment is lost, the work be done how) .  Therefore, we must leave procrastination behind us, and start acting on things “NOW” to have a better control on our future, which is almost here!

Do you have your future in your hands? Or do you let time fly with its powerful wings? Do write in.

PS: You can also reach me out at @agrawalsanjeev on twitter.