“I don’t have time...”
This is one common excuse we use not to do the things that matter. Many times we opt to stay busy doing the small and easy tasks and leave the hard tasks that matter for later. This is one of the reasons we are stuck and it is difficult to achieve our dreams. Hence our dreams come with obstacles that need to be overcome.
There is time for everything we care about and that is important to us. For example, for me these things are important: reading, eating healthily, exercising, Custom Body Fitness staff, meditating, CBF members, my dogs, my family and writing. If we are talking about learning, progressing, caring, changing this world to a positive one, becoming a better person and improving my life, I do have time.
If you have been following me for a while now, you probably know that I come from a very dysfunctional family and one of the poorest areas in Mexico City. I came as an illegal alien when I arrived to the U.S. For 10 years of my life after I came to the U.S. I was lost; I owned nothing and owed a lot of money.
My life did a turnaround when I turned 28, and now I have achieved many of my goals, such as owning real estate, running two Custom Body Fitness gyms with great staff, having money saved and invested, writing and publishing a book (my second book is coming up soon), creating a nonprofit, influencing the community for a healthier life, and traveling to Machu Picchu, some places in the U.S. and Mexico every year for vacation. I am living a life I never thought I could have. And I have achieved these goals only because I opened time for it.
I am not saying that to talk about me really. Many people have achieved more than me. I am telling you part of my story to prove to you how “I don’t have time” is only an excuse.
The reality is that I have many vendors walking to my offices, many phone calls and emails from solicitors who promise that they will help grow Custom Body Fitness and people who claim to add value to my life. Also, I have many invitations about going partying and having fun because I work too much, according to them. I have been invited to dance classes and events. In fact, I have put my goal of learning how to swim on the side (which I need to start as soon as possible). My answers have been “I don’t have time.”
I just moved to a new condo, and I noticed that the condo needs a lot of improvement. While I am continuing doing my daily duties at CBF and personal life, I have opened time to improve the condo. Why didn’t I use the excuse “I don’t have time”?
Here is the truth that I think you know...
We do have time for the things we want to have time for.
Many people have time to surf the web, watch meaningless TV programs, party, talk on the phone for hours about nothing productive, drink and so on. But they don’t have time to exercise, cook, read or listen to their loved ones. I am not saying that is wrong or right. My point here is that we open time to whatever is important to us.
On the other hand, there are people who are busy doing worthwhile things but they avoid the tasks that really matter, which are difficult and tedious. For example, a guy can be cleaning his car or a woman doing her hair paying attention to the finest detail and spend far more time than is necessary. While it is important to have a clean car and beautiful hair, they ignore their exercise, the prospector call, the cooking, the improvement their business needs or the book they need to read to improve their skills.
We are always going to have time to do the things that matter to us...
Coming up with the excuse “I don’t have time” is just that, an excuse. We know that it is only an excuse.
One of the things that I do to see if my excuse is valid is to find out why and when I am coming up with my excuse and compare it to my values and priorities.
For instance, if someone calls me and is trying to sell me the most revolutionary marketing tool ever invented and promises me that without effort I am going to become rich, “I don’t have time.” If someone walks into my door and is trying to seduce me with a big percentage profit by selling his/her supplements, “I don’t have time.” If someone tells me, “You’d better watch Dancing with the Stars,” “I don’t have time for it.” The reason is because I know there is no easy way to become successful, and I don’t have time for lies and empty promises. I don’t sell products and supplements that don’t contribute to health. I don’t see how watching meaningless programs will help me progress. My priorities and values do not match with any of these events, and this is why “I don’t have time for it.”
However, I have not made swimming and archery a priority. When I say, “I don’t have time for it,” I know I am only making excuses. Therefore, my conscience tells me that I need to get on it and stop making excuses.
The question now arises:
when is your “I don’t have time” real and when does it become an excuse that keeps you from reaching your goal and improving your life?
Be honest with yourself and think about the goals that you have put on the side for many years and have not had the pleasure to enjoy only because “you don’t have time.”
Custom Body Fitness is located in Glenwood Springs CO and Carbondale CO