Here is an inspiring guest post by Chadrick Black, author of The Greatest Harvest. You can follow him on Facebook. You can guest post as well! Read how to here.
At the start of each day, place your hand on your chest, close your eyes and feel the rhythm of your heart. It’s just a few inches away from your fingertips. It’s real. You can’t hide from it. Feel it moving in tempo? Thump … thump … thump. Reflect for a few minutes. How many more heartbeats do I have? How many have I already used? What have I used them for? How many have I wasted? Keep feeling this small electric pulse in the end of your fingertips. It’s one of the few things in your life that’s 100% real. Without it, nothing else really matters. It takes priority over everything else. It takes precedence over work, business deals, the news and traffic jams. It is more important than money or gold.
I once presented the above exercise to remind the audience to readjust their idea of “time management” and focus on “heartbeat management.” Why? So many believe in the “I’ll do it when ___________” plan, assuming that time’s infinite presence also applies to them. But it doesn’t. Time existed before we were born and will continue long after we’re gone.
Keep in mind, the average heart rate is about 70 beats per minute. That’s 4,200 beats an hour, 100,800 beats a day, 36,792,000 a year. If a person dies at the age of 80, their heart will beat about 2,943,360,000 times.
The lesson? Time is infinite, heartbeats are not. Our lives are measured by how many times our heart beats, not the ticking of a clock. Therefore, direct your life around your heartbeats. Dance to the rhythm of them. Celebrate them.
Each morning, ask yourself: Out of the roughly 100,800 heartbeats that will expire today, how many will I give to my children? How many will I give to my spouse? How much will I give to a job that doesn’t align with my purpose? How much will I give to television? How much will I give to worry? How many will I let slip through my fingers with idle time? How many heartbeats will I give to myself?
“Calendars are for careful people, not passionate ones …”
Chuck Sigars
Question: Does this different view of time management change your thoughts about today? If so, how?
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Chuck, I really enjoyed this post…an interesting way to make time management have a new meaning, a new focus, a new measuring stick. A heartbeat to me means life; so in reality what are you using life to do? achieve? believe? focus on? Thanks for sharing with us all!
Scripture talks about us numbering our days, and I think this is a great application of that. It may sound morbid, but focusing on our death actually helps us to value and appreciate life.
I agree. If you look at the days you have left, instead of the days you’ve lived, it might change your perspective.
I was thinking, like Loren, of the scripture which tells me to to number my days that I may gain a heart of wisdom. I did need this today – so thank you so much, Chadrick. I needed a reminder …….wisdom, true wisdom – understands this principle.
Amen. Now I have to figure out how wise I am. ☺
Last week my pastor taught this principle. His interpretation of “Teach me to number my days” was “Take my brief moment in history and make it count for You”.
Hmm, wonder why this message is being repeated to me? That is ever so slightly disturbing. . .
HAHAHA….don’t start that now!! 😀
That’s an interesting perspective towards time management. It certainly brings a new perspective for prioritizing our time. It makes you ask the question of who or what do you want to give your life to? I’ll have to chew on this one for a bit.
Wow, it sure does change my perspective! Putting a limit down is kind of hard to understand. Like Eric, I’ll have to ponder for awhile to grasp this information!
I think there comes a time in everyone’s life when they realize that tomorrow’s going to be here no matter what. And it will be full of it’s own blessings and curses. What if I just calmed down a bit and put my time into what I think is most important? What would that look like? Would I spend my day worried about the little things? Or would I spend more time playing with my kids? Just a thought.
It does big time, tells me i need to live today with a sense of urgency and purpose, but not too fast that i don’t stop and smell the roses (i think that’s the phrase). I should be able to plan for every heartbeat and at the end of the day, if i have wasted some … shame on me:)). Love those numbers…
Love this post!!
Thanks for sharing 🙂
It gives me the perspective that our days are numbered in this world. It is upto us to make an impact within that time-limit.