“I don’t have time”.
I hear this a lot. From my coaching clients, from prospective clients, and even from the saboteurs in my own mind… It is one of the most popular roadblocks that pops up when we are in the pursuit of balance, ease, personal growth, and transformation.
I don't have time.
While it may seem convincing at first glance, I think it is often a story forged out of fear.
When we lean into our sense of urgency, and we overvalue producing (what we are doing vs. how we are being), we use time as an excuse to absolve us of our responsibility to set boundaries, prioritize, slow down, and live more intentionally. It acts as a saboteur, an inner critic that keeps us stuck…in a perpetual state of inertia.
Maybe if we pause and unravel this illusion and acknowledge the underlying fears we might discover a different truth.
I don’t have time. Sure, it could be true. Or, it could also mean:
- I won’t prioritize my wellbeing and personal growth
- I am too wrapped up in my sense of urgency and won’t slow down
- I am afraid to step out of my comfort zone because it is safe and familiar here
- I am afraid to fail, so I’ll just keep running outta time for myself
- I will be wasting time if I am doing something for me (not caretaking everyone else)
- I don’t deserve to have what I yearn for
When you want to create transformational change (find a new job, take a workshop, write a book, take a risk) and you hear that voice in your head saying “I don’t have time”, try this.
- Ask yourself, is this story I am telling myself about time even true?
- How am I limiting myself (my potential, my joy) by not prioritizing myself (or balance, or ease, or transformation)?
- Shift Your Focus: Instead of fixating on time constraints, redirect your attention to your priorities. Evaluate the activities that eat up your time and filter out things that add little value to your growth journey. Spend your time where it matters most.
- Be Courageous. Engage is some self reflection (in a loving way) to acknowledge your fears without judgment and embrace the vulnerability.
- Rewrite your story. You have all the time you need.
xo
bk