“There’s Not Enough Time,” Is It True?

3-steps to turn this thought around

It’s a Tuesday. I’m off work (I’m a registered nurse by day and writer by — my other days). I jump off the couch from a brainstorming sesh to head to my yoga studio. I’m happy to go stretch and move, but a wave of anxiety comes over me. I feel excited but anxious.

I’ve got a lot on my plate right now. Plans that I’ve been grounding for the last month and a half. Now I have another month to finish everything to get my plans off on the right foot (to hit a self-imposed deadline).

In an instant, I think to myself, “There’s not enough time.”

What?

Did I really…

No.

Bullshit.

Of course there’s enough time.

One step at a time.

In less than one minute, I’ve brought awareness to a thought that didn’t serve me, flipped my attitude, and focused on what mattered most.

At this point, its easy for me to do. Much easier than it used to be. But it took practice. Lots of practice. “Practice of what?” You might ask. Three simple steps. Yup — three steps. Because life is always simpler when in step form.

I’m gonna share those three steps with you because I think you’ll benefit immensely.

“There’s not enough time,” is a pervasive and insidious thought. It’s time to drop it. Here’s how to do it…

1. Become aware.

Awareness develops over time. “Over time” being the key words. It stumps people because we often want instant results. It’s the nature of living today. Technology, the Internet, and all, makes us crave instant access.

But I have learned that quality results require — time. More than time, results require faith. Faith that the Universe will bring about exactly what you desire. In this case, awareness.

Set the intention that you’d like to develop awareness, particularly of your personal habits, like limiting thoughts and beliefs. Then each time you notice yourself noticing (so meta, I know), applaud or pat yourself on the back, figuratively or literally. Your awareness will develop — over time — and with repetition.

2. Affirm

As you become aware of the thought, you’ll notice the feeling that follows. For me, that’s anxiety. Maybe it’s different for you. At this point, you’ll want to whip out your trusty affirmation.

To affirm something is to state something as a fact.

Here are several affirmations I repeat to myself, the first several being specific to this situation and the others applicable for other scenarios, too.

• “There is plenty of time for everything.”
• “I’m able to complete everything on time.”
• “What matters most will be completed.”
• “What matters most is right in front of me.”
• “One step at a time.”
• “Whatever happens is in my Highest and Best Interest.”
• “I have faith in the Universe.”
• “Everything is working out perfectly.”

Repeat the affirmation multiple times. It might feel weird. Like a miss-alignment. You might not believe what you’re saying.

And it may take time to get out of your negative feeling. Don’t let that stop you.

Learn this — it’s always harder in the beginning. These affirmations are different than your normal thoughts. Resistance naturally rears its head when you do something different. Different often being better. That’s why it’s even more important to keep practicing.

Just because they don’t feel true — now — doesn’t mean they won’t feel true soon. Dedicate yourself to the essence of these words. It’s a message of positivity, faith in a higher power, and hope for the future. It’s an energy that becomes a way of life.

And — if it’s any encouragement — I felt like a fraud when I first started. Affirmations just didn’t feel true.

I once gave up using affirmations because I felt like I was trying to manipulate the universe. Now I have a healthier relationship with them. I use them only when I need them, as tools to ease my mind back into a clearer, inspired state.

Affirmations are best when used as tools to guide and direct your energy and emotions rather than as magic spells.

You’ll find many blog posts about manifesting whatever you desire by using affirmations. This is not healthy, which is a whole other post in and of itself.

But back to cutting the habit of thinking there’s not enough time…

Breaking the spell of anxiety is more challenging the longer you dwell in it. It’s paramount to become aware as soon as possible. Then affirm what you’d like to be true.

These two steps are crucial to turning your day around. But to actually make any progress on your goals you’ll need the final step…

3. Pick One, Any One

Now that you’ve affirmed what you would like to be true, focus your energy on — one — task. No matter the task. Just pick one.

It’s easy (in a habitual kind of way) to turn to the closest person to you and purge your feelings brought on by this thought. Sometimes, if we’re unhappy with the work we’re doing, we’ll complain. Even if we’re happy but anxious, we’ll still offload, too.

If you’re alone, the tendency is to get lost in useless activity. All of it as a means to diffuse the feelings brought on by the thought, “There’s not enough time.”

Instead of offloading on another person or into useless activities, channel your energy into one meaningful activity.

Yea, the thought — “There isn’t enough time” — isn’t the most expansive and positive thought, but see all the energy (in the form of feelings) it created inside you? If you’re smart, which I know you are, you can channel that energy into your work to superpower your productivity.

So, like I said, pick — one — thing on your to-do list and get to work! You’ve been gifted the energy to get all this “crazy” amount of work done. Amazing, isn’t it?

Let’s recap:

1. Awareness. It takes time. So start now.

2. Affirm. Affirm. Affirm.

3. Pick one, Focus and channel.

God, or the universe, has no other plan for you than the one right in front of you. Do that. And watch the magic happen.