I was nestled in my usual spot at the corner café with my caramel latte, when someone I recognized walked in.
“Bob!” she huffed, plopping into the seat across from me.
“Hey Maya,” I said, raising an eyebrow. “You okay?”
She gave a half-laugh, half-sigh. “Honestly, I feel like I’m sprinting through life, doing everything—and nothing at the same time. My to-do list is endless but I’m not even sure any of it matters.”
“Sounds like the classic time thief has been sneaking around again.”
She blinked. “The what?”
“The time thief. That sneaky little voice in your head that says, ‘Scroll a little more,’ ‘Say yes to one more thing,’ or ‘You can’t just do nothing, that’s lazy.’ Before you know it, poof—your day’s gone and you don’t even remember living it.”
She said, “So, what do I do? How do I stop that?”
I smiled. “You don’t stop time. But you can choose how you spend it.” I told her about how I started noticing where my time was going—like hours spent mindlessly checking emails, saying yes to things I didn’t want to do, or filling every moment just to avoid feeling unproductive.
“It hit me,” I said. “Being busy isn’t the same as being fulfilled.”
Maya looked thoughtful. “So I should just… stop doing things that don’t feel aligned?”
“Exactly. Say no more often. Slow down. Create space. Sometimes, the most meaningful moments happen when we stop rushing.”
She looked out the window. “I used to love painting, you know? Haven’t picked up a brush in years.”
“Well,” I said, finishing my coffee, “maybe it’s time to put the brush back in your hand and take the clock out of your neck.”
She laughed. “Thanks, Bob. I needed this.”
Life isn’t a race to pack in as much as you can. It’s about being intentional—choosing to spend your time in ways that align with who you are and what truly brings you joy. You don’t need to fill every moment. Sometimes, the most powerful thing you can do is pause. Reflect. And let go of the pressure to do everything. Because your time? It’s limited. But your ability to choose how you use it—that’s the real power.
P.S. What’s one thing you’ve been doing just because you “should”? Try replacing it with something that fills you up instead. One little shift could change everything.
