Many of us lament that we do not like certain things about our lives, that we do not take care of ourselves as well as we know we should. We, including myself, are all guilty of using our time unwisely. If there is anything you do not like about your life in this moment, I ask you to honestly assess your priorities. Are you giving sufficient, or any time, to changing these things you do not li...

Many of us lament that we do not like certain things about our lives, that we do not take care of ourselves as well as we know we should. We, including myself, are all guilty of using our time unwisely. If there is anything you do not like about your life in this moment, I ask you to honestly assess your priorities. Are you giving sufficient, or any time, to changing these things you do not like?

I understand that we have various responsibilities competing for our time, but the fact that so many people make their happiness and well-being such a low priority kind of astounds me. Yes, I know you have kids, a job, and various other responsibilities you must attend to, but when you say that you do not have enough time to read a personal development book or to meditate or sit quietly for as little as 10 minutes, or other activities beneficial for your well-being ,is that really the truth? Does your ‘’busy’’ day include plenty of time for watching television, namely insipid reality shows about other people’s lives, surfing the internet aimlessly or playing games on your cellphone? I imagine for most people, the answer is probably yes. I venture to guess that you have plenty of minutes in your day where you are totally free to choose how to spend them. They may be divided into little chunks , but if you really paid attention, they would probably add up to some significant ‘’me’’ time. This is not to say that you can never engage in some mindless entertainment or just relax and do nothing, but if you are always choosing these activities in lieu of doing something that can help you achieve goals you have or get you something you desire, you need to make some adjustments in how you use your time.

I know it can sometimes be uncomfortable to pursue our dreams or make significant positive changes in our lives – though one of the best things we can do, we often choose staying where we are because it is more comfortable, even if less pleasant. We convince ourselves we do not have the time, but deep down, we know we do. When things are not going the way we would ideally like them, it is time to take a cold, hard look at how we are living our lives and how we are spending our time. People have managed to carve our amazing lives for themselves while having children, a full-time job and oodles of other things pulling at them. Anyone can do it if they decide they will find the time to make it happen. It is never too late to rearrange some things and start moving towards the life you want!

Kelli Cooper is a freelance writer who runs the personal development blog Life Made to Order. She is also the author of Passing on Parenthood: A Childfree Woman Speaks Out. She has a passion for personal development and sharing what she has learned in her own journey to help others improve their lives as well.