“Ti-i-i-ime is on my side, yes it is”- 1964 release by The Rolling Stones- who can forget the croonings of Mick Jagger and his rolling stones before we even suspected that they would be timeless, that they would some day be THE Stones, that they would still be rocking after all these years- after all that time?*

And when we first heard this tune, time really did seem to be on our sides, didn’t it?

Whether you were in your teens, preteens or older, at that point in life, time seemed to be a gift that kept on giving and that would be endless- shall I say timeless? Time- it shows no preference for socioeconomic status and no bias of any kind- you can’t buy it; you can’t barter for more. But you certainly can squander and waste it- though that was not apparent to most of us when first heard THE Stones sing that tune.

As we approach this season of holiday festivities, I am going to challenge you with a series of blog posts to open your heart and mind to re-viewing how you spend the next year. Rather than wait until the start of next year to make re-solutions, I want you to start today to generate solutions to the life challenges that have gone unsolved, unresolved for too long in your life- in your own opinion. What are the goals you want to achieve over this next year- the things of which you want to be unbearably proud next year at this time? Think of all spheres of your life- health (this includes physical and mental health and is critical to the other arenas of life), spiritual, interpersonal- i.e. relationships with family and friend and colleagues and all who cross your path, global- the imprint you will make on this earth during your stay.

I want to get you psyched up for living on purpose and with passion, for living your life's time to its fullest. With that in mind, I am going to go back to the basic truth- to the one resource that we all have that we want to cherish if we are to do all that we visualize, if we are to live our purpose on purpose. It's all about time and accepting the 'as is' of its gift.

Yes, time is on your side. In the long run, time is all that we have, the only resource that is ours alone to make a difference during our earth-bound journey. While I struggle with this harsh reality each day, wishing that it could be different even while I accept the real deal- the ‘as is’-, and while I hate to be the bearer of bad news, I want to challenge you today- and tomorrow- to accept the ‘as is’ of this pure reality- time is on our sides and time is limited- period. Once I wrestle my self to the ground each morning to accept this ‘as is’, I feel empowered to make the choices that allow me to play-to-win, to be proactive in how I spend my most valuable resource- my time.

The ‘as is’ is this- Time is on your side and on my side. That doesn’t mean, though, that time is unlimited.

The ‘as is” is this- Time is limited.

Time is on our side because each one of us can choose how to spend that time- that is what is meant by ‘the gift of time’. And every one of us has that gift for as long as we are breathing.

This gift comes, though, with strings attached. The strings arise from what we do with the present, with the gift- the way we choose to spend our gift is apparent to others and to ourselves. This is the reality that we face each morning when we awaken to re-view yesterday- the 24 hour gift from the day before- and to mentally prepare for today’s gift of the next 24. Our choices manifest themselves in the life that becomes our own. Think of these as ribbons, as streamers that celebrate your choices, your life, rather than strings that tie you down…

Time is on our side.
Time offers challenges and choices.
Each choice rules out some experiences and interpretations of our experiences (as good, bad, ugly or glorious) and offers us others.
The choices we make determine the ultimate impact that we can make on this journey that is life.
The gift of our time is the best gift that we can give to ourselves – and to others.

Time is on our side- yes, it really is. Re-viewing all of those years of singing and dancing to this song, is like a walk down a memory lane of Beatles’ “Yesterday”s. Through all of those life stages of rocking to these tunes, time has seemed to take on a new rhythm and speed, at least for me, during this eons stage where people whom I have known and loved have come and gone. And all the while, through this chorus of “Yesterday”s I was still thinking- and assuming- that time being on my side meant an endless lineup of “Tomorrow, tomorrow”s, as Annie sang in her namesake musical- “Tomorrow, tomorrow, … it’s only a day away”.

Annie had it right-Tomorrow- well it’s true- “It’s only a day away.” THE Stones had it down- Time is on your side and my side too. Kiefer Sutherland’s show “24” has it right too- life is a series of 24 hour segments full of unpredictable curve balls with many things different than they initially appeared.

Learning to accept the ‘as is’ of time sets us free to live each moment in the moment- to live “in the Zone” where we live on purpose and with passion, where we approach each gift of 24 hours with a ‘play-to-win’ stance of going for it, free of harsh judgments of ourselves that come from our own thinking or from the attributions or judgments of others. From this stance we can strive to make the difference that we choose in this time-limited journey.

Accepting the ‘as is’ of time being on your side even while it is limited- this is freeing. That is a gift to your self. Our time is our own to make of it what we want, what we will with that glorious human spirit and will that is your own!

A present of one hour after another- how will you choose to spend your next gift of 24 hours?

What choices will you make to ensure that you are spending your most valuable and limited resource in the way that makes your heart soar now and that will provide you with that sensation of pride when you look back to re-view your life at a later date?

In two days, today’s tomorrow will be another yesterday. Make your choices with care. Cherish each moment that is yours in a way that ensures that you will look back on each day and smile with the pride that comes from making choices that reflect who you are, who you want to be.

Looking forward and moving ahead- all the while working to be here now…
Dr. Pam Brill

*A brain science footnote: for those of us who can vividly recall the where, what, who, etc that accompanied the early years of living with The Stones “Time is on my side”-1964- there is a reason for such strong memories. We vividly recall adrenaline-accompanied and adrenaline-induced moments, be they traumatic or terrific, including those ‘youthful’ experiences of cruising in Mustangs or Corvairs (no, not Corvettes) with our friends Sally and Sandy and the rest of the crew. Tunes such as this timeless wonder are emblazoned on our brains and in our hearts and in our muscles that twitch mimicking the dances that we have done through the stages of life during which we have grooved and regrooved to this tune.- so sit back and choose to enjoy the tunes that make your heart soar and savor the memories that they summon. Then choose the tunes that will get you dancing today!