CHRONOPHOBIA! TIME'S BIGGEST FEAR...
TIME!
Though some call it a creation of man's imaginations and others see it as a work of the Maker, many still believe it doesn't exist.
Time!
Whatever your take is, the concept of time is one that is only a little older than man; a little older than creation itself...
In the beginning...
Source: Genesis 1:1 (The Holy Bible)
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The Background
I was privileged to speak to a friend of mine yesterday (o.k. she's actually an ex-crush😁😉) and in the course of our talk, I randomly asked,
What's your biggest fear?
Though she initially hesitated to spill, she said,
My biggest fear is actually quite simple. It's time. I'm scared of time.
On further probing, she disclosed that she fears wasting time and being left behind, that she wishes to do everything before time and be the person she wishes to be before her set time.
Sounds reasonable, right?
But are these enough reasons to "fear" time?
The Truth!
Now, I'm not judging her fears but as we tried to understand what she truly feared, we discovered something...and that's what I'll share with you now.
The fear of time is still unfathomable to me (maybe because we discovered that she didn't really fear time...but a consequence of time). I hope to really meet someone with the fear of time tho.
Now, in my defense, those that claim to fear time are in fact afraid of something else entirely... one of which is FAILURE!
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They fear they might not be the success they've always envisioned themselves to be, that they may end settling for less just because they couldn't meet their own mark (or that of family and friends).
They feel that one wrong move and their "future" comes crashing down.
But then, should we fear future failings?
And if yes, how can we avoid it?
The Solution: 3 Things to Understand
DISCLAIMER: These are basically my own thoughts. I just came to the knowing of them yesterday as I interacted with my ex-crush. Any and all similarities to already known principles are purely coincidental.
Now, it's perfectly human to fear. Theological history writes that the first humans feared when they erred, so much they went into hiding.
So the first way to conquer your fear is to accept your fear, admit to it.
My Physics teacher back in high school is quoted to have said,
The first step to solving a problem is to admit you have a problem. By this, you would have done more than 70% solving it.
The fear of failure is real (take it from someone that fights it everyday) and I personally believe it's this fear that drives present successful men to keep pushing boundaries.
So the question is "HOW CAN WE OVERCOME THIS FEAR?
Understand that you are the Master of your time, and not a slave to it.
We all have 24 hours...to control, to instruct, to spend. We decide what we wish to do with the time on our hands (for those that wear wristwatches...just joking 😆😄)
We should leave behind the mentality that we are "working under time". That mindset puts unnecessary pressure on the individual and isn't good for maximal productivity (though there are some "selected few" that work extremely well under pressure...I speak for those who can't)
Lay aside the belief that you don't have enough time... that you "ain't got time to waste time". Trust me, you'll just mount bone-crushing pressure on yourself.
Understand that time was created for you and not you for time.
Time serves you. And if the service seems bad, you don't freak out. Just chill.
Trust me, in the end everything will work out. If it doesn't, then it isn't the end.
Remember you are the master of your own time, and not a slave to it.
Understand that every single thing that happens to you happens at the most perfect of times.
If you want to be fair to yourself, you'll know the above statement is true. If you're at in doubt, please pause reading this and think of past happenings. You'll see that a second later or a second earlier and that memory you're recalling won't have the same outcome as it does. Even the worst of tragedies happen at the most perfect time.
Once you get to understand that, nothing will surprise you (well, at least it won't come with the regular shock it does at other times😉). Know that only the best of things happen to you.
Lemme tell you a secret. Personally, I have an overly active imagination. My head's way ahead of now, thinking and painting my future. Now, I understand that sometimes you ask Life for lemons and you get lemonade; things may not always work out as planned and for situations like that, I tell myself that
... the worst that can ever happen to me is what's in my head. Therefore nothing bad can happen to me because I think good thoughts.
Understand that every single thing that happens to you happens at the most perfect of times.
Understand that "the future" is one big scam!
Oh yes!!! It's ONE BIG SCAM!
Folks are fond of "categorizing" time as PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE!
Well, to some extent of reasoning, this "theory" holds true. But on the broader sense, it's a truthful lie.
I read this book, THE SECRET.
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Rhonda Bryne, the author, made me understand that everything is happening at the same time. The "past, present and future" are all happening at once. The reality your eyes sense is what you call PRESENT, the one they've seen, you call PAST and the one you're "yet to see", you call FUTURE (we were all taught to think like that).
But what if I told you that YOU exist in all times at the same time. When you meditate on the "future" you see in your head, you're simply time-travelling to that reality that has not yet come. When you reminisce, you time-travel to a reality that has been.
Why do folks say "I have a house" when they have no means for the next meal? More often than not, they see the reality that is not yet come.
Guys, you need to understand that there is no such thing as "the future". The future is just two closed eyes away.
When today's the tomorrow we talked about yesterday, then what is tomorrow when it comes today?!
The "future" is now, not tomorrow but now!
You need to understand that!
Time is not to be feared! Failure is not to be feared!
What then is to be feared?
Watch out for my next post 😉
Thank you for your time.
Thank you for reading.