Who Am I?

Another year has gone by.

With time I have felt that the years pass me by at a faster rate than they used to when I was younger. Some might say that this is merely a matter of perception, as time continues to flow at its own steady rate, and does not vary its pace for any reason whatsoever. This is no doubt true. But, then again, there are reasons why we feel that time runs faster as we grow up.

The main reason for the perception is simply the increase in the number of things we begin to do as we grow up.  A one year old is content to spend all the time laying in bed - maybe he isn't, but he has no other option. No wonder to him time seems to stretch forever. As we grow up we learn to do things - sit, walk, play, make friends, read, fall in love, fall out of love, work - and pretty soon we have no time for anything at all. We always seem to be short of time, and, as a result, we keep wondering - where did the time go?

There is another reason (which has no basis other than my meandering thoughts), I feel, for the perception that time runs faster as we grow up. When a baby is newly born he has been on this planet for only a few seconds, and those seconds are his entire life. Every second of that life is important to him. As he grows up the number of seconds in his life keep increasing, and accordingly, the relative importance of each second in his life decreases. This is just a hypothetical argument, but it could be a reason why we feel that time is running faster as we grow up.

In 2009 I felt I was short of time, or that is what I told myself and those around me, who cared enough to ask. But, on hindsight, it was not the lack of time so much as it was the lack of proper management of time. There are so many things that a person can do with his, or her, time. The trick here lies in identifying the things you enjoy doing, and those that satisfy you.

There are a thousand books - or even more, I am sure - on time management out there. It would be too easy for me to say that they are totally useless, but they are not. They have their use. They will provide you with tips and tricks to manage your time. But all that will go in vain, unless and until, you make an attempt to know yourself.

Before making any attempts to make resolutions, or enhance the quality of your life, in 2010, it is important to ask yourself questions like : What do I want? Why am I doing this? Where do I want to be at the end of this year? You need to make sure that the resolutions you make are inspired by your needs, desires, and aspirations, and not by what is fashionable, or acceptable in society. I don't know about you, but I have found myself, and some of my friends, do things not because they wanted to, but because their friends, relatives, or parents wanted them to. These people are important parts of our lives, but they are not you!

I start 2010 with along list of resolutions. Some I will keep, and some I will not, but in 2010, I will make a sincere attempt to answer the question : Who Am I?

Will you?