Will you ever find time for yourself?

The other day I caught up with an old friend. She and I always have a brilliant time discussing spiritual topics and the local psychic goings-on. And yet we are able to meet up only about once every other month.

Back in March, we met over a cup of coffee in South Kensington - a part of London which for various reasons sees more of its fair share of esoteric events. She was off to a lecture and I was attending a demonstration of mediumship but we managed to squeeze each other into our ever increasingly tight diaries.

She lamented about the dearth of time that she had to devote to her own spiritual development - which I must admit came as a bit of a surprise as she had always seemed to be attending courses, workshops and lectures. But with a new job and a new boyfriend she worried, albeit jokingly, that she had lost her connection with the "dove above".

"How do you manage to get the everyday out of the way?" she queried. And immediately from that question, I understood that therein lies the problem.

To make sure I was on the right track, she talked me through a typical day. She would get up early and go to bed late. And armed with her Palm Pilot supported by Outlook task lists, she would start each day at the top of her to-do list. A quick peek at her list took us to the heart of the matter. Whether she realised it or not, she had arranged her "jobs" first by those that met the needs of others and then by those that were part of the "everyday" - as she had coined it. Down at the very bottom were those things that were just for her.

She seemed more than a little taken aback when I asked her when she had begun feeling guilty for spending time on her own spiritual development. After first trying to brush aside my implication, she concluded that since becoming busier she felt she needed to get everything else out of the way first. She acknowledged that she feared that spending the amount of time she used to on her personal growth and awareness would appear (to others) as self-indulgent.

By the time we finished our second latte, we had both concluded that she would simply never find the time to return to even a semblance of her former "her time" with such a task list. Energised by the jolt of caffeine, we rearranged her to-do list such that it achieved what absolutely had to get done. But this version of the list had time for her sprinkled throughout.

Sometimes we seem to forget that there is a finite number of hours in each day, which means that there is only so much we can do. And with many of us relying on diaries and hand-help computers to shoehorn more and more into those twenty-four hours, the priority we place on our time becomes paramount.

Today more than ever we are interested in and accept the benefits of spiritual development. IF ONLY WE COULD FIND THE TIME. It's very tempting to say that after we get this or that done that we will spend time on ourselves. But all too often those other things accumulate and we end up exhausted with our focus turning to tomorrow.

The solution? It's quite simple actually. If you have been struggling to embark on or continue your journey of self-development, take ten minutes RIGHT NOW. Yes, you can afford ten minutes. Now spend this time quietly meditating, reflecting and reminding yourself what is important to you and what you need to do for yourself. Then TAKE HEED.

Yesterday my friend and I enjoyed another catch-up over coffee. Her list is as long as ever, but she is now looking after herself in the process. Our conversations have now returned to all matters mystic.

Until next week,

Kindest regards,

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