Time: The Honest Teacher
In my last post, I touched briefly on the role time plays in life. Today I want to dive deeper.
I watched an interview recently with actor Marlon Wayans, and he said something that hit me like a ton of bricks. To paraphrase: “I’m at the age where I probably have fewer years ahead of me than behind me, so I’m going to live and enjoy life and make these days meaningful.”
If you are in midlife, you get this. With life expectancy hovering where it is, not many of us are making it to 100. So if you’re 40 and above, this truth is unavoidable: the top half of the hourglass has more glass than sand left.
Now, before you panic, this is not a doomsday “OMG, what have I done with my life?” moment. It is more like: “Okay, I’m here. Based on facts, I can see the shift. So how do I make the rest of my time meaningful?”
Getting to midlife is not about tallying up successes or failures. It is not about comparing yourself to what you thought you would have by now. We are all watching those grains of sand fall. The difference is whether we let them slip by unnoticed or use them with intention.
This is where honest reflection comes in. What matters most to you now? Relationships? Health? Leaving a legacy? Building something that lasts? Whatever it is, midlife is the time to cut the fluff and get serious about what really matters.
Scripture reminds us: “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12). Time humbles us, but it also teaches us. If you know the sand is running, you live differently.
Mark Manson put it bluntly in The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F%#k. His point was simple: stop wasting your limited time caring about every little thing. You do not have enough life left to give your energy to what does not matter. Midlife clarity is not just about accepting that time is shorter, it is about deciding what and who is actually worth your precious attention.
Life Lesson: Time is the most honest teacher. It does not lie, and it does not pause. Midlife is not about mourning what is gone but about focusing on what remains and refusing to spend it on things that do not matter.
Action Step: Write down three things you want to experience or accomplish in the next five years. Not a bucket list for someday, but things you can start moving toward now. Then ask yourself: “What am I currently giving my time and energy to that does not deserve it?” Cut one distraction this week and replace it with one small step toward what matters.
Time does not negotiate. It does not refund. But it does give you this moment, right here and right now, to choose what matters next.
And if you are curious to go deeper on this idea, I will be sharing my take on Mark Manson’s The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F%#k inside FlowRise Media: Rise & Read. It is a book that reshaped how I think about time, priorities, and living with intention and hopefully you can find value in it and it does the same or better for you.
Grow deep. Rise strong.