All of the effort and money in the world cannot buy you more time. As a father and a CEO, I am acutely aware that there are only so many hours in the day. I find it important to remember that there will never be enough time to give. Please do not take this as a grim sentence because it inspires me to do more with what I have. I choose to maximize what I get out of these moments. It is, of course, difficult, maybe even impossible, to be fully present in every given scenario, however, this must be the goal. If I can pour myself fully into the interactions I have with my children, clients, and employees, I can free myself of the familiar excuse of “there just is not enough time.”

There is another dimension to this which demands that we are proactive with our plans. When I am with the important people in my life, it is not by accident. I schedule out time for the things that bring me joy so that they do not slip by in the fog of “getting things done.” In the same way you would block out time for a meeting at work, block out time for the people and experiences you need to feel complete.

I believe there is a real urgency in all of us to create a legacy. Some of us may feel this more strongly than others, but there is an unmistakable want to create something extraordinary. Every day is filled with opportunities to do just this. There is a poem by Bukowski that says, “the gods will offer you chances. / know them. / take them. / you can’t beat death but / you can beat death in life.”

No, you will never be able to have more time. Does this upset you? Does it make you feel powerless? I hope that it does not. We are powerful. We cannot bend the past or the future but the present is whatever we make it.

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