Have you heard people say things like these; I graduated at 15, I completed 3 degrees at 20, I became a CEO at 21, I became a millionaire at 22 or I bought my first property at 18? It is a celebration of when they achieved. One common factor of comparison is time.
Many often compare themselves with others based on when they get things done. It usually has many effects—some could motivate you to move faster, another could be a source of self-praise that you are doing better. In some cases, it could be the source of depression as it may seem you are not doing well enough or should have done much more within the same space of time. Have you been confronted with such challenges? I wonder how you reacted to the situation.
Interestingly, the world is in different time zones. Everyone in each zone or area keep a consistent and official time. They use it for all purposes including, legal, economic and social interactions. In other words, when it is 7 AM in New York, everyone in that zone accepts that as a standard time, but somewhere else, it may not be so. In London, in December, it would be midday. It was morning in New York, but noon in London because of the difference in the zones.
I observed the differences in zones in one of my trips to New York from London. The scheduled departure time was 11 AM, and the estimated arrival was 1 PM. It seems to suggest that the trip was only for 2 hours, but that is not correct—it was an 8-hour flight, but the arrival time was in the local time zone.
Can you imagine the difference? You have invested 8 hours to achieve your goal, but it seems like only 2 hours. Why? It is simple, the zone changed. You can only account for your time using your time zone—it would seem like a loss or sometimes gain in another area.
The global pandemic has brought about many collaboration initiatives that allow people to work from home—local or international locations. I once joined a meeting that a colleague made some comments. He had travelled to a different zone with a difference of one hour. It was a 9 AM meeting, so he joined at 9 AM, but nobody else was there because it was 8 AM in the UK. He was confused and frustrated until he realised what made the difference after one hour of confusion.
The time in your zone only applies to your area. It may be different for those in another region. It is a lesson that applies to life and can help us make the most of our potential.
You are not in the time zone with so many people and may need to realise that many people to which you compare yourself may not be in your time zone. You did not start the day at the same time. You are having breakfast; they are having dinner. You are just waking up; they only have a few hours left to do anything. You may even have more opportunities than you realise.
You may also have observed that some countries celebrate the New Year while others hope to make it into the New Year. It may not make sense if you compare yourself, but it will if you stick to your zone.
Some people may start early, they seem to have gone far, but you may never realise they have already invested in twenty out of the twenty-four hours in their time zone—only left with four hours to end the day. You may be having breakfast at the same time—you have more time to make a difference only if you realise.
You may be late if you compare to other time zones, but you may be just on time in your time zone. Do not compare to destroy your future, but focus on your assignment and progress in your time zone. You may not be a CEO at 20, but you could be one at 40 if you focus on your path.
Your friend may become a CEO at 30. Great, but he is only occupying his position in his time zone. He has not taken yours—you still have time you fill your position in your time zone. You may not even need to be a CEO to find relevance and fulfilment in life. It is not about comparing yourself with others—it is about you, finding purpose and understanding that it is your time that matters.
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