Find time for yourself – learn from kids

So how do we value our time and how do we use it on behalf of our kids or grandkids? That’s really not easy in a media and consumer society. Often enough we get tempted into buying something that we really do not need at all, be it to make the apartment look nicer, to upgrade the computer, or to own this or that status symbol in order to gain social recognition or achieve a new status. We repeatedly buy things without thinking in order to boost our self-esteem: I’m part of things. Yet the result remains superficial. It may be beautiful and motivating, but it distracts us, not only from our children and grandchildren, but also from our own opportunities in life and from reflecting on ourselves, and thus costs us invaluable time.

Finding your own destiny, your own path in life, being your “own brand” and not automatically taking your cue from brands that are omnipresent requires courage. And it also always means taking time for yourself. And enjoying that time with children is a marvelous opportunity. To find out in the process what makes you yourself so unique.

Children’s laughter, joy, and uninhibited happiness is infectious and incredibly motivating. I experienced that for myself as a dad and now experience it once again as a grandfather. Not infrequently, I find myself becoming a child again in their company. However, really taking that time requires a strong hand, as, especially if one is still far from retired, it means constantly putting the brakes on. Digital detox would be one key to things: Turn off your mobile, your PC, and answer the text messages or emails later, keep the weekend un-digital. That is a process in which all things interlock, as we are now finding out specifically in hard times. Finding your way back to yourself also requires time, discerning what time means in life is, I believe, the most decisive thing in life.

This isn’t a chore for kids – they simply live in the present, in the here-and-now. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow all meld into one. We adults should remind ourselves of our own childhoods and take our cue

from that carefree joie de vivre. Sometimes it would be better to share the moment with your loved ones and other pleasant, joyful persons – with all your heart.

I need time to find out who I am, and then grasp this in all its aspects and shape my own lifeworld accordingly. To grasp the meaning of my very personal and individual moment – my time in life