Do you remember how slowly the days passed when you were a child?  An 80-mile car trip seemed endless.  It took forever for summer to come.  When it finally did, by mid-July you were already longing to go back to school and see your pals.  Although you'd never confess it to anyone, you were ready for September to arrive.

Have you ever wondered why everything apparently passes so slowly to a toddler?  Basic arithmetic reveals that for a two-year old, the next year will represent 33% of her life thus far, whereas for a 19-year old, the next year represents 5%, and for a 39 year-old, only 2.5%.  This, you may say, is rather obvious.

More than anything else, the young child's perceptions influence how she experiences life.  She has few markers that delineate the passage of time.  On the first of each month, she pays no rent or mortgage.  She has no job, and does not commute.

She is likely to be regularly clothed, bathed, and cared for.  The child arises each day with no agenda, no "to do" list.  She experiences hunger, irritation, and sleepiness.  She has some favorite activities -- her major activity is play. 

Outside information comes to her from her parents or other "tall" sources such as the big, bright, talking box in the living room, or toys (musical, speaking, and otherwise).  She anticipates activities such as lunch at the well-lit fast food restaurant.

Each day brings new wonders, giggles, and whimpers.  Meanwhile, she has no report to finish, no checkbook to balance, no across-town meetings.  She does not even wear a watch.

Your life is a bit more complicated, and is related increas¬ingly to how society has become more complex.  Independent of who you are or what you do for a living, chances are that you're busy, perhaps extremely busy, and are a part of our active, generally hard-working population. 

If you continually feel pressured, don't take it personally.  You are experiencing the same dilemma as millions of other people, and you are part of the most time-pressed society of over-information and communication in history.  From fast food clerks to high-powered executives and retirees, few people have what they consider to be breathing space in which to reflect, unwind, truly relax, or simply be.

At this moment you are being bombarded on all sides.  The "intake overglut" wreaks havoc on the receptive capacities of the unwary.  Yet you can break away from the pack that idly ingests the information, noise and garbage that comes its way.  Despite the ever-escalating array of obstacles, you can attain breathing space.

Having grappled with the perils of a high-pressured existence, I've found that it is essential to understand how we got to our current, hectic state of affairs.

Civilization 101--The Short Course

Now then...  civilization thus far has witnessed four major ages, including the age of hunting and gathering, the age of agriculture, the age of industry and the emerging information age.  I say "emerging" because it hasn't arrived yet.  We've only danced around the periphery in a nether land I call the "over-information era." 

Humankind's orientation to time and distance has constantly changed over the ages, but never so markedly as in the last few decades with the emergence of the information age.  With a global communications network in place, as any satellite dish or fax machine user knows, mass and interpersonal communications across continents have become instantaneous. 

As a species, we live longer.  The life span of the average cave man was nineteen.  The life expectancy in Europe in 1392 was 38.  The life span in America in 1892 was 49.  Today it is 72 for American men, 77 for women, and quickly rising for both sexes.  Yet for swelling numbers in our society, most days race by.

The faster we're able to travel or to gain new information, the greater our expectations regarding what can and needs to be accomplished in our lives.  We all seek to do more.  The last words of Cecil John Rhodes, spoken at the start of the 20th century, have become ingrained in our social consciousness:  "So little done -- so much to do."

A day is still 24 hours, but it seems to shrink in the face of more to do or higher expectations about what has to be done.  In such a flurry, it is all too easy today to lose sight of the "big picture" of where your career or life is heading. 

Taking Time To Reflect and Choose

What are the best times to reflect on the course of your life?  Whenever you are near water, such as the ocean, a quiet pond, or a small stream.  Bodies of water, particularly if they are moving, help to stimulate your creative thought process.

Similarly, if you are near a fireplace or even a candle, while the flames tend to have a calming effect, they also help you to reflect on what is really important and what you want to be doing more often.  The brilliant, quiet stillness of a candle flame can have an anxiety-reducing effect on your entire being. 

Believe it or not, you can actually choose to feel comfortable about how you spend your time.

Philosophically, but also practically speaking, up to this minute in your life, you did indeed have enough time to accomplish everything you accomplished.  And that's been quite a lot.  When you choose to feel comfortable about how you spend your time, it immediately helps to reduce anxiety.

You can also choose to feel good about your accomplishments.  To bemoan the fact that you have only accomplished so much by such and such a time or such and such an age is to remain in a perpetual state of discontent.  Feel good about what you have accomplished and look forward to what you will accomplish, and you will have a greater sense of control of the time in your life.