'There Are Only 24 Hours in a Day'

There are only 24 hours in a day, 168 hours in a week, 720 hours in a month and 8760 hours in a year.

Now I know that may seem like common knowledge, but the reason I mention this is because despite everyone having the same amount of time in the day to do what they want, it's quite easy to feel like you “aren't doing enough.” Especially nowadays, where you can compare yourself to what everyone else is up to due to social media, it can make you feel insecure and question what you're capable of doing. As if they are accomplished, well-rounded and established individuals whilst you are shallow and dull. You might not necessarily have a boring life, but compared to those around you, it doesn't look as exciting as theirs either.

This can often make you feel inadequate in comparison to others for the sake that they are able to get more things done in the day than you. Whilst you can barely get your homework done after getting home from school, some are able to carry out that, on top of any other extracurricular or responsibilities that they decided to do that evening. It can seem like others have their whole lives put together as they miraculously balance their time across everything they do, while you are only just able to make it by each day. It's the sort of thing that makes you wonder how on Earth is a person humanly able to accomplish that much or whether time travel has got to be a factor in this.

Unfortunately for us, time travel is not a means that we can use to maximise the time that we have in the day. However, the way we prioritise the goals that we must complete during the day is. That may seem obvious to us, as, time management is something that our parents and teachers nag us about to get things done. But the ways in which everyone divides their time amongst their different priorities will vary based on what is important to them.

At the moment, since most of us reading this are in college, school is something that takes up a lot of time in our lives, whether that be in the classroom or not. Many of us have different ambitions and aspirations for the future, meaning that the amount of time that we would invest into our schoolwork will vary based on how much we want to make the most out of it. In addition to that, for those that then do an EPQ or a 4th A-Level on top of all that would have to work even harder than most for the sake that they just have a larger volume of work to do to an excellent standard. However, just because you aren't as much of an academic as someone else does not make you any less intelligent nor hard working as this sort of studious lifestyle is not for everyone. In fact, being a “hard working” person can come in many forms besides the traditional work setting such as the time you take out of the day to help those around you or put into your hobbies and talents. That is another thing that many people dedicate lots of their time to as these are aspects of their lives that they are passionate about. Whether in sports, music or the arts, hobbies can be a way for a person to enjoy and express themselves. Sometimes if it's an activity that they are talented to the point that they can use to show off to the world competitions or shows, it becomes a craft that takes immense amounts of discipline and dedication to get to such a high standard. But regardless of whether these are pastimes that you use to relax or to give to the community, they are parts of your life that require lots of your time and effort to get good at.

However, not everyone will have this much disposable time on their hands to dedicate to everything that they would like to do. I mean this is the exact reason why many of us feel like we aren't doing as much as our peers as sometimes in its simplest form, we just aren't. Not because we are less talented or accomplished as those around us, but because of the circumstances and opportunities that we have available to us. Some of us have busier home lives than others or more responsibilities and jobs to do that take up a lot of their time. Things that they must get done in the day but are out of their control on whether they'd actually like to do it or not, limiting how many of their aims they get to complete in a day. It's unfair but part of life. Having said that, what we should not do is exhaust ourselves underneath piles of perpetual work and commitments to the point that we are overworked, exhausted and burnt out just so that we can complete our to-do list for the day. It's the sort of thing that is never worth sacrificing your own wellbeing and health over as you, as a person, are way more valuable than any sort of gift, favour or accolade that you can give or present to people. Sometimes, defeat means that you can't do everything and asking for help is the best way to move forward, as hard as that can be to actually do.

In the end, not everyone will be given the same opportunities, skills or talents as each other, meaning that we will all have our own strengths that we can play to and weaknesses that we will have to overcome. Afterall, that is what makes us different from one another. Since it means that no one ever has the same chances or circumstances as each other, it can make it difficult for us to compare our lives to everyone else in a way that is genuinely fair or representative to both. Just because they seem to be like you in many ways doesn't mean that you'll be able to achieve the same things as them as you are both unique individuals in your own right. It's a realisation that can be hard to properly accept as it's easy to revert to toxic mentalities such as comparing your life to others or to your own ideals. But by stripping away any false expectation of how you think you should live your life, it can allow you to remain grounded and present in the moment, so that you can appreciate what you have been given. At your very core, you are an amazing, good-natured and skilled individual, capable of making your own difference to the world regardless of what people around you say that you will amount to. You are on your own journey to where you need to be in life which may mean that you embark on many highs and lows as they come to you. But as this is a process that will take a while to unfold, you will just have to be patient and let the right opportunities come to you when you are ready for them. For now, just let time go on as it has always done and take it one step at a time.

After all, there are only 8760 hours in a year, 720 hours in a month, 168 hours in a week, and 24 hours in a day.