Right before I sat down to write this post, I walked to the convenience store in my building to buy a pack of gum. When I arrived, there was a note on the door that said, “Be back in 5 minutes.” I asked myself what was more important: a pack of gum or my time. Instead of waiting, I walked back to my desk with a smile on my face.

Like many, I am at a point in my life where I want to do so much, but I don’t have enough time to do everything. I know it sounds cliché, but it’s true. If you want to pinpoint what matters most to you, think about how you spend your time. If something matters, you make time for it.

With that being said, there is another level to this concept. In the book Wild, author Cheryl Strayed shared her 1,000+ mile journey along the Pacific Crest Trail. She hiked for months, through heat, rain and snow, from California to Washington State. She spent an entire summer on the trail. Does that mean Strayed just really liked hiking? No. In fact, the story began with her getting divorced and experimenting with heroin. Strayed sought acceptance of her mother’s untimely death. She hiked to reflect on her life and to find out what meant most to her.

Finally, what matters to you today may not matter as much to you tomorrow. Likewise, what mattered to you 15 years ago may not matter as much to you now. When I was 10 years old, my favorite t-shirt was white and had the number 10 on it drawn with a ton of ladybugs. I LOVED that shirt. Since I remember it so vividly, I know it was important to me back then. Also, when I was 10 years old I enjoyed picking on my brothers. Today, I still enjoy picking on my siblings; however, clothing has different meaning. As I get older, I find tangible items, like that shirt and a pack of gum, have less value than intangible items like family and philanthropy.

Pause for a moment and consider what is important to you. Are you spending enough time doing those things or with those individuals? Share your reflection in the comments section.

This post is my contribution to the Your Turn Challenge. I am joining thousands of secretly inspiring people in challenging myself to write and ship one blog post every day for seven days. Today is day two of the challenge. Click the hyperlink above for more information.