The irony of the situation is that even after thinking so much about time — its significance and the consequences of wasting it — most of us fail in managing our life time successfully! Therefore, I thought of sharing a little secret of mine that might nudge you into appreciating time and using it well.

Just imagine you have a big bottle to fill every day and you are given three things to fill this receptacle: the first is big pebbles, then you have small pebbles and finally you have sand. However the one condition is that you have to fill the bottle in such a way that no spaces are left among big pebbles, small pebbles and the sand.

There are three ways to do this: first you can fill the sand first then the small and finally the big pebbles. But if you do so, there will be spaces left between big and small pebbles as all pebbles are of different sizes (remember we need to fill the bottle while completely packing it).

As a second option, you can fill the small pebbles first then the big stones and then the sand but this time some of the sand will tend to slip down from the spaces between the big pebbles and reach the small pebbles so we will still have some minute spaces in between (this method clearly fails).

Thirdly you can first fill the big pebbles but since they are of different sizes some space will be left in between so next you can fill the small pebbles which will occupy the spaces left between the big pebbles. Although the small pebbles are of a different size, some space will be left in between them as well. These minute spaces can be filled by the sand and in this way you can completely fill the vessel without leaving any spaces.

Now you must imagine that time is like a vessel and the big pebbles are the most important things in your life. The small pebbles are less important matters and the sand represents the things that have least importance on your priority list. The empty spaces left in between signify the regrets or opportunities missed in life, so you must divide your work in order of priority to leave no empty spaces (regrets or missed opportunities).

Remember as you utilise your time so shall you define your life. Make your life’s priority list and examine it regularly with this illustration in mind. Are you putting the small, insignificant things things first or are you pre-occupied with the not-so-important facets of your life? Are you neglecting your inner self, your big dreams, your family or your spiritual life while putting friends, ego, and money first?

So what kind of life are you opting for today — one filled with spaces or one with no spaces for regrets?

I am not against using Facebook. I believe it’s the best networking site (I am a Facebook user as well). But I am amazed to see the outrageous Facebook fad taking control of so many lives among people of all ages.

We all know that Facebook is meant for an age group of 13 years or over of age but many children under the stipulated age are signing up to be members with false information. There is the danger that these children could become victims of dangerous online adult predators, which is one of the biggest risks associated with social networking sites. These children wind up adding unknown people to their ‘friend-list’ leaving themselves open to cyber bullies or even worse, a parent’s worse nightmare – the pedophile.

Teenagers are among those most addicted to Facebook. Precious time which could be used for other constructive activities such as reading, playing sports, or learning new life-enhancement skills like meditation, aerobics and yoga is spent on Facebook. The site not only encourages teenagers to waste valuable time, but also leads them into the pit of peer pressure when they are compelled to participate in all kinds of silly contests such as “Who’s The Sweetest Person?” There are an alarming number of ‘post your photos competition’ which lure teens to post photos of themselves online. This is a welcome signal or green light for every pervert and child predator online.

This is a dangerous trend not only for teenagers but for Facebook users of every age who are not well-informed about the hazards of socialising online.

I have seen people going crazy about Facebook, making desperate efforts to increase their friend-list in order to ensure he/she has a more friends than other people. They choose to ignore the fact that most virtual ‘friends’ should never be trusted and can violate your privacy at the drop of a pin.

Ludicrous as it seems, there has been a new twist in the story these days as parents deliberately make up profiles on Facebook in order to check up on their kids (one would think that older people would have better things to do with their life than playing around on Facebook). The end result is that the whole family turns out to be on Facebook instead of spending quality time together.

Don’t get me wrong, Facebook is a great platform to express yourself by making up your own group, keeping in touch with friends and exploring other interests. However, one must remember that Facebook is just another means to enjoy life but not another means to live life.

By limiting yourself to Facebook, you lose out on a rich and exciting life of real possibilities beyond a social networking site.

So the next time you log on to Facebook with the intention of spending hours in useless socialising, pause a while and ask yourself, is there something more interesting, constructive and uplifting I could be doing with my time?

It is difficult to be a child of the 21st century -  to be a part of the most educated generation of the human race. I’m afraid the people around me are all masters of their own field – educated, more educated, most educated. Everyone knows everything. Alas! They don’t leave room for me to discover anything new.

Their ocean of knowledge is so deep that a new drop of creativity is a strictly forbidden in their already established knowledge of ocean. I still can’t forget my physics teacher’s words when describing Albert Einstein, “You know Einstein left school at a very young age and still he was the greatest scientist of all times. You know why? Because he was passionate.  But this new generation is only passionate about  wasting time”. Yes sir I thought, we are wasting our time studying something for 8 hours in the school every day (which has to be mugged up at the end of the session). Then  we return home from school where we need at least 2-3 hrs to complete our homework. Then we have to assist Mom with chores and then go to sleep to be prepared for another day at school.  Huh! Where’s the time for passion?

I bet if Einstein had wasted so much time everyday he wouldn’t have been so renowned today. Today we all are so caught up in the cobwebs of so called ‘educated’ era that getting out of it seems impossible. Schools are a good example of the irony of this situation. They promise to nurture the special gift of every child  while recognising his/her unique aptitude. They are supposed  to be the temples of learning but  we get caught up in a maze of stale thinking and rigid attitudes. For example, if a particular child is recognised for his/her outstanding academic skills then this wonder child is unofficially appointed as a lifetime examplar. This adulation creates a barrier for other children who want to recognized in the same field but are overlooked because of the teachers’ attitudes and the precedent set by the high achieving student.

But why does his happen?  Probably because a school is made up of  a highly educated faculty  with an entrenched attitude of accomplishment and they are very conservative  about welcoming new talents. I remember how my parents advised me to take a one year break from football. Their reasoning was  that people would be far more interested in my academic accomplishments than in my  prowess on the football field.

Do you see how education has stopped us from being children?  The demands of education  make it almost impossible  to play and enjoy life at a physical level.

Our parents and teachers are forgetting that inspiration to create in the science, business, technology and the arts often come during recreational moments when we are not overloading our brains with force-fed academics and old knowledge.

I think this era of education is back firing us today. The more education we acquire, the less inner  space we leave  for new ideas to germinate. Everything has become too competitive and life is too regimented.  Where is that spontaneous joy of just being human? I think we need a few more people like Galileo to upset the status quo with some radical ideas from out left field.  If by chance another Galileo-type radical  came along  to question today’s value systems, he won’t be hanged to death, but he would certainly have to go through the biggest test of his life. Why? It is because today people are so ‘educated’ they delude themselves into thinking they know it all!  No one is allowed to challenge them.  The moral of the story if formal education is making our human minds so closed up and inflexible, then personally I would prefer to be uneducated.

I have lost count of the number of times I have heard this statement. For someone who is constantly trying to balance the spiritual path along with a practical approach, life sometimes throws questions that are not always easy to answer. Working for a passion or conviction, for instance, is one of them.

There could be truth to the statement, but after mulling over it many years, I do think a clear context is required.

Below are 6 points that have helped me in practically imbibing that almost-metaphysical statement. I hope they work for anyone else who reads this article as well.

1. The rest may follow, BUT perhaps in the long run. In the meantime, maybe we should fully embrace the short to medium term horizons, with an eye to the far out future. In other words, learn to live in the now.

2. The statement does not imply in any way that we need to do ONLY what we feel really really strongly about. You can have MORE than one real interest/passion/conviction at the same time. After all that’s what differentiates multi-faceted personalities. And one may take precedence over the other at various stages in life.

3. You can (and should) in some instances outgrow what was once a main focal point of your interest. Feel free to change directions. Humans evolve and should allow themselves to explore new interests and unknown horizons.

4. Be aware however, that a loss of interest, however, may be short-term fatigue. Give yourself time before closing the chapter on that particular interest. It maybe worthwhile to keep a significant long standing interest ALIVE.

5. Your convictions ADD to your talent. There is no reason you should be short-changed for added convictions. But remember, it does take away from your negotiating power because it constrains your flexibility.

6. Despite all the above, there ARE times in life when you are ready to risk it all. But mostly that’s when expressing your passion/conviction IS the only reward. Go ahead but make sure you have a safety net in place — just in case!