The Lie We Live By: “You Have Time”
From the time we are young, the world feeds us a comforting story. Parents, teachers, friends, and strangers all say it in different ways, “Don’t worry, you have time.” It is offered as reassurance, a way to soften our urgency and tell us that life is generous with second chances. When we are twenty, they say we are still young. When we are thirty, they remind us there is still time to do everything we have been dreaming about. The idea is that life stretches far ahead of us, waiting patiently for us to be ready.
It feels good to believe this. It lets us breathe more easily when the thing we want feels out of reach. It takes away the uncomfortable edge of urgency. It tells us we can put off the difficult choices until tomorrow. But what sounds like kindness is often a quiet danger. “You have time” can become the excuse that keeps us from moving. It can make us feel safe in staying still, even when stillness is not what we truly want.
The Illusion of an Endless Road
When people tell us we have time, they are speaking as though life is a straight, predictable path. They imagine we will live to a certain age, that our health will remain stable until then, and that our opportunities will arrive in an orderly fashion. But life has never worked that way. It bends, it breaks, and it changes direction without asking for our permission.
Even if we are fortunate enough to live for many decades, there are seasons of life that are not interchangeable. The time we have in our twenties is not the same as the time we have in our fifties. Energy changes. Circumstances change. The freedom to take certain risks changes. The idea that we can delay what matters to us without consequence ignores this reality entirely.
The Quiet Cost of Waiting
When we think we have unlimited time, we postpone the things that feel uncertain. We put off calling the person we miss because we imagine there will be a better moment. We avoid starting the business because we believe we will be more prepared in a year. We leave the book unwritten because we convince ourselves we will have more focus later.
While we wait, time moves. Weeks turn into months, and months turn into years. Sometimes the opportunity simply passes and does not return. Sometimes the window is still there, but we are no longer in the same place emotionally, physically, or financially to step through it. The slow loss is not dramatic. It happens quietly, in the background, until we look back and realize we let entire chapters go by without living them fully.
Tomorrow Is Never Promised
We all know this truth, but most of us keep it at arm’s length because it is uncomfortable to think about. None of us can say with certainty how much time we have left. Accidents happen. Illness arrives without warning. Life shifts in ways that cannot be predicted. This is not meant to create fear, it is meant to create clarity.
When we act as though we will always have tomorrow, we make choices that assume the future will wait for us. But the future is never something we are owed. Every day we are given is a gift, and there is no guarantee of how many more there will be. The idea that we can put off what matters indefinitely is an illusion.
The Case for Acting Now
Acting now does not mean acting recklessly. It means recognizing that the right time is not a date on the calendar, it is the moment you feel the pull toward something important. If there is a person you love, tell them. If there is a change you want to make in your work, begin it. If there is a dream you have been quietly carrying for years, start building it.
You do not need every detail figured out before you take the first step. Conditions will never be perfect. You will never feel entirely ready. But movement creates clarity in a way that waiting never will.
Living With Urgency, Not Panic
There is a difference between living urgently and living in a state of constant panic. Urgency is about understanding the value of each day and acting with intention. Panic is about rushing without thought or direction. The goal is not to cram every possible achievement into your life as quickly as possible, it is to make sure that the things that matter to you are not left waiting until it is too late.
When you hear the phrase “you have time,” pause and ask yourself if it is helping you or holding you back. Is it encouraging you to grow at your own pace, or is it giving you an excuse to avoid something you know you want?
We may not be able to control how much time we are given, but we can control how we spend it. If something matters to you, deeply, truly begin now. Not next year. Not when you feel ready. Now. Because for all any of us know, this moment could be the only guarantee we will ever have.