Business Buddhism

“I didn’t have time to…”
“I wasn’t able to…”
“I didn’t manage to…”
…is never true.

A: “I didn’t have time to do X.”
is short-hand for
B: “I didn’t set my priorities such that I accomplished X.”

It is largely understood that we mean B, when we say A. It nevertheless is not at all the same.

A is passive and avoids the idea that we have a choice in the matter. “I really wanted to, but I didn’t have time.” We might hear back, “oh poor you, you must be so busy.” A is more comfortable, because it is convenient to think that we didn’t have a choice and if it wasn’t our choice, nobody can blame us.

B is the harder path: First, we have to confront the fact that ultimately, we are making all choices in our lives. Second, it breaks with convention and confronts the recipient explicitly with the fact that we chose not to make time. It’s not just harder for us to say, it’s also harder for the recipient to hear.

If you don’t allow yourself to say A, you will find yourself reconsidering your priorities and who sets them. And where you are communicating your priories, you will find a refreshing honesty in your relationship – something to build on.