Recently, a good friend posed a question that really stuck with me:

"Are things that way because of a lack of time, or a lack of effort?"

Whether it be a friendship, relationship, or even a goal as simple as getting a better grade on that next test, it is undeniable that all things in life require dedicated time. However, with this being said, time has become perhaps the biggest excuse for failure in our society.

"I didn't have time for..."

"I'm too busy to do..."

Think about it, you can spend hours trying to study for that test, but if you aren't focused during that time, it will all be useless. You could see someone every day, but without being intentional in that time, you'd still be no closer to them than the day you first met. It all comes down the effort you put in to the time that you get, and being deliberate about what you do with your time. Frankly, you have time for what you MAKE time for.

While there are lots important and fruitful things that take our time, like jobs, school, sports, and goals, it's crazy when you stop and look at all the random places where we carelessly throw our time--we spend more time scrolling through Twitter, watching Netflix, napping (not hating on any of those, but they are time-suckers), than we do actually talking to or being with the people we care about. Time may sound nicer in an excuse, but 9 times out of 10, someone is really saying,

"I didn't feel like..."

"I don't care enough about that to..."

Interestingly enough, it seems that whenever someone is apologizing and saying, "I'm sorry, I just didn't have time to...," they almost always say the sentence in a rushed manner, as if they hardly have the time to even say their justification.

It is so important for people to put an effort into others. Especially the quieter, always-there-for-you type of friends, they tend to be taken for granted. These people won't say a word, and will always be there when you need them, but will go for weeks feeling under-appreciated. A random encouragement is always nice, but that is worth very little when the next day, they still have the same neglectful treatment. You have to put a daily effort into the people you care about, and if they mean enough, I promise you, you'll find the time.