Time… the essence of time. The way it passes, it’s a beautiful thing. The way it is spent, is miraculous. The way it is saved, is bliss. The way we use it in our everyday lives, is remarkable. A few of us spend it wisely, while a few of us spend it foolishly. How we use time in our everyday in lives, almost entirely depends on our own unique individual characteristics, the way each of us go about living our lives on a day-to-day basis. In fact, every single thing we do, whether important or inessential, well, time is being used, time is being spent, time is… well it is the most fundamental crux that allows us to do “that thing.”

Time… I almost do not know how to explain it any further than being the most important factor that influences and reflects our ability to get something done that makes up our established everyday lives. Nevertheless, what makes time so interesting is that it has not one, but two forms, as being wasted, or conserved. Whichever path time happens to take, is entirely up to you. It is up to you and the decisions and practices you take to further progress in your lifestyle. Whatever actions, decisions, thoughts, and anything thing else that impacts your life, big or small, important or unimportant, normal or odd, you make the supreme executive decision of whether or not we want to time be with you… or against you.

I am going to put this into perspective by telling you a little bit about my story. Many of you reading this may know who I am, whether you are a friend, colleague, or just a classmate. Now, some of you are complete strangers. Although, even if you are a friend reading this, there is a possibility that you still may not know everything about me, or everything I do for that matter. Okay, so I am college student, a junior attending Virginia Commonwealth University, majoring in Mass Communications. Wait… I’m not done…

While a full time student, I am also president of a club, the Running Club specifically, where I make my best efforts to get out there and run with the club every day. Is that all I do? Nope. I also hold a job with the VCU Rec Sports Department, a job that I love so passionately and a job I would never seek to let go. Is that it? Still nope. I hold a position with AmeriCorps, where I tutor middle school students in their after school program. Now, before you once again ask me if that’s it, allow me to finish first, please! I hold an internship as a strategic planner for an ad agency. I am also a member of the College of Humanities and Sciences Leadership Council, a council where I among others, devote our time to meet the needs and wants of humanities and sciences students. Lastly, I put aside time to volunteer with the VCU Aspire program that I am so proudly a member of, where our efforts go towards giving back to the Richmond community. I do not suppose that I need to tell you that I also write for the Odyssey, because that would obviously be redundant.

I know what you’re thinking, and yes, it is a lot. Some people even think I am crazy for doing all that I am doing. Even my own friends think I am crazy for jam packing my day to day schedule with more and more responsibilities. Strangers, friends, and family have even asked me as to whether or not I sleep. I have been asked if I even attend class. To answer that, yes, I do attend class; in fact, I would not ever dare to miss a single class, which of course does happen unintentionally at times. I also do in fact sleep… sort of. But if there is one thing it all comes down to, how I do so much in only a limited amount of time, well… actually now that we are back to talking about time, I wouldn’t even use the word “limited.” See, time is purely a factor that some say may be limited. Is it really? Can time truly be limited or boundless? I mean sure, we have deadlines and due dates, but as we appear closer to those due dates, is it because time has shrunk, become smaller… or is it because time was wasted, unnecessarily used? Does time fly, as we all like to call it, or has the value and worth been taken away from it? When a due date is “too soon” or the amount of work is “too much,” perhaps it is because we have taken advantage of time. Perhaps, we have used the time for our own selfish interests. Perhaps we have misunderstood its usefulness and the value it has, all until it is too late, and from there we immorally blame it, brand it as an evil, as being our enemy.

I Philip Fennell, am a full time student in my junior year, who some would say as being the most difficult year in college. I currently maintain my GPA above a 3.5, and yet I am still involved in everything I previously stated, holding three jobs, a member of a leadership council, president of a club, volunteering around my community, and writing weekly articles for an online editorial. People ask me how I do it all, and I will tell you how.

I make time my friend.

I refuse to underestimate the power and importance of time as being a core factor in how much we are able to do in our everyday lives. I am not saying all of us are perfect, as I am nowhere near perfect. I make mistakes all the time. I have messed up in the past, and I mess now. Not everyone has the power to make the right decisions one hundred percent of the time, but we have the power to see time for its true value, the power it holds. We are capable of understanding why time is important, and the power it has in adhering to our abilities to do anything we want, to make the decisions that impact our everyday lives. We are able to take a moment and see time for what it can do in allowing us to make the choices and actions that change or sustain our very existence. Whether our existence comprises of going to school, working at a job, raising a family, getting involved in organizations, and for many of us, all of those combined, each and every single one of us is responsible for understanding the importance of time. We are all responsible in considering the effects time has in regards to how it is used, how we choose to use it, how we choose to value it, how we choose to treat it.

I know I have probably gotten to the point where I am rambling but bear with me here. I have gotten to the point of where I am doing all that I do because I allow time to be on my side. One could argue that I am cramming in excessively much all at once, but I have gotten to believe that such a thing to say, is the epitome of someone who wastes time. If I am able to fit in an extra responsibility into my schedule, whether it be a job, club, or more volunteering, and I believe that it is valuable to the future of my success and current well-being as a person, then I believe that I should do it. As long as I treat time right, as long as I use time for its value and what I can do in adhering to my capabilities, then I can do it. Throughout my college career, and especially throughout this semester, time helped me realize what I am capable of doing, how much I can do, and how far I can go.

While time may only be a social construct, it is far more superior force than anything that decides what you get done, and how much you get done. Time can treat you right, but it can also treat you wrong. Everyone has their own lives they must fulfill. Everyone has their own schedules they must stick with. No matter how much may be going on your life, no matter how many responsibilities you have, and no matter how important, time is there. Oh, time is most certainly there, whether you know it or not. It is what influences you to make your decisions, and it reflects whether you made the right or wrong decisions. If you stay on track and continue to make the right decisions that you believe will positively influence your life, then time is with you, time is your friend. However… if you choose to make the wrong decisions, then time may not be with you and it may very well be your enemy. I have not gotten to where I am today without making mistakes. Although, I will tell you one thing. I have been able to do all the things that I have done because I have kept track of time, and in return, time has been a friend of mine.