Urgency creates an attention poverty. It deprives us of the present moment and encourages us to make rash decisions, to act before thinking and to commit before considering.
Urgency disregards priorities and blatantly ignores what’s important. It demands nothing short of immediate, unmindful action.
Things that are urgent are fleeting. They lose their value and their sense of importance with every passing moment and they feel important because they’re fleeting.
We buy something because it’s on sale or jump into a conversation so that we’re heard; we stay on top of what’s trending or keep up with our favorite shows, authors, or magazines; we stay with our job because it’s a great opportunity or we indulge in the luxuries of life because, hey, life is short.
We chase these things because they’re fleeting, because the unstoppable and relentless marching of time ensures that they will be gone, possibly forever, if we don’t act now.
But what’s important, what’s truly important, remains important. It doesn’t fade into the background when we ignore it. It doesn’t disappear after a few days, weeks, or years.
It doesn’t matter if we’re rich or poor, if we’re ten years old or a hundred years old, if it’s Monday or Friday or if it’s the weekend with a full moon: the important things remain important.
The important things are here to stay. They remain with us, patiently waiting until we’re ready to sit quietly, bring our mind home, and give them the attention they deserve.
Urgency will never wait; you’ll never catch it. Chasing what’s urgent is a fools game. But embracing what’s important, that’s something that has meaning. That’s something that has real value.
The urgent stuff will always be running away from us, but the important stuff — the stuff that gives our life meaning — is waiting patiently with open arms.
