My relationship with time has evolved over the years.
And somehow, the beginning of fall always makes me wonder about the entirety of the year. Maybe this is an after-effect of the chill in the air and dried leaves strewn across the streets of Basel. Today, it’s time to step back and reflect on my goals, my aspirations and my dreams.
In my first collaboration with Swiss Watchmaker, Swatch on their new collection SKIN, I wanted to share four big things time has taught me.
A lot of people believe in forgetting about the time that has passed and to move forward, while I do partly agree with that notion, I also believe in introspections, learnings and memories (especially the fond ones).
Invest Time In Yourself
The biggest lesson of this year would be to realise my potential, passion and invest all that time in myself. After leaving a six-figure salary back in India, I have managed to grow a blog, complete my Masters at FHNW. But more than that, I’ve invested time in myself. These could include good habits like taking out time to read a book to goal setting and choosing to be happy.
So, make the right investments when it comes to your bank balance, but it’s very important to invest time in yourself.
Make Sure You Manage Your Time
When people say get a handle on your life, what they really mean is get a handle on your time. As a working mother who also likes her alone time, I advocate time management which relies heavily on planning and prioritizing. There are days when I feel like my family have priority over me and I make sure I balance that out. At the same time, I don’t want to miss out my daughter’s Halloween party or travelling with my husband. So make sure you manage your time to the best of your abilities. Whether it’s your job or your life – if you’re bad with your time, you’re not enjoying your life to the fullest.
Why the SKIN? I haven’t worn a thinner watch (I do not think there is one), I haven’t worn a lighter watch… I have this habit of removing my watch while I work on the laptop or sometimes as soon as I enter the house – with the SKIN I didn’t feel the urge to do this.
Time Is A Big Healer
No matter how hard one tries, things heal only when it’s time. A death, a sorrow, a setback or a wound cannot be mended till it’s the right time. We grieve till we need to and then just like a wound gets better, so do we.
Sometimes in life, it is better to allow time to do what it’s best at: heal. From minor setbacks like promotions at work to nursing a broken heart, time has allowed me the capacity to heal not once, but multiple times. Sometimes, times are hard and times are tough but this too shall pass.
While SWATCH stands for Swiss watch it also stands for the Second watch. For a person like me who is a collector, maybe this one is one of my many seconds. The watches I wore, have a fun factor about them and work with a lot of different wardrobe choices.
Sometimes, Loving Life Equals NOT Wasting Time
Like someone wise once said, if the time you wasted was enjoyable then it was not wasted. A holiday with the family, coffee dates with girlfriends and solving a puzzle with your daughter are the moments that make my life!
Never let those go: take pictures, take breaks, take selfies, do the things you love and get back to work with that new spurt of energy!
This is something I personally struggle with – I have now started to work weekends, and I don’t plan much around having a good time, I actually focus on getting more done! And with a focus like that, I do forget to have fun!
On the flip side, if you’re ONLY having fun then step back and look at the value it is creating. If it isn’t generating value in terms of happiness, energy or prosperity, then you might be wasting time!
The price vs quality aspect or the price vs style aspect is balanced extremely well in the new collection. The line maxes up to 150 CHF and finds a place in your timepiece collection.
Spend Time On People, Wisely
In 35 years of my life, I’ve lost many relationships. Some had to end, some still exist but are not quite the same. And a few of them make it through hard times. Sometimes the time you invest in certain people is inversely proportional. And in your quest to make this a viable proposition, you end up investing more and more of time (and energy) and the returns remain unsatisfactory. In life, it is important to know – when to walk away.
You gotta stop watering dead plants.
This is something that I try to actively practice. Of course, as you become older and gather life experiences – your decision-making abilities allow you to prioritize and walk steps towards someone worthwhile.
The Swatch Skin family has two subfamilies – Original Skin and Skin Chronograph. The Original skin is a much thinner version than the original Swatch watch, and it even entered the Guinness World Book of Records as the world’s thinnest plastic watch. The Swatch Chronograph is just the Swatch skin with a chronograph function and two additional buttons on the side of the watch.
The Time is Now!
There is always a choice when on a Monday morning you make a decision – this decision is between the two phrases “one day” and “day one”. One day I am going to start working on my idea, one day I am going to lose weight and one day I am going to spring clean. Days, weeks, months and seasons will pass and spring won’t arrive.
On the other side, day one marks a beginning, it marks a promise and it marks a date on the calendar. And trust me when you compare the failures between one-day vs day one – the one-day failures pinch the most cuz in the latter case at least you tried.
The SWATCH continues to carry its name as one of the choicest Swiss souvenirs due to its heritage, design, quality and engagement with the young consumers (in particular). It serves as a great keepsake, a suave accessory and a terrific gift!
So with that, all I want to say is that the time is now, keep the faith and keep trying. Make a plan, wear a Swatch, choose your day one and begin! I can’t promise you successes but I can promise you better days. And with winter tapping on your shoulder- we all need days that we can look forward to!
Watch Details
Photographs by Flory Gingging
Shoot Location Riverside – KannenfeldPark, Basel, Switzerland
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