Why timing is everything

“All things entail rising and falling timing. You must be able to discern this.” –  Miyamoto Musashi

Author Dan Millman states in Living on Purpose, “I learned that we can do anything, but we can’t do everything… at least not at the same time. So think of your priorities not in terms of what activities you do, but when you do them. Timing is everything.”

Timing is that compelling force apparent when chance and coincidence collide.

It is observed in universal order and the seasons which arrive and recede. The ocean tides are influenced according to the moon’s gravity and the planets’ orbit according to the sun’s gravity.

Recognised by Carl Jung, synchronistic events relate to meaningful coincidences that occur with no causal relationship, yet are related. When you have a pressing question in your mind and a book falls off the shelf which contains the answer, or the phone rings from a friend who you were just thinking of, are examples of synchronicity.

How does timing and synchronicity play its role within the cosmos?

The wise man learns to collaborate with this occurrence, just as a farmer sows his seeds expecting the coming harvest.

In my book The Power to Navigate Life, I elude to timing as the art of allowing, “Rather than becoming attached to your own agenda, that governs the timing of how things should play out in your life; you come from a place of allowing which is seeded in infinite possibilities.”

What works one season may be unsuitable the next. We adjust by working with the forces of life instead of opposing them.

In his acclaimed book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell illustrates how timing plays a role in chance opportunities. He cites the births of young men and their demographic fortune as significant factors in determining their success.

Is there a connection between timing, fate and destiny?

Consider Amy Neftzger’s perspective in her book, The Ferryman, “The problem with Fate is that no matter how many times you call out to her, she has her own timing that’s irrelevant to whatever anyone else happens to be doing.”

Why do particular goals transpire with little effort, compared with earlier attempts?

Certainly, timing plays a role.

To make better use of timing is to be in touch with intuition. Most people use conscious thought alone to make major life decisions. Read any biography on successful CEOs, and it’s clear they profited from using intuition to make astute business decisions.

What does this mean to you?

Appreciate that universal forces are at play in the backdrop of your life that lead to your personal growth. Often plans don’t work out as expected because timing commands something better has yet to arrive.

Viewed in this light, timing serves to guide your passage through life. Decisions correspond to the flow of universal energy instead of opposing what is.

“Timing, degree and conviction are the three wise men in this life.” –  R. I. Fitzhenry

It is natural that people associate timing with meeting their life partner. In several instances the individual may have experienced relationship misfortune leading to the successful connection.

Timing serves a role to uphold cohesive order and orchestrates the natural flow of events.

Actions fall into place because of universal timing and when combined with synchronicity, bring those events into your awareness to seize your attention.

Author Robert Greene states in The 48 Laws of Power, “Time depends on perception, which can be wilfully altered. This is vital in mastering the art of timing.”

How can we make better use of timing in our lives?

For starters, appreciate the natural rhythm of life. We needn’t push for things to happen, instead we should recognise circumstances seldom follow an ordered pattern.

Your emotions guide your actions in harmony with the natural flow of events. For example, if you offer resistance to conditions beyond your control, timing may be a barrier. To labour ahead obscured by the truth is unfavourable to achieving a positive outcome.

Our thoughts are subject to timing.

It may be difficult to grasp ideas at a certain time, while later with a raise in awareness the learnings are reinforced with little effort.

The flow of thoughts dictates some days are tempered while other days are erratic.

“One can’t live mindfully without being enmeshed in psychological processes that are around us,” affirms Philip G. Zimbardo in the book The Time Paradox.

Thus, timing gives rise to changes in the psychological process which affect us.

It bodes well to co-operate with the natural forces of life by linking time, coincidence and opportunity to favourable outcomes.

Ordered chaos can be a powerful phenomenon so that events unfold in our favour. If we stay grounded, we trust life to serve our needs beyond our limited knowing.

My greatest life experiences happened when I least expected them, through random chaos. What seemed erratic from my first impression was my mind’s perception of the event.

As I suspend judgement, I let go of how these events should materialise and allow universal timing to play her role in establishing my reality.

My task is to keep my thoughts and emotions in check without succumbing to what unfolds.

It is with that knowing we return to Dan Millman’s opening passage, which invites us to perform all our activities in line with timing.

Timing is everything since it is the glue which binds the cosmos and the natural flow of events.

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