An email arrived the other day – it included:
“Didn’t get a chance to“
The words – “get a chance to” will be familiar to you.
You’ve heard them many times. You’ve perhaps used them.
They’re common. Part of how we talk.
But should they be? Should we talk that way?
Why do people say those words?
Sometimes they are 100% genuine – the person saying the words honestly thinks they didn’t get a chance to do [whatever]. Sometimes perhaps they’re uttered out of awkwardness – the person doesn’t want to say to their listener that doing [whatever] wasn’t important enough to them. Or that they’d actually forgotten [whatever] and don’t want to admit that.
Is there an alternative?
If [whatever] genuinely slipped your mind, you can simply accept personal responsibility, apologise, and do it.
But what if the truth is that you didn’t not “get” the time to do it but that you simply didn’t make the time?
When it comes to you not doing something, which of these is the more common reason: is it because you don’t get the time (like the person who sent me the email), or is it because you don’t make the time?
Don’t worry. I’m not going to preach about us all having the same 24 hours in the day. Because we don’t.
Some people have kids that need caring for when others do not.
Some parents are single parents. Some are not.
Some people have elderly parents. Some do not.
Some people have loved ones with special needs. Some do not.
Some people have significant health challenges. Some do not.
But we do all have something in common. We wake up every day and we have choice. Maybe not a lot if our circumstances are demanding. But we do have some choice.
Which in turn means that we can choose, to some degree, what to make time for.
That’s where your power is.
Choose wisely!
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