Tchaikovsky And Time Management

TCHAIKOVSKY AND TIME MANAGEMENT

Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky, the great Russian composer, put a sign on his gate: "Visiting hours Monday and Tuesday between 3 and 5 p.m. Other times please do not ring." By posting that sign, Tchaikovsky was announcing to the world that he was a great composer, and as a great composer, his time was important. If he was going to achieve his purpose and bless the world with his music, he needed to single-mindedly devote himself to the task at hand. Tchaikovsky was not willing to compromise his work, or his calling, by wasting his time with trivial matters. He knew that in order to reach his goal, he needed to focus on his purpose; he needed to value his time, and he needed to teach others to do the same. As a result of his willingness to value and protect his daily schedule, Tchaikovsky became the foremost musical composer of the 19th Century. Had he allowed himself to be distracted by other things, the world would have been deprived of his beautiful music.

And so it is with us. If we are going to achieve success in our self-care efforts, we too need to value our time, and we need to teach others to do the same as well.

(From a sermon by Dennis Selfridge, Sanctification Means Being Spiritually Minded, 6/26/2010)