"It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste much of it."— Seneca
For most of my life, I have found myself agreeing with this statement. We often hear people say that life is too short, and in a way, they're right. The average person may live only 70 or 80 years, and reaching beyond that is already a blessing. Yet the real issue is not the length of our lives; it is how we choose to spend them.
I mean 70 or 80 years is enough time to grow, achieve meaningful goals, inspire others, and leave a lasting impact. Unfortunately, many of us become so focused on how much time we have left that we forget to consider what we can accomplish with the time we have now. We become distracted by trends, entertainment, and habits that consume our days while giving little in return.
One of the greatest mistakes we make is treating time as if it were unlimited. We postpone our dreams, our goals, and even our personal growth until "someday." But someday is an illusion, you know that. It is a destination that never appears on the calendar. If something is important enough to do someday, then perhaps it is important enough to start today. Every dream pushed into the future risks remaining there forever.
Many people convince themselves that dreaming bigger is pointless because, in the end, everyone returns to dust. Yet there is a really really big difference between being alive for 80 years and truly living for 80 years. Too many people spend their lives merely existing, clocking in and out, just waiting for the weekend. But living requires a different kind of energy. It demands that you explore, work, commit, and engage fully with the world. So, if we can spend hours doing things that waste our time, why can't we spend those same hours doing things that improve our lives?
One lesson I have drawn from Seneca's words is that we must learn to protect our time. If someone stole our money, we would be upset and demand it back. Yet every day, we allow distractions, endless scrolling, unnecessary drama, and unproductive habits to steal our time without resistance. And so you know, time is even more valuable than money because once it is gone, it can never be recovered.
But this does not mean that success should be measured by wealth, luxury, or status. Those things are optional. What truly matters is growth. For Seneca, a long life was not measured by the number of years recorded on a calendar, but by the depth of awareness with which those years were lived. A person who spends 40 years making conscious choices, learning from mistakes, and pursuing meaningful goals may have lived a richer life than someone who reaches 90 while remaining trapped in distraction and routine.
Perhaps this lesson is even more relevant today than it was in ancient Rome. Notifications constantly demand our attention. Algorithms compete for every spare minute. Endless streams of content encourage us to consume rather than create. The moment we lose control of our attention, we begin to lose control of our lives. What we focus on today ultimately shapes who we become tomorrow.
This is a lesson I learned through personal experience. I entered the working world at a young age, taking on responsibilities that many people believed I was too young to carry. Some relatives even mocked me for facing reality earlier than others. At times, their words made me question myself. But as the years passed, I became more convinced that I had chosen a path that taught me valuable lessons about discipline, responsibility, and perseverance.
I do not regret the sacrifices I made. While my childhood may have looked different from that of many others, those experiences helped shape the person I am today. They taught me that life rewards those who are willing to use their time wisely rather than merely watch it pass.
For me, Seneca's quote is a reminder that the problem is not a lack of time. More often, it is a lack of intention. We may never know how many years remain ahead of us, but we can decide how we will use the hours we have today. The goal is not simply to live longer but to live better, with purpose, awareness, and courage.
After all, a meaningful life is not measured by the number of years we are given, but by what we choose to do with them.
