Time is what you make of it

“Time is a created thing.
To say ‘I don’t have time’ is like saying ‘I don’t want to.’”
— Lao Tzu

That quote has a way of stopping you in your tracks if you let it. Not because it’s clever, but because it’s honest. Uncomfortably honest.

Most of us walk around telling ourselves we don’t have time. We say it without thinking. We say it to our kids, our partners, ourselves. As if time is something that just happens to us — something that runs out, disappears, or gets stolen by life.

But Lao Tzu saw through that illusion a long time ago. Time isn’t something you find. It’s something you create. And when you say you don’t have time, what you’re really saying is that, right now, you don’t want to make the space for it.

That’s not an insult. It’s a mirror.

Because the truth is, we always make time for what matters to us. No matter how busy life gets, the things we truly value somehow still find a place in the day. Work gets done. Phones get scrolled. Comfort gets prioritised. Rest gets taken when we decide we need it. Time doesn’t vanish — it gets spent, usually without much thought.

This is where a lot of men feel frustrated. They feel like life is rushing past them, like they’re constantly behind, always reacting, never fully present. Days blur together, weeks disappear, and suddenly the kids are older, the body is stiffer, and the goals that once mattered feel further away than ever.

The problem isn’t a lack of time. It’s a lack of intention.

When a man doesn’t know what truly matters to him, time feels slippery and chaotic. When he does, time sharpens. It becomes something he can direct, even in small ways. He doesn’t need a perfect schedule or a colour-coded calendar. He just needs to decide what deserves his energy and what doesn’t.

If being strong matters, he trains — even when it’s inconvenient.
If being a present father matters, he looks up from the phone and listens.
If his health matters, he stops bargaining with excuses and starts acting in alignment with what he says he values.

That’s not discipline for the sake of discipline. That’s self-respect.

The clock isn’t your enemy. Life isn’t conspiring against you. Every man wakes up with the same raw material each day — a limited number of hours and a long list of choices. Some choices move him closer to the man he wants to be. Others slowly pull him away from it.

So the next time you hear yourself say, “I don’t have time,” pause for a moment. Ask yourself the harder question: If this truly mattered to me, would I make time for it?

If the answer is yes, then act accordingly. If the answer is no, at least be honest with yourself. There’s power in clarity. There’s freedom in owning your decisions instead of hiding behind the clock.

Time isn’t created by luck, productivity hacks, or motivation.
It’s created by commitment.

And fathers who want to build something solid — in their bodies, their families, and their legacy — don’t wait until they “have time.”

They decide what matters, and they make it.