There’s a strange paradox that everybody experiences as they grow up.

With each passing year, time seems to be moving much faster. I remember thinking on December 31^st, 2025, “Oh wow, this year went by so fast.”

And now, it’s already March 2026! In the blink of an eye, more than sixty days have passed by. 

I’ve been feeling this rush of time ever since I was 14. And initially, I thought it was just my brain that worked in a weird way.

However, in conversations with friends, clients, and family, I have noticed that this hurried feeling of “Time is running away” only intensifies with age.

When I started noticing that this pattern is a lot more common than I thought, my initial hypothesis was that we’re feeling this way because of the hyper-connected world we’re living in. Our devices are overstimulating and distracting us, so time slips away, our brain gets deep-fried in overwhelm, and days feel lost in a haze.

I soon realized, though, that today’s technology is a major amplifier of this rush inside our hearts, but not the cause of it.

Otherwise, in 1977, Billy Joel wouldn’t have written these lyrics in his song, Vienna: “Slow down, you’re doing fine. You can’t be everything you want to be ahead of your time…You can afford to lose a day or two.”

And Marcus Aurelius wouldn’t have noted this in his journal, Meditations, almost 2000 years ago: “Time is a sort of river of passing events, and strong is its current; no sooner is a thing brought to sight than it is swept by and another takes its place, and this too will be swept away.”

Back then, Instagram, Google, TikTok, and smartphones weren’t even a concept.

But the rush, the sinking feeling that we’re losing out on time, and the dread that it won’t be enough, have been there since time immemorial.

It’s an innate part of who we are. So, we do either of these two things:

1. We accept the fact that time won’t be enough and live a stressful life.
2. We try to do and achieve more, believing that will sort life out.

But neither of these helps us live a fulfilling life. The chase never ends. And human beings can’t really settle where they are. They desire growth and progress. 

So, what do we do? How do we find a way out? How can we achieve big goals, but also live life in the now? How can we think long term, and also laugh like an idiot in the moment, truly feeling the joy and not worrying about a future that isn’t here yet?

It feels impossible. But trust me, it is not.

The answer is just one word: presence. You don’t have to give time to everything in your life because that’s unrealistic; we only have 24 hours in a day.

But the way you show up in those 24 hours defines the quality of your life. You could be doing a million things, but if your mind is just not there, you will feel the rush because you never felt the moment to begin with.

Presence creates the possibility of fulfillment.

And that’s why children are so happy for no reason at all. They are naturals at being present. But we unlearn that skill when the world expects us to be serious and responsible adults. I think it’s time we learn it again, because that’s the key to a fulfilling life where responsibility and joy can go hand in hand.

When this realization hit me, I wrote a poem about it. Today I thought, rather than a dissertation on presence, I would share the poem with all of you, and let you choose how you want to be present in your life 🙂

Here it is!

Race Against Time.

I saw a 6 year old boy today,
Playing with some toy cars.
And he teleported me to 2012
Back when I was the same age.
Carefree
Lost in my world
A little shy
But always smiling.
He was a reflection
Of everything I had once been
But now I had forgotten
How to be
And that my heart skipped a beat
I could feel the tears in the back of my eyes
Yearning for a time
Where life was simple
And I could just…be
Because ever since I turned 14,
Time seems to be moving at 10X speed.
I am always rushing.
Always behind on something.
Dealing with changes, loss, confusion, heartbreak,
Like everyone does.
Because apparently, that’s how life toughens you up.
So, I did grow strong.
I did toughen up.
But it cost me the kid who could magically slow down time and feel okay…now.
I learned to live on high alert,
Always ready for a problem,
Looking out for one.
So I hurried through everything,
Work, calls, meals, even fun,
Believing that I didn’t have enough time
So I had to rush the process
To make sure I don’t fall short
and achieve more in the times to come.
I learned to sacrifice my now
For a promising future.
Not realizing,
What matters is not the time that is to come
What matters is the time that is…
Right here, right now.
This moment is perfect.
But when I ignore it, 
I lose grip.
And all the moments that actually count, slip right through my fingers.
While I keep chasing the elusive future that escapes me like a butterfly flapping its wings a little too fast.
But my direction was all wrong.
I didn’t have to find something in the future.
I just had to love the person I was at 6,
Nurture him
Take care of him
Awaken him
Just…let him be.
And it’s magical, almost laughable,
Because the peace I was looking for,
Is here now.
After being a nomad for so long,
My heart finally feels at home.
Now that the race against time has slowed down, my eyes have time to soak in the view.
All because I stopped looking for more,
And finally lived in the moment,
As it is.