Our Inner Time Capsule

Have you heard of the Crypt of Civilization?  It sounds like something really creepy, right?  Actually, it’s a time capsule that was sealed in 1940 at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, GA.   It is an entire room filled with documents and artifacts slated to be opened in the year 8113.

I have always been fascinated by time capsules.  The idea of placing objects into a container to be opened by someone in the future is intriguing to me.  I wanted to create one of my own when I was a kid.  I remember gathering items that I thought were important and storing them in a shoebox that I planned to bury somewhere in the backyard.  Eventually, I stuffed it under my bed and simply forgot about it.  

When I think about time capsules I think about our human potential. I think about how we tend to put off chasing our dreams.  How we convince ourselves that we don’t have the time or talent to pursue them.  We create an inner time capsule where we stuff our creativity and our ambition and the very essence of who we are.   We tell ourselves that we will work on our big ideas and dreams later.  When we have the time.  When we have the money.

Instead, we fill our days with tasks and commitments and argue that the obstacles we face in achieving our dreams are just too great.

There are a couple of things to point out about time capsules though.  First, once they are filled, we must schedule an opening date. This is especially true of our inner time capsules.  Start by scheduling an appointment with yourself.  Set aside time each day that is for you only!  Write it down if you have to and keep this commitment to yourself.

Second, start digging! Get in touch with old hopes and dreams by journaling, hiking or meditating.  Our inner time capsules are full of things with significance and value.  Things that are worth excavating and discovering again.  Digging down and finding those qualities within us will help us define who we are.

Every single one of us was created with greatness inside of us.  It is already there just waiting to be unearthed.  There are no extra people on the planet.  Every single one of us has a fantastic destiny and it’s up to each of us to discover it.