Episode 1194: Ever feel like life is moving faster than you are?

In this episode of The BIGG Success Show, George and Mary-Lynn explore:

1. Why this feeling happens and the psychology behind it.
2. How certain life traps keep us stuck.
3. Practical steps to regain a sense of purpose and momentum.

You’ll learn how autopilot living, the “someday” mindset, fear of judgment, and loss of purpose slowly disconnect you from what matters most, and how alignment can bring you back into your life.

Thanks for listening!

Here’s to your BIGG Success,

George & Mary-Lynn

BIGG Takeaways:

1. Life passing you by can feel confusing and painful, but it can also signal a need for change.
2. The sensation of time slipping away often stems from a lack of alignment in your daily life.
3. To regain control, start by defining what a meaningful life looks like for you.
4. Routines are essential, but when they become autopilot, life can start to feel stagnant.
5. Creating new experiences can stretch time and help you feel more engaged in your life.

BIGG Chapters

[00:13] Feeling Left Behind: When Life Passes You By

[02:16] Understanding the Perception of Time

[04:11] The Autopilot Life

[05:19] Traps of Autopilot Living

[07:27] Regaining Control: Practical Steps for Time Management

[10:39] Navigating Life with Intention

Links referenced in this episode:

1. Life Map Course
2. Follow our podcast
3. Join our newsletter

On this episode of the BIGG Success Show, is life passing you by?

BIGG Success with The Professor and Mary-Lynn.

Have you ever looked at the calendar and felt like another year, another chapter of your life has just slipped away, like you're on the sidelines while life moves forward without you? If so, we've got good news for you. You're not alone.

Welcome to the BIGG Success show, where we help you create the life you want. Hi, I'm Mary- Lynn.

And I'm George the Professor. Many people, young and old, feel this way at different stages of their life.

That sensation, that time is slipping through your fingers can be confusing, discouraging, even painful. But it can also be a signal. A signal you can use to pivot, refocus, and start living more intentionally.

In this podcast episode, we're going to explore why this feeling of life passing you by happens and the psychology behind it; how certain life traps keep us stuck; and practical steps you can take today to regain a sense of purpose and momentum.

So what do people really mean by life is passing me by? Let's break that feeling down. When someone says, life feels like it's passing me by, they usually mean one or more of these things...

Time feels fast, but progress seems slow. Life moves forward, birthdays, seasons, transitions. Yet your sense of progress just doesn't seem to match the pace.

Goals stay on the back burner. You know, deep down, you know there's something more you want to do, but you just haven't gotten there yet. Time marches on.

You feel reactive, not proactive. You respond to life instead of creating it.

You feel stuck in a rut. Routines become autopilot, and days blend into one another.

There's a gap between your potential and your reality. You know, you could do more, be more, live more, but nothing changes.

So, Professor, this experience, it really all comes down to alignment, right?

Well, Mary-Lynn or the lack of it. The lack of alignment between your inner values and your daily life.

Good point.

What you know you want versus what you have.

The science of why time flies. Let's get into the science. There's actually a psychological reason why 10 years feels longer when you're 10 than when you're 50.

And psychologists explain that when you're young, everything is new, right? The first concerts, your first job, your first love.

So time feels longer because our brains are recording these rich memories with all of these new experiences and lots of detail to go along with it.

Now then, as we age, more of our life becomes routine. Fewer memorable moments are created. So time feels shorter.

Days blur together. Before you know it, a week's turned into a month, which has turned into a year. And here we are feeling like life has passed us by again.

It just seems like...so we get older, we're boring?

No, I think it's just that we're absorbing things at a different rate.

Yeah. And our brain's already, like, been there, done that.

Yes, exactly.

And so it's not recording this stuff as new.

I remember a friend of mine worked at our local deli, and every Sunday night, he had a customer who came in. He ordered, like, a pound of bologna and a half a pound of cheese. Every single Sunday night, my friend knew the order was coming in.

That's what you call a routine, right? Well, when life feels routine, time feels like it's flying.

Or it feels like a whole lot of bologna and cheese. One of two, right?

That's baloney! Now, you know, Mary-Lynn, when someone says, I feel like life is passing me by.

Yeah.

It usually isn't about one big dramatic problem.

That's very true. It's almost always about a small handful of patterns that add up over time.

Exactly. And we see this again and again. There are a few common traps that make people feel like time is slipping through their fingers.

We're going to share four of those common traps. Now, trap number one is the autopilot life. So that's like the bologna and cheese. But I can't blame the guy.

If I find something I really like to eat, I'm going to order that over and over again. But that's just me.

Do you drive the same way to work every day?

Well, that's one of this autopilot life things. You know, you wake up, you drive the same way to work, you got the commute, you go to work. You know, you do the same thing at work.

You do your chores on the weekends. You know, you scroll on your phone, you watch Netflix, you go to bed. So, none of these things are bad on their own.

And we all need routines, we all need rest. And let's be honest, sometimes Netflix is exactly what the doctor ordered.

Oh, I think it's more like Tubi. Yes, for us, it's Tubi, right?

Yeah.

Well, the real issue here isn't routine. It's when routine becomes the default.

When most of your time is spent reacting rather than choosing, life starts happening to you instead of being shaped by you. And that's when weeks blur together, months disappear, and you suddenly wonder, how did I get here so fast?

Trap number two is the someday trap. And this one sounds hopeful, but quietly keeps you stuck. It sounds like this, Someday I'll write that book. Someday I'll get in shape.

Someday I'll travel.

And someday feels safe because there's no deadline. But someday isn't a date on the calendar.

That's a good point, Professor.

Someday never shows up unless you give it structure, a starting point, a next step. Without that, years pass, and suddenly you're wondering why the things that matter to you are still sitting on the sidelines.

That's brutal. Trap number three fear of failure or judgment. And this one stops people before they even begin. Fear whispers, "What if I fail?" Or worse, "What will people think if I try and it doesn't work?"

So instead of starting, you delay, you stall. You wait for the right time.

Yeah, that never comes, right?

Right. Because while you're waiting, life keeps moving.

And then trap number four, loss of purpose. This one can sneak up on you slowly. Your work no longer reflects what you care about. Your routines don't line up with your values,

and your relationships feel off.

Motivation dries up. Life starts to feel like a treadmill. You get on the treadmill, you got to get off at some point, but we just end up getting back on. Lots of motion,

but you're not getting anywhere. Very little meaning. You're busy, but not fulfilled.

Let's pause for a moment because we've talked about what it means when we say life is passing us by. And we've talked about some common traps that come with that. So let's just pause for a second right now, while you're listening.

Ask yourself this one simple question. What is one thing that I'm doing on autopilot that no longer deserves as much of my time?

And don't overthink it. The first answer that comes to mind is usually the honest one.

All it takes is a little bit of awareness. Awareness alone starts breaking the pattern. And that's all we're trying to accomplish today, to just notice it.

And that brings us to the first real step in regaining control of your time and your life. Here are some practical strategies you can start using today. And step one is to get clear on what you actually want.

Most people have never truly defined their version of a meaningful life.

And this is The Professor's BIGG Assignment for this episode. You're gonna ask yourself these two questions and write down your answers. Here we go...

Question number one: What do I want to be proud of in 10 years? What do I want to be proud of in 10 years?

And question number two: what am I tolerating now that I shouldn't be. What am I tolerating now that I shouldn't be?

Use these answers to help you see where you're drifting and where you want to be more present

Step two to regain control of your time in life, align your time with your values. If your calendar doesn't reflect your values, your time isn't going to either.

Look at how you actually spend your time now.

We're not looking at your ideal week. We're looking at your real week.

Where does your time really go when you're tired, when you're busy, and when you're on autopilot?

And then ask, does this match with what I say matters?

Most people value family, health, growth, freedom. But when you look at the calendar, it often tells a different story.

Ask, where's my energy leaking?

Some things don't just take time. They drain energy. Meetings, commitments, habits, even relationships that leave you depleted instead of energized.

Ask yourself, what deserves more space?

This is where intention comes in. What lights you up? What restores you? What moves your life forward, even in small ways.

Time alignment is one of the fastest ways to feel like you're back in your life. And step three of how to regain control of your time and your life is, intentionally add new things in your life. And new doesn't have to be dramatic.

It just has to be intentional.

And here's some ways to do that. Learn something new. Meet someone outside your usual circle. Create instead of consume. Take a different path, literally or figuratively.

New experiences stretch time, and they leave you feeling full again.

Now here's what we've noticed over the years. Most people don't lack motivation.

They lack structure.

Most people know they want more. They just don't know how to translate insight into action.

That's why guided frameworks work. They turn reflection into execution. They replace I should with here's my next step.

Our BIGG Success Life Map Course helps you understand your priorities, align your time with your values, get clear on what you really want, and intentionally add things in your life.

Instead of drifting, you're navigating instead of reacting, you're choosing. And that's why people who use structured life-design tools often say, "time finally feels like it's working with me."

Learn more at LifeMapCourse.com. Feeling like life is passing you by doesn't mean you've done something wrong. It means your inner compass is asking for attention. You still have time, and you still get to decide what the next chapter looks like.

And this is the moment where everything that The Professor and I have talked about here all comes together.

It's our BIGG takeaway.

And that's BIGG with two Gs.

You better believe it. And this is a really important one. Life doesn't feel meaningful because of what happens to you.

It feels meaningful because of how intentionally you engage with it. And that leads to BIGG success.

Next time, we're going to touch more on something that came up in this episode, Fear of Failure. We're going to look at what causes it and how to overcome it. Follow our podcast in your favorite app so you don't miss it.

And be sure to follow us on social media. We're @BIGGsuccess. That's BIGG with two Gs on all the BIGG channels.

And come join us in our BIGG Success community where we help each other grow with an entrepreneurial mindset. You can do that at BIGGsuccess.com/Join.

We thank you so much for listening today. Until next time...

Here's to your BIGG success!

Find BIGG Success at BIGGsuccess.com