Time is all the rage occassionaly. Remember that Justin Timberlake movie where time becomes currency in the future world.

Hmm, you’re right.

Remember that Justin Timberlake trailer for the movie where time becomes currency in the future world. The one that no one saw.

Anyway, time is one of the few things you can’t get back. Can’t always buy more of. And no matter what you do, it always seems like you’re running out of it.

And then there’s the working world. The packing of hours into the week. Startups trading in precious hours of sleep for more time to crank out code or work on social media. The Google calendar that has more colors than a bag of Skittles.

Time can be the greatest of mountains that young businesses need to climb. And, in many cases, it’s simply insurmountable. And though the greatest of our scientific minds have proven that time is not absolute, it always feels like it does, doesn’t it?

It just keeps ticking on. On. And on.

And so the race is on to beat time. Get some of it back. Open some up in the future. I’ll quickly throw in that Zirtual assistants can certainly pop open a huge envelope of time, taking care of those busy tasks. But how you use that extra time is ultimately up to you.

And then there are some other time-expanding methods. One of those caught my eye recently. A new study has published findings relating to the human response after experiencing awe.  Awe. That three-letter word that packs so much punch.

Specifically, experiencing something inspires awe in us causes a response that slows down time and gives the impression of one having more of it. Simply, it changes your perception on that busy, hectic, run-around life.

And that’s a great thing. It’s kind of easy to understand this phenomenon, though it’s nice to see science flexing its muscle behind the idea. Those things that are awe-some are large than life. Some are old. Some are beautiful. Some are amazing feats, either of man or nature.

Certainly, the Coliseum changes our perception of the longevity of human architecture. If that doesn’t do it for you, the Pyramids must. Mountain ranges change our idea of what “humungous” really means. It’s these paradigm changes that come from experiencing awe that ultimately shape things in our mind.

More? The vast expanse of the ocean truly clues me in on how big our world is. Any of the insanely mind-boggling stats I hear about the universe stretches that idea of distance even further. Then there is art, music, and poetry, all of which reveal just how imaginative and rich the human mind truly is.

And when our perception changes, especially in terms of what we once thought was unimaginable, we realize time is nothing we can’t conquer. Some may realize that time itself may be a construct, waiting to be tamed by the ingenuity and talent of man.

But I like this idea. It gives new reason to put art up on your office wall. Now that Max Ernst painting does more than just give you something to think about. It makes your day longer. That half-hour reading break you take? Well a good author can make waves that extend beyond those thirty minutes. Opening the day up further.

Other scientific studies have shown that humans are surprisingly apt at understanding time. Of course, there are a list of things that alter that talent; sickness and age are a few. Of course, having fun (in which time flies) and being incredible bored (in which time seems to be slowly killing us) affect that talent the most.

I wonder what working all day every day, does to our perception of time. For now, though, our lesson is what the awesomeness in this awesome world can do for us. Slow time down. Allow us a more comfortable perceptive ability of just how time is going and passing. And that that shouldn’t discourage us, but rather inspire. We can be awesome too, and now we know how to make some time for that!