On average, how much time do you spend with them? Enough? Too little? How much do you consider reasonable or desirable? What kinds of expectations are directed towards you? Do you believe you know what is expected, or have you often discussed this topic? Since this is a global coaching theme, I allowed myself to ask a few questions and came upon a much promising result!

It is not about quantity but quality! If you don't have enough time for your children/partner/friends, it only becomes a problem if you don't use that sparse time correctly! Rather than denigrating yourself by thinking you don't have enough time, use this energy more productively and think about how you can make these few moments into "memorable moments". If you experience something together which inspires, you can always remember that moment together and that really bonds! It doesn't have to be something spectacular but rather it has to do with "presence in the moment" and with the common experiences... preferably with all the senses.

Here a couple of examples from people of whom I asked: "What do you think about when you reflect on someone who didn't have a lot of time for you?". Of course, I had answers like "I missed him" or "I was quite upset", but here are just a couple of examples of memories that were successfully created:

• "Every two weeks was a cinema evening, which we looked forward to whenever we telephoned. It was a sacred evening and it was only my dad and I... no one else was allowed to join!"
• "Even when she was on a business trip, my mother would read my favorite story to me in the evening... it was really great to know that she was in a different city and read to me over the telephone... I was truly important to her!"
• "My dad takes an interesting or funny photograph every day with his cell phone, wherever he is, and sends it to me... when he comes home he spontaneously creates a funny story about the pictures... or I create one - that is really fun!"

How do you create memorable moments or what kind of ideas do you have now, which you would like to try out?