It sounds like total blasphemy. Everywhere you look, there’s the message of walking your path. Now that I’m in my mid-thirties, I’ve learned the only way that’s really possible. I’ve always been the kind of guy who wants to do it all. Now I understand that’s not possible.
Don’t Do It!
I have always wanted to do everything myself. I hate asking for help. I’m a DIY guy to a fault. It’s been fun and I’ve learned a lot. However, what happens more often than not is that things just don’t get done.
There are only so many hours in the day and working on one project is another project that gets put off. The truth that I’ve learned is that in order to do what I really want, I have to let some things go. Probably most things in reality.
You can only handle diverting your energy to so many things. Maybe some of these things can be done for you by someone else. That’s what money’s really for right? But what I’ve really started to realize is that many of these things don’t have to be done at all. They’re really nothing more than temporary distractions.
Doing What You Want
It’s taken me a long time to really grasp how to do what I really want. This is going to sound counterintuitive. Life isn’t about doing as much as you can. It’s about doing as little as you want.
I don’t mean sitting on your couch watching TV all day. I mean diverting your time and energy in a way that focuses only on the things you really want to do. How can I cut out everything that’s unnecessary? Everything that doesn’t move me closer to what I want.
The only option is to edit my life. Not just stuff, but everything. If something doesn’t hold value to me, then it’s time to let it go. My last 30-day challenge was to come up with a plan, which isn’t really my thing. Big surprise, I didn’t really come up with a plan.
What I did come up with was a realization that most of the things I do, I’ve convinced myself that I have to do them. Very few of them are things I really have to do. So moving forward, the challenge is to simplify and streamline my life.
It’s time to question everything. Figure out what in my life I want to be there and what in my life I’ve just accepted should be there.
Featured Image courtesy of Flickr
