Permission to Strive for Less Instead of More - Granted
By Tana M. Mann Easton, Lead Efficiency Engineer
Our culture inundates us with messages of more. We’re told we should always be striving for more money, better homes, more expensive cars, more luxurious clothing, more opinions, more networking acquaintances, more power, more rewards, more acknowledgement, more, more, MORE! But Ed Mylett and Harvard Professor, Arthur Brooks, had a different point of view during a recent interview.
During their conversation, Arthur talks about differences between Western and Eastern art. In the West, we think of art as an empty canvas that needs to be filled up. In the East, artists believe that the sculpture already exists inside the slab of rock, and they just need to remove bits until the sculpture is free and revealed. Arthur says that we humans should think of ourselves in the same way. We should get to know ourselves and meticulously remove the particulars of our lives that do not fit us and our mission. We should aim for less instead of more. We should be more concerned with removing rather than adding. If we find ourselves making more money, don’t heed the pull to get a bigger house just because we can when we already live in a wonderful home. Get rid of the possessions that aren’t used and weighing you down. Resist the urge to form strong opinions that have nothing to do with your purpose and leave you in a negative state. Focus on less.
When I turned 39, I felt a noticeable shift toward removing rather than accumulating. I stopped buying as many possessions and started giving away unused belongings. I left a lucrative job that felt completely divorced from my purpose and pivoted into a vocation that fulfills me and gives me more time to focus on the people I love. I find that I really am happier when my focus is on less and being grateful for what I already have. So if the hustle for more is leaving you unsatisfied, perhaps a simple change in focus to less can be a guiding star that leads you on a happier path.
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Sincerely Yours,
Focus to Evolve Team