“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading” – Lao Tzu

 

The more we simplify, the more focused we can become on those few things which truly matter most to us.  We strip away and discard the unnecessary and the unhelpful.

 

To plot a straight line, we need to minimise distractions after all.

 

Living a successful and fulfilled life means being invested in the areas of our lives that give us most back, the essentials.  Making the necessary space for them.  By default, the list of what is essential cannot be long.

 

The Essential Shortlist

The truth is, the truly important and essential aspects in anyone’s life are on a very short list.  They can include, but are not limited to, our relationships with loved ones, our physical and mental wellbeing, purpose and passion (a calling), adventure, personal achievement.

 

In the process of uncovering the essential, we also identify the unessential.

 

On reflection, when we study what really makes the cut on our essential list, we may realise we have been wasting effort.  Chasing rabbits we don’t really want to catch.  Perhaps where we have been investing our time and energy doesn’t marry up with where we really want to spend most of ourselves.

 

Time and energy spent chasing more money for new cars, or a bigger house, or new toys might have been why we have been spending long hours in the office.  A related output may have been missing too many dinners with the family and not having enough quality time for our loved ones.

 

Are these trades really justified?  If not, we can correct course.

 

Trade Offs

Instead of making excuses to those we love most in future, we can instead give our excuses at work.  Making time back tomorrow so we can leave work early today, to see our daughter in her first school play.

 

We can stop chasing more and more money because we realise we already have enough physical possessions.  Perhaps we have too much.

 

Maybe we realise we don’t need a spanking new car every other year (on loan) as the one we’ve already had for 8 years will do just fine.

 

If we find we are happier with less stuff, maybe we’ll also be happier in a smaller and less expensive space.  Less money spent on a mortgage, or rent, can be put to good use for those holidays and adventures we’ve longed dreamed about.

 

We can reset a baseline of what enough truly looks like for us.  We can live a life more aligned to our value system.

 

When we strip away the unnecessary we make room for the necessary.  Life has a nicer glow around it when it is full of the right sort of things.  Not of all of those things are actually things at all.

 

 

 

Note: For the last 3 months I’ve been travelling in Asia, having many adventures, in large part due to the fact that I’ve tried to put the theory of this piece into practice in the last several years.  Travel may not be an essential for you but uncover what is and prioritise it.

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