“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”
— Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Less is quiet. More is noisy.
Less is simple. More is complicated.
Less is elegant. More is gaudy.
Less is focused. More is distracted.
Less is productive. More is busy.
Don’t live life always chasing more.
“I choose to live by choice, not by chance.”
— Miyamoto Musashi
Each day is filled with opportunities. The problem is that sometimes we don’t see those opportunities because we’re distracted by the daily grind. We miss what could be because we only see what we expect.
Well, maybe it’s time to start expecting the unexpected.
It starts with the realization that you have choices. You don’t have to do the same thing you’ve always done. Just because other people do it that way, doesn’t mean you have to follow suit. If only you do what everybody else does, you’ll always be average.
So start shaking things up. Try chocolate instead of vanilla. Maybe you’ll like it. Maybe you won’t. Either way, you just changed your story.
“Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
A simple way to get more out of each day is to eliminate distractions. Here are a couple of suggestions.
Sometimes, to add good things, you need to subtract some unimportant ones first.
“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you’re not going to stay where you are.”
― John Pierpont Morgan
Do you want to make more money? Add more value.
Do you want to improve your friendships? Add more value.
Do you want more opportunities? Add more value.
Want a better marriage? Add more value.
How do you add more value? Start by improving yourself. Level up your skills and your knowledge, focus your efforts and conquer your fears. And most importantly, do the difficult things and stay disciplined.
“Rule number one is, don’t sweat the small stuff. Rule number two is, it’s all small stuff.
― Robert Eliot
In every environment, if you perform meaningful work, you will feel stress. Since there’s no way to avoid it, the only practical thing to do is figure out how to deal with that stress.
I’m sure there’s lots of useful advice already out there. Things like mental exercises, proper nutrition, and a good night’s sleep are helpful in many cases, but sometimes, you just need to face the immediate challenge in front of you. Here’s my advice for dealing with those situations.
And remember, don’t forget to smile.
“A rose started off a bud, a bird started off an egg, and a forest started off a seed.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo
Dell started in a dorm room. So did Facebook and Google. HP, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Disney were all operated out of garages at their early stages. Under Armour began its existence in a basement. Virgin Group and Epic Games started as basement operations too. The first Harley Davidson motorcycle was built in a shed.
Don’t let yourself be held back by embarrassment about your starting point. That’s just the beginning of your story. The most important part of your story is what you’re creating and the people you’re empowering. Keep going!
“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.”
― Albert Einstein
When I was a kid playing pick-up sports with my friends, it was always a big deal to get “picked” first. If you weren’t a team captain, you had to wait until one of the captains picked you. It was a decent system. Everybody got to be on a team, and the teams were balanced. But if you were picked first, then you knew that other kids respected your ability. It meant that members of the group valued you.
Sometimes, of course, a captain picked a close friend over a talented kid. Sometimes a captain just picked the tallest kid there (especially in basketball). It wasn’t a perfect system, but if you played hard and got better at the game, you might be the one picked first next time.
Waiting to get picked certainly exists outside of backyard sports. It’s only natural. We like the validation, and we get a euphoric feeling when we’re chosen. So, we wait, and we work a little, and we wait some more. But that problem doesn’t get solved because we weren’t picked to solve it. That book isn’t written, that app isn’t built, and that product isn’t sold because we didn’t get selected to do the job.
If you’re sitting around hoping someone will pick you, it’s probably going to be a long wait. But you don’t have to wait. You’re the captain of your own life, and you have all the tools you need. You don’t need permission. Go out and find an opportunity to contribute.
“The object of a new year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul.”
— G.K. Chesterton
I don’t know what the year ahead will hold. I don’t know what lies ahead, but I know that I will attack the new year one day at a time. I know there will be good days and bad days, too. I know that I will have successes and failures, and I will learn from both. And I know that I will not be defeated. With gratitude, discipline, and hope, I will keep moving forward, and I know I will win!
Happy New Year, everyone!
May you be blessed with peace and joy this Christmas and always!
“A ship in a harbor is safe, but that’s not what a ship is built for.”
― Unknown
Everyone has a comfort zone. It’s a place where we feel safe. It’s a place where we are not stressed, not pressured, and not challenged. We like being in our comfort zone because it’s, well, comfortable.
There’s nothing wrong with having a comfort zone. The problem is when we live in our comfort zone. When we stay there, we stagnate. We stop growing, and in fact, we grow soft and weak.
On the other hand, when we make it a habit to leave our comfort zone, we become hardened by the pressure, strengthened by the stress, and toughened by the challenges.
