In order to bring new things into your life, you must first let other things go. But why is it that so many of us focus on adding more or doing more when we’re trying to reach a new goal?
I’ve seen many trainers tempted to add new movements and new circuits to their current workout rather than completely change things and cycle their training focus. They want it all at once, but instead of progress they end up grinding to a halt with stagnant results that mirrors the random plans they’ve concocted.
It’s a real trap to feel that you have to maintain every skill set and technique simultaneously. You might have a Coach that’s working with you on specific techniques, but at home you’d be practicing those techniques and some pulling work and some pressing work and some arm work… and let’s not forget your legs. Oh, and conditioning… AND more. Believe me, I have actually seen athletes trying to do all that each and every day!
And you know what happened? Nothing much… apart from injuries.
But when an athlete stops to focus on the coaching at hand, they discover that the next time other training comes around, they had actually gotten better. Not just a little better, either. Things they had struggled with were no longer obstacles. All the technique work gave them new insights that they could apply to all their other training.
There’s a limit to how much you can build on improvements — but there is no limit to how much you can shave away. You can get better or faster not by building up, but by shaving away those tiny movements that had nothing to do with your goal. You get faster by removing things rather than adding.
The same lesson applies to the rest of your life.
It’s been written that 80% of our achievements come from 20% of our efforts. What if you started focusing nearly all your efforts on those specific things? Could you imagine the results?
In order to do that you first have to simplify your life.
Do you want to bring abundance into your life? You first have to let go. That means throwing out all the junk that’s cluttering up your closets, your garage, your office or spare room. All those things you haven’t looked at for years. They weigh you down. Give them away where they might enrich someone else’s life. You don’t need them anymore.
Do you want to bring vibrant new relationships into your life? You first have to let go of those relationships that are no longer serving you. Those people whose phone calls you dodge because you really don’t enjoy talking to them. Those relationships that are entirely one way — the energy vampires who monopolize your time and drain you. Think about all those people you spend time with out of a sheer sense of obligation or guilt. Don’t judge them. Just let them go and move on. There’s nothing callous in this. You’ve simply grown in different directions, and you honour that person by allowing them to move on. Spend time instead with people who excite you and who encourage you to grow in new directions. If your life is too crowded, you’ll never have a chance to let new people in.
Do you want to replace unhealthy habits with practices that promote your life? Don’t just slap a bunch of new ideas onto what you’re currently doing. Let those old habits go. That often means taking the time to closely examine your beliefs and decide why you started doing those things in the first place. It isn’t easy, but it works.
Do you want to reach new heights in your job or profession? Let go of all those tasks you do only because you feel you have to. Delegate them to someone else. Let go of all those tasks you absolutely hate — you’re probably not very good at them anyway. Release those things so you can focus on the tasks you’re truly great at. That is where you bring something unique to the world.
Clean the clutter out of your life, remove the superfluous, and like a sculptor carve away absolutely everything that doesn’t match the ideal vision in your head. When you do this, new opportunities you never imagined will rush in to fill that space.
Make some quiet time this evening and take out your notebook and pen. I want you to write half a page on the following questions: What is the ideal simple, good life for you? How would your life be simpler? How would your ideal simple life be different from the life you have now?
Examine each aspect of your life, consciously and deliberately. Begin removing those non-essential elements so you can focus on the things that truly matter to you.
