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Overstuffed Life?
Scale Back
by Kathy Gates
Have you ever read a novel or watched a movie
that just seemed to have too much stuff, and not enough plot? You probably got
so off course in all the side stories, useless characters, and oddities that you
practically lost the true story line.
Life can be the same way. You can lose interest
in it, because it gets crammed with bits and pieces that aren’t essential to
you, to YOUR story, and they actually take away from what you want the world to
see, what you’re trying to do, who you are.
Here are 3 ways to scale back an overstuffed
lifestyle
1. State a purpose.
If you could write your life as a book, what
would it be about? What would be the purpose, the intention? Think about your
highest goal in life to tell you what your "story" is about, and where you want
it to go. What do you want to have happen and to whom, with what resolution?
2. Take Stock. Look for things, circumstances,
situations, problems, roles, responsibilities, even people that are not
supporting what you want the plot of your life to be about. Look for things that
may be drawing you away from your true values, your true needs, your true
desires. Check through your life and look for things that don’t relate to your
ideas, your beliefs, your needs and wants. Look at it with fresh eyes, a fresh
perspective, or ask someone that you trust to help you do that.
3. Edit it.
Like in the movies or in novel writing, a good
edit is usually as important as the story itself. This can be the hard part, but
it's essential. Start small, thoughtfully and carefully asking yourself about
each part: Is my time spent in a way I want to spend it? Is this responsibility
something I really care about? Does this role fit with what I see my life being?
Does this item/thing make me smile? Or is it a part of my life just because it
"ended up there".
Where are you overstuffed in your personal or
professional life? Like a good story, it’s the balance, the combination, the
interlocking of the pieces that make it work and make it worthwhile. Be true to
your story, be true to your plot, and you’ll see a life emerge that is clear,
and interesting, and all that you want it to be.
© Kathy Gates |