Less Is More
If you are paying attention, the universe often uses experiences around us to make a point or teach us a lesson. The last month, I’ve noticed several opportunities that reinforced the “less is more” concept. So much so that I googled the phrase to see how it was defined exactly and what specific examples were related to it. I actually found the definition to be encouraging and truthfully a little freeing. “Smaller quantity could have higher quality”. So, a smaller amount of something could be better than a larger quantity.
This was especially true recently as I was traveling with a few coworkers, and we participated in meetings over the course of three days with numerous stakeholders. One person in our meetings was particularly verbose. I have enough self-awareness to know I can be that way myself, however, I try to be cognizant of my tendency to keep myself in check. This particular person on the other hand did not have that same self-monitoring skill apparently. I even tried to give some subtle social cues that were also not detected by this person. Therefore, there were several occasions when I found myself either tuning out or losing patience. I could tell I wasn’t the only one in the room having that same experience.
Equally, I was in another interaction where someone overshared some information and it caused quite a stir. It inadvertently had a domino effect and impacted a lot of people. Thus, it took time to get things calmed down and resolved. I kept thinking that this situation and all of the emotions and energy that went into it, could have been avoided if less was shared.
Finally, I was in a conversation with an education leader who called to get clarification on a project timeline. He was concerned about the delay in the launch of the program (we both shared that concern). As we talked through it, we determined things were beyond our control and we just had to be ok to let it go. (He used those words directly quoting his daughters love for the movie Frozen). Even in this situation, we determined that less is more. The less we worry about something we can’t control the more freedom we have to focus on other things we can control. In the long run it is a relief to handle only those things within our control.
How can this perspective help you in your journey towards personal wellness? When can you do less to preserve and maintain more energy? When can you say less to keep things simple and save more time for other enriching activities? Are there things you can let go of and release the stress or worry around timelines you can’t control? Sometimes we do HAVE to do more, stand in gaps, fill in for others, take on extra but that should be the exception not the rule. Especially right now as we enjoy slower summer months.
This month is typically the one that is the quietest for educators. Most have settled into the summer break routine and are vacationing. Therefor it is the right time to perfect the practice of less is more. Have less on your to do list. Do more resting and relaxing. Stress less about things in life you can’t control. Have more confidence that things work out the way they are supposed to. Have more peace of mind and freedom to just be. Have less angst about what the future holds and know all will be well.
On that note, I would usually make this blog a little longer, maybe include another paragraph or two but I’m going to practice what I preach and stop here since I believe this is sufficient to communicate my conviction that less is more.
