A couple months ago I committed to writing 500 words a day for my book. I committed to keeping everyone updated via email with my progress. A couple days into the process, I realized I didn’t have time – and that my heart wasn’t into my commitment.
Last month I committed to writing a post each day thanking something or someone, but a few days in what started as a fun idea turned into a chore I never had time for.
These two things may seem pretty insignificant, but they represent something much bigger and more important.
The worst feeling I think there is in life is the feeling of being overwhelmed. The pressure of having too much on your plate and the worry that there’s never enough time in the day to get everything done.
I’m not talking the kind of pressure that motivates and drives you to an end goal (it’s true that we all CAN thrive under pressure). I’m talking about the constant nagging weight of taking on too much and paying the price for doing so. Waking up each morning and saying, “Where do I begin”?
Last month was an epiphany, and this month (since it’s the first day of the month and all), I’m awake at 5am and have a renewed perspective in hand.
Over the past couple weeks I’ve forced myself to focus on what matters. Really matters.
Yes, writing a book someday matters to me. Yes, this blog matters to me. There are other things in my life that are important – but there’s no way that I can make time for it all AND do everything at my absolute best. I can’t do it all, and neither can you.
I’m done spreading myself thin, so to speak, and instead, am going to laser focus on what matters most in life. For me, three things come to mind:
- Focus on family. My wife and I just bought our first house, we’re all moved in and FINALLY some things are starting to get hung on the wall. It’s no longer just a home – it’s becoming OUR home. A place where our ideas come to life. The place where we take solace after the end of a long work day. It’s a reminder that no matter how many things might end up on my plate, our home, together, will always be there.
- Focus on continuing to build my business: We had the two highest grossing months to date at Proof these past couple months. Business has been great and as we’re starting to take on new projects and challenges, it’s more important now than ever – as we’re celebrating our one year anniversary this month – to focus in on building a company that will continue to evolve and grow each day, month, and year.
- Focus on health: I’m down 40 pounds since January. I’ve stayed committed to not eating (as much) crap and have been running religiously. I feel better than I ever have. I have more energy and being healthier has gone from being what once was a chore to being a part of daily life. The goal? Keep it up, and don’t fall back into the old “beer and Oreo” days (as good as that sounds right now).
The rest, as my post title suggests, will be forgotten. Not truly thrown aside, of course. But by focusing on what TRULY matters – I’ll accomplish what’s most important, de-stress, and if time allows and it won’t stress me out or make me feel overwhelmed, I’ll take on other things.
So that’s my message and challenge to you this month, fine people. Focus on what matters. Forget everything else.
The only question left to answer: What will YOU focus on?