“The life of an Essentialist is a life of meaning. It is a life that really matters.”
Greg McKeown – The Essentialist – Chapter 20
This week I’ve been reading the book “Essentialism” by Greg McKeown. In the book, McKeown argues that a major factor in our living unsatisfying lives is that we are non-Essentialists. Rather than saying yes only to the things that are most important and meaningful, we say yes to almost everything. We end up busy, distracted, and not really enjoying anything we do.
He starts with a parallel to our closet. How many of the clothes in our closet do we actually wear? How much of it just collects dust and gets in the way of our finding the clothes we do want to wear? He suggests that instead of asking “Is there a possible use for this?”, we should ask “Do I love this? Does it look great on me?”. If the answer is “No”, then throw it away.
We can apply the same principle to life. How much of what I do daily is not really suited to me? How much of what I do could be better done by someone else? He suggests that an Essentialist gets in the practice of saying no to everything that you don’t totally love. Focusing only on the things that truly matter to us allows us to enjoy life and give our best contribution in our life and work.
Here’s a couple questions to consider:
- Of all your different work responsibilities, what do you feel is your best contribution?
- Of your work responsibilities which one could possibly be done by someone else? What are you going to do about that?
Personal coaching can be a vital part of determining what truly matters to you! Join us at our next EQ Workshop and take your first step towards a more meaningful and successful life.