Accomplish More With Less Effort
Do you ever ask yourself that question? Maybe in your moments of exhaustion… “Is it really supposed to be this difficult? My life..? Why is it so freaking hard? Am I the only one? When will this end?”
You are not alone.
You’re not the only one that feels life is fucking hard and you’re not the only one questioning if it’s meant to feel that way.
I have a theory that I am beginning to test. The idea is that if we resist the pull from the world’s sense of urgency and quick movement and we practice intention to slow down that we will discover a new way of living. The sort of secret life that all humans have the capacity and capability to live if we take the journey to uncover.
Life’s secret sauce.
I’ve seen glimpses of this and I believe it’s true. That through continual, daily intentions to resist the world’s fast paced living we experience not only a form of our true self, but the ability to breath, move and be with more grace and without limits. I believe this is where happiness lies. You know.. that never ending search for happiness we all crave. I believe it’s held so close to us, but ironically it is only found when we do the opposite of what we’ve been told to do.
What am I missing?
It’s not about accomplishing – at all. Seriously. Even though we’re repeatedly hit on the head over and over with all the reasons and things we need to do in order to be successful, to go from lack to abundance, to have it all, to be financially sound… We will not find it through that striving mindset and hurried pace. It’s just not there.
Letting go.
We may feel happy time to time or we may have money to support our life, but our yearning for our hearts desires still isn’t fulfilled. We are still seeking out any source possible to fill that void. When really, it’s about letting go. Letting go, at first, is so fucking hard. It may seem, even, impossible because we’ve been breed to believe that without control we can’t achieve. That in order for things to exist we must take tangible measures. But I’m learning that just isn’t the case. Far from it.
My nervous system often wants to explode when I play with the idea of slowing down. What do you mean I can accomplish more in this life when I do less? That can’t be. I must keep plugging away. Check off the next ‘to do’ on the list.
HINT: It’s not in the to-dos.
Online grocery shopping *check, e-mail sent out *check, laundry done *check. ohhhh, but I forgot about x, y and z and now there’s two more loads of dirty laundry to start. In the meantime, we’ve made a mess of the kitchen and my son just peed on the dog. My husband just called and his truck broke down. I should really get the rest of my Christmas decor put away. My cat just puked on the carpet. I forgot to open the chicken coop. I wonder how we will make enough money to move past just making it by? When will I figure this shit out? I’m exhausted at the idea of all I need to get done and thoughts racing through my mind.
There has to be a better way. I believe life isn’t meant to be lived like this. Can it even be called living when I’m so consumed by the past and present that I’m skipping over the present?
Exist in the moment.
I’m choosing a new path. Mostly because I’ve literally exhausted this one I’ve been on. It’s no longer working. For me, my son, my family I’m choosing something new. Something I might not yet see, but do feel. And at this point, this feeling is all I need to believe it’s real. I know it is.
There is a thought I had around this theory. Bare with me as I process through this. For many of us we run until we can’t run anymore. Something external blocks us – a physical ailment, mental illness or circumstance. In a way, we are sort of running out of control until something or someone else stops us. Then we get pissed that who or what stopped us dead in our tracks is preventing us from moving forward to our future. This external factor forces us to slow down and recalibrate. But let’s be honest with ourselves, do we know where we were going, anyway?
What if we don’t wait for the external force to slow us down? Instead of waiting for us to break something – mentally or physically why not use the control we cling to and make it purposeful?
Imagine the possibilities.
What if we set boundaries for ourself that slow us down in a way to help us get more from life? Like – boundaries on our screens, boundaries with our work… One area of life I am passionate about is boundaries around family dinners. What does slowing down look like in order to achieve a family dinner together where conversations flow and food is tasted and enjoyed?
Moving forward.
To recap – I believe, within this theory, that when we resist the evolution of busy and we consciously choose to move slower over and over and over again that we begin to feel and see a life we’ve never imagined – which means it’s better than we could have ever imagined it to be. Like better than our best dream.
Testing the theory.
What I’d like to challenge you with is to test this theory with me.
It’s time to breath and surrender.
How slow can you go? Where does intention and focus need to settle into your life?
My 2023 intentional questions to myself have been: How slow can I go? How present can I stay? How patient can I be? How grateful can I feel?
It’s time to stop looking to sources other than ourselves for our divine feelings of happiness. It’s not in our busy work, it’s not in climbing the ladder, it’s not in our fast food or social media. It’s closer to you than any of that. It’s been in you all along.
It’s time to stop looking to sources other than ourselves for our divine feelings of happiness. It’s not in our busy work, it’s not in climbing the ladder, it’s not in our fast food or social media. It’s closer to you than any of that.
Anna Simon
It’s been in you all along.
It’s hidden in our deep connections with our roots and our people. It’s hidden in you.
When you beginning practicing to pause long enough you can feel this truth too.
Be barefoot. Be badass.
