Uncommit to commit
Yesterday I sat down at my computer frozen into inaction by the unfinished to-do list from 2017 and my new goals and projects planned for 2018. Then it dawned on me, I can't just keep adding things, I also need to eliminate.
So many of us are stretched too thin, overcommitted and too busy for what matters most. We complain about never having enough time yet keep piling things on our plate. Our to-do lists only get longer.
I think that's why the allure of the New Year being a blank slate, a fresh start is so appealing. So many of us crave simplicity, yet we're struck with "bright, shiny object syndrome". FOMO is real yo!
But the reality is there's only so many hours in a day, and only so many days in a week. We can do anything, but not everything. To fully commit ourselves to what we really want and to become the person we're capable of, requires that we make some hard decisions of what to let go of to make space for what's most important.
When we say yes to one thing, we're saying no to another. Decide comes from the latin word decidere - which means to cut off. When we're making a decision we cut ourselves off from all other options. This isn't easy. It's easier to be a people-pleaser or a yes-man (or woman). It might require making a difficult decision or having an uncomfortable conversation. Tim Ferris said,
"A person's success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have.”
What commitment have you made that you're not psyched about? What makes you feel heavy or weighed down when you think about it? Those are the things you need to uncommit from and take off your plate. Nobody wants to be inconsistent or go back on previous commitments, but sometimes it's necessary if you're serious about reaching your goals.
If you stay stuck in commitments that aren't aligned to where you're going and the person you're becoming you'll lose trust in yourself. You're signaling to yourself that other people's priorities are more important than yours and you're not worth it. If you want to increase your confidence and build your self-worth in 2018, you need to start aligning your actions with your desires. Confidence comes when your behaviors are aligned with your highest intentions.
If it's not a "hell yeah!" it's a NO.
If you're serious about making shit happen this year, if you're determined to crush your goals and upgrade your life in 2018, you need to be willing to commit wholeheartedly to what you want. You need to eliminate distractions and narrow your focus. Removing the extraneous is the fastest path to progress.
Your action step this week:
Wipe the slate clean, throw out the old to-do list and start a new one. Ask yourself, "who do I want to become?". Create space for your big hairy goals. Uncommit yourself to at least one thing and create a "stop doing" list. Eliminate drag. Purge the superfluous. Stop being the bottleneck in your life. A blank canvas lies ahead, how will you author the next chapter?
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