How do you define success? Here’s the definition I’ve used for a long time: being able to do what you want, when you want, with whom you want.
Under this definition, success means having the freedom to choose how you want to live your life. You can use your time and your money as you see fit. You can be altruistic, self-indulgent, or anything in between.
Bottom line, you can spend your days on earth doing what you love all day, every day.
Sounds like a dream, doesn’t it?
How do you get there? Well, this morning I read a somewhat different definition of success that may give us a clue.
YouTuber Casey Neistat said, “What’s the ultimate quantification of success? For me, it’s not how much time you spend doing what you love. It’s how little time you spend doing what you hate.”
I like the sound of that. How about you?
If you hate traffic, changing your work situation to eliminate your daily commute would clearly be a measure of success. If you’re like me and you’ve had your fill of work travel, not having to do it anymore would also have to go in the success column.
Hmm, I think we have a plan.
Instead of looking for ways to get more of what we want and thus adding more work to our already busy schedules, we should first get rid of the things we don’t want. The things that make us uncomfortable, waste our time, distract us, enervate us.
Each time you do this, you score a double victory. You get rid of something that sucks the life out of you and simultaneously free up time and energy to do the things you love.
Don’t put more on your plate. Clear your plate to make room for more.
Yes, there will always be things you can’t eliminate. But maybe you can find ways to do them quicker or less often. Or make them less unpleasant.
So, yes, we have a plan. Make a “don’t do” list and start checking off the boxes.
What will you eliminate first?
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