SIMPLIFICATION
This year I’m feeling particularly positive about the year ahead. It sounds crazy considering the way the world is right now with so many unknowns but come closer and I’ll tell you why in one word...closer…closerrrrr….
SIMPLIFY.
Who knew eight little letters together could hold such weight? Oh but they do.
I decided my life felt cluttered with too many emotions, expectations, doubts, worries. It was time to cut out the unnecessary and get back to the basics. Sort of like retraining my brain to keep what matters most in front of me and sift out the rest. I still set goals, have a long list of ‘things to do’ and struggle to not eat chocolate cake for dinner but the difference is that when I simplify, my focus shifts to the motivation behind what I do and not the actual task.
As you may have already figured out if you've followed this blog and perused my website, I love drawing, painting and pretty much anything creative. But I gotta tell ya, sometimes the pressure to create something magical every time is daunting. The final result of the project can easily become my main focus instead of enjoying the creative process. And that’s no way to live, am I right?
No joy = no fun = Sarah no like.
Same with other areas of life like staying healthy, managing my finances, preparing for what the world will throw at me tomorrow. It can all be too much and suck the life right out of you.
So to SIMPLIFY, with each task I ask myself 'why am I doing this?' Why am I creating this? Why am I worried? Why am I eating this delicious chocolate cake?
The purpose is two-fold. It brings what matters most to me (integrity, quality > quantity, hope, joy) to the forefront, making it my main focus. Secondly, it allows me to purposely take ownership of my choice. Whatever I’m choosing to do is me consciously accepting both the reward and consequence for it. Sometimes that’s scary when it’s a big risk, but it’s worth it in the end because it was my lesson to learn. Finding the 'why' isn't always easy, sometimes there's a lot of layers, unpacking of emotional baggage and tears and well, you get the idea, but once I find it, everything changes. The pressure is off, the task/thought/goal becomes manageable and I have laser focus like one of those futuristic robots on the sci-fi channel.
I think most of us already know this idea but we forget the value of it as the years drag on. So many commitments, so little time. But that’s the best part about a new year! It inspires us to change old habits, hope for better and if we keep it simple, enjoy the process.
SIMPLIFY everybody. Just simplify.
