As I journeyed through 2018, I (and my husband) discovered our priorities changing and our path leading us to significant life changes. Now, entering 2019, instead of a resolution I have decided to set a purpose-driven theme. The theme I choose for 2019 is less is more. Although I don’t have a deeply profound blog to write at the moment, I would like to share some examples that have been running through my mind the last few weeks:
Less time working – more quality work.
Less material goods – more experiences.
Less useless stress – more chosen joy.
Less busy – more saturating moments.
Less clients – more valuable relationships with clients.
Less worry – more trust.
Less self deprecation – more recognition of Whose Image I’m made in.
Less self-reliance – more time with my husband and family.
Less time at work – more efficiency and energy.
Less desperation – more passion.
Less poor-mouthing – more money confidence (and that’s not evil).
Less disbelief – more faith in the process.
Less half-ass attention to everything – more value.
The “American Dream” isn’t enough for me. The American Dream is based on working my way to success – me, myself, and I. But life is more than pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps and plodding through each day just waiting for a short weekend. Life is a beautiful victory that I believe is already achieved by a Savior who tells me I am enough.
I have spent much of the last four years thinking I can and should do it all. And I have also spent the last four years being handed life lessons that tell me in no uncertain terms that I cannot, do not have to, and should not. I am ready to trust that less is more. I am not wrong for making my well-being and my time with others important. Work is not the end all and be all – even if it is my passion. By spending less time at work, I am opening the door to be a better person in every avenue I walk down.
As someone who has lost loved ones I was very close to and who has a father with Huntington’s Disease, a neurological degenerative disorder, I have realized how much time I still spend on things that do not matter. And I’ve found myself wondering, when his abilities continue to change, when I might even be diagnosed with HD… whether I will be satisfied with the way I’m currently using my time. And the answer is a resounding no. For that reason, this year is the year of less is more.
Less regret – more living.