How To Unweight
Clutter
Pounds
Negativity
Obligation
Complication
Who wouldn’t want to lose these things? We intentionally put into play a course of action designed to reduce the weight.
Lose pounds → more confidence
Lose tedious tasks → more creative output
Lose negative people → more positive influences
Subtraction not Exchange
There were periods of my life underpinned by overwork and stress in which I did succeed in losing negative elements in my life that needed to be subtracted.
But, I struggled with the idea of simply less. I figured that less was okay as long as it was replaced by better or more. That is not subtraction. That is an exchange of weight.
And because of this *weight-exchange* I never seemed to be able to get out from under what I REALLY aimed to lose.
Each season I could invent or leverage some new ingredient of *perceived* life success. This cycle was sneaky and exhausting. To replace the existing weight with something different, more often than not, weighted me down even more.
What I lacked was the courage (and fortitude) to REALLY unweight. To simply subtract. To simply do and have less.
To subtract that element from your day is a small step that leads to a major unweighting.
Coexist with Less
What started as reducing some complications in my work and health a few years ago led to significant yet simple life changes today. I have fewer clothes. I exercise with less technology. I eat a meal without a phone within reach. I reduce the amount of news that reaches me. No replacement is needed. Subtraction is enough. This is the foundation of unweighting — of learning to coexist with less.
When this practice becomes the Start Line we approach every day, slowly, we free ourselves from the chase of Finish Lines imposed upon us by others.
Who Are You?
Unweight through true subtraction is a work in progress. But with daily intentional actions it becomes easier, and easier, and easier. Until, it is who you are.
With gratitude,
Joe
Ps — If you enjoyed this post, it would mean a great deal to me if you shared it. Please use the hashtag #unweight
Hi, I’m Joe, the owner of 5 With Joe Performance Coaching. My clients are leaders, organizations, and teams who utilize my Olympic Gold Medal performance strategies and 40 years of navigating whitewater river rapids to streamline decision making and actions when engaged in complicated river currents of business and life.
The best way to interact with me is through Sunday Morning Joe, my weekly newsletter that explores the art of improving performance, overcoming challenge, and aligning with purpose for Sunday readers in search of more depth and motivation. Subscribe HERE for free.
