What’s holding you back from being all you can be?
Besides the veiled reference to the long-running Army recruitment ad campaigns from the 80s, that question was also the first thing that entered my mind after seeing Sam Davidson’s #reverb10 prompt.
For those who’ve been following the series from the beginning, I blame seeing Sam’s tweet for finding out about and taking part in this month-long period of reflection. While I wasn’t surprised to see him contributing a prompt, a was surprised that he asked us to think of eleven things…
What are 11 things your life doesn’t need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life?
Anyway, here’s an attempt at a list, influenced only slightly by some of the topics covered in Sam’s new book (but sorry, it’s going to be a lot shorter than 11):
- Overcommitment – I’ve never met a project that I couldn’t say yes to. Well, that is until recently, when I learned just how easy saying the word no is. It’s going to be a great vocabulary word to use in 2011.
- 30 lbs. – While I tried to be deliberate in my weight loss attempts, I wasn’t nearly as dedicated as I used to be when I lived in Georgia. I’ve got a date with a bridge in early April which should be a good enough motivator to shed and keep those pounds off.
- Clutter – This is both physical and mental. Getting rid of the physical is easy, including doing a better job of reducing how much stuff is in the house. Mentally, the last post is just one part of several things that needs to be done. I’m thinking a return to guided meditation wouldn’t hurt either.
The way I feel, if I have 11 things to get rid of next year, I wasn’t that successful in reducing the stuff in my life this year. There are eleven things that I can do contained within those three categories, including:
- Resigning from some boards
- Continuing to work on being less of a procrastinator
- Becoming more comfortable with myself
- Finally working on that quilt of all of my old race t-shirts and SCAD t-shirts
- Being more deliberate when sorting papers
- Find more opportunities to hang out with folks
The overall point is realized; I’ve got to continue to lighten the load and remove the barriers from being content with life. I’m not really sure if I believe that a list of goals will be beneficial, though it provides a framework from where I can start. It’ll be a matter of staying focused…
What about you? Any plans to lighten the load in 2011?
Cheers.
Photo: Lighten their load. Tonamel/Flickr
