Building a life of luxury through simplicity
How to go from good to great through the process of elimination
Listen to podcast version here.
In my latest read, Essentialism by Greg McKeown, a quote says if you don’t prioritize your life, someone else will.
“Simplify to Amplify” was a concept taught to me in a business coaching program by millionaire business coach Marshawn Evans Daniels. She always taught us to keep it simple.
“Be clear on who you are, who you help, and how you help them. Keep your message & solution clear and to the point. Remove the clutter of trying to reach everyone so that you can reach someone.”
We also use this Simplify to Amplify concept in the corporate setting called LEAN. LEAN means eliminating wasteful, non-value-added activities within a business.
Whether working with clients or evaluating my own life, I find that we often put bandaids on our lives and work. We’re overworked in our 9-5s, not because the job itself is hard, but because the systems we work in are too complicated and unclear. We’re overwhelmed in our lives because we commit to many things out of guilt or obligation. We take on countless projects to “advance” our careers and businesses. One of the biggest mistakes I made in my career was being a “yes-man” in previous roles, taking on many projects to “advance,” yet still having to leave that company to advance anyway.
Instead of being known as hard workers, let’s learn how to become smart workers focusing on meaningful and mutually beneficial work that can genuinely bring impact and results. Spreading yourself too thin isn’t good for your company or clients. So, instead of always saying yes, ask yourself, does it make sense for me to make this commitment?
Here’s the real tea — Simplifying your life is the new self-care. Living a life of luxury is living a life of simplicity.
Just because you’re good at it doesn’t mean you’re called to it.
I remember being in a job where my team loved the way I put Powerpoint presentations together. Then, I would get pulled into all of these projects and meetings...all because they wanted me to put together the presentations, not add valuable insight. I wasn’t hired to be a graphic designer. Just because I was good at it didn’t mean I was aligned to it.
So, for this week, let’s look again at those 2022 goals since March is really when the new year starts anyway. And, I want you to simplify your goals.
You have many things you’re good at and many dreams you want to see come to life. But, what’s ONE thing you can go big on this season? Deep down, what do you really want to focus on vs. what people expect from you? What brings the most fulfillment and has a greater purpose?
What has a greater purpose won’t always be what makes you happy, but it will align with your current season. My job doesn’t make me happy, but it’s aligned currently. It’s flexible and funds my lifestyle and passions. So, maybe having a more fulfilling job with a better company is a good goal, but it’s not a necessity. Leaping into full-time entrepreneurship would bring applause, but does it make sense for what I really want?
After reading Essentialism, the author talks about exploring, eliminating, then executing. As I read this book, I revisited all of my 15+ 2022 goals and eliminated all but 3. Some goals seemed right and would gain applause, like building a 6 figure business, but I realized that building a 6 figure business was not my top priority. The goal of becoming a published writer and storyteller, bringing everyday stories to major platforms, is what really brought me joy. This decision was a hard conclusion to come to because a 6 figure entrepreneur is more glorified than a writer. And yes, I’ve been writing online for 4 years. But, I wasn’t betting on my words like I should because I was spreading myself too thin and crippling myself with perfection. I realized I was hiding behind my own platforms, waiting for people to find me vs. spending the time and energy to go and find them by pitching to other platforms. Instead of focusing on just pushing new content out every week hoping something will go viral, how I can fully leverage the content I already have. Pitching myself is triggering. Pitching and submitting my work for someone else’s approval triggers my insecurities of rejection, imposter syndrome, and not feeling good enough. Pitching my writing will require me to humble myself and learn a new industry. I’m an amazing project manager and consultant — the results and checks show themselves and will continue to. But maintaining my business and growing my business are two different goals. And, I have to fight the urge to be everything in this season to focus on the ONE thing.
A simple yes won’t always be an easy yes.
And, you may get it wrong. But, at least you went all in. Many times you’re not afraid to fail. You’re afraid to fail in front of others. But, I challenge you to keep exploring, simplifying, and adjusting as needed.
Quote from Essentialism: When we are unclear about our real purpose in life—in other words when we don’t have a clear sense of our goals, our aspirations, and our values—we make up our own social games. We waste time and energy trying to look good in comparison to other people. We overvalue nonessentials like a nicer car or house, or even intangibles like the number of our followers on Twitter or the way we look in our Facebook photos. As a result, we neglect activities that are truly essential, like spending time with our loved ones, nurturing our spirit, or taking care of our health.
Here are some journal prompts I came up with while reading Essentialism that will help us to go from good to great through the process of elimination —
Vent
Vent out your triggers and dreams. What are your frustrations? What’s giving you anxiety? What do you really want for yourself aside from what is “expected” of you? What activities do you secretly hate? What do you wish you could spend more time doing? Where do you want to focus your attention?
Simplify
What’s ONE thing you really want to say yes to? If there was no external pressure, insecurity, or expectation — just you and a clean slate, what would you focus on? What ONE idea keeps coming to you, but you keep ignoring it? What ONE thing keeps popping up that you’re not making time for? What are you afraid to leap on because of the resistance or uphill battles you think you’ll face? Don’t allow the fear of struggle to hold you back.
Eliminate
What current activities and goals have low impact? Which of your goals are good but no longer aligned or intentional? What tradeoffs do you need to make? Eliminate the good, so you focus on the great.
Action Steps - or as Essentialism says Execute
What’s the next thing you need to do to take immediate, simple action? What actions do you need to take to go full speed ahead with the ONE thing?
Focusing on one thing doesn’t take away from you being multifaceted. It just gives you a better focus for this season.
And, don’t stress yourself out if you don’t have 100% clarity. It took me four years of going around in circles with this brand and business to finally realize less is more, sis. But, I no longer beat myself up for what I didn’t know then and what I don’t know now. I’m learning to be willing to get it wrong and go full speed ahead with the clarity and faith I have for today. Things will change.
There are no failures, only attempts. And, your effort to attempt is your effort towards intentional progression.
So, walk through the questions. Sit with yourself and explore. Eliminate what deep down you know is no longer aligned to you. Go full speed ahead into a life of luxury through simplicity.
Till next time! Mel
This was such a great and necessary read! As someone who is also wanting people to come to me in terms of business, I completely understand how triggering it can be to “go to people”.