How about this one… If you are like me and tend to define yourself by what you do, why not do less?
Shock. Faint. I can hear you fall on the floor from here. “But I love what I do.” Me too. But just because you CAN do something doesn’t always mean you SHOULD.
I understand this is one of those “swing the pendulum really far the other way” type approaches. I know this because even though I think it’s a good idea, at the end of the day I haven’t decreased what I am doing. This has become a must for me because the “to do” list never goes away. It will never go away.
Part of me takes great comfort in having things to do. Part of me longs for the freedom to just live (and btw, do along the way). Heck, when I really think about it, half the things I do aren’t all that significant anyway.
I submit the following piece of scripture which haunts me, partially because I know it is true and has the potential to be liberating. Partially because it pierces me for the truth it speaks of my own heart:
What do you benefit if you gain the whole world, but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? Matthew 16:26
Is anything worth more than your soul? What is the cost of doing everything you do (and most of us are far from “gaining the whole world” through our many efforts)? Is it worth it?
Undoing the do-er #1: Do less.
