Mastering the art of “letting it go”
I am an opportunist, and I am not ashamed to admit that!
I spend quite some time researching and finding opportunities to apply for, scholarships to shoot for and ways to throttle myself to greater realms. But recently I have been realizing a few things:
- I am not organized and put about the opportunities I strike for.
- I am not ready to give up, but not willing to think it out straight.
Everyone says, Seize the opportunity! But what happens when too many opportunities come by and you wish to take them all in? Well, the same thing that happens to kids when they want all the chocolates: Dissatisfaction. You start to loose the charm of the taste, tend to forget the joy of having it and start craving for more just because you can.
Recently I have been signing up for too many opportunities without thinking about the time commitment each requires. This results in me multitasking and if there is any lesson to be learned from doing so, is that multitasking never truly works. You tend to be less efficient and less likely to be satisfied at it in the end.
But then how can you say no to that (possibly) once in a life time opportunity? What if I do not get that again? What if I regret leaving this?
These thoughts consume us and leave us devastated, wishing for less while at the same time ironically hoping for more. Do these random thoughts make sense?
I have become quite absent minded lately due to the various thoughts and deadlines that stay fresh in mind, leading to awkward moments like missing crucial meetings, forgetting an important work and worst of all, not keeping a promise. These error collectively lead to a big blob of guilt and that pulls us down to our knees.
So why not just get organized and become a super massive time nazi?
I have tried that. I write elaborate lists of things to do, how I should get to it and why it should be prioritized the way it is. But in the end when I look back, the never ending long list feels daunting and the procrastination vibe grabs me by the collar. You wish only if there was some “me time” but then your thoughts are populated just like your list. So what do we do?
We take the easy way out. We choose to let it slip by, hope that time comes by and the adrenalin rush kicks in when the D-day is super close. This cycle tends to break and bring people down to sorrow, thinking how the hyper productivity freaks do it and why can you not do?
Well, if I had that answer to succeed while managing it all, I probably would not be here writing about a less appreciated method. Motivation and inspiration comes from so many videos and quotes, but when comes to getting work down its your voice that only counts.
How to find a way to lessen the burden on your mind?
For me, I come up with a lot of ideas quite often and these leave me with the drive to complete. But as time rolls by I give up and end up wasting it on something I later regret, like endless stream of cat videos.
So what is the key again? To let it go.
That is right. Don’t sign up for things that you are not sure of how you will handle. It helps talking to someone about it but in the end you should know where your threshold is and strive to find the sweet spot. You might be an excellent orator but if half your time is spent in shuttling between cities to participate in events to prove that point, you might be expending your energy in places where it is not optimal.
Mastering the art of letting it go means to be ready to say no when an opportunity comes to your bay. You should be able to decide if going down this road will lead you to satisfaction or a drive to prove a point to someone not that keen to know about it.
Don’t get me wrong. Keep that notepad of yours filled with to-do’s and goals but don’t go to the extend of tiring yourself instead of enjoying it. Saying a no might initially bring deep regret, but staying firm to the belief that minimal is optimal will take you miles and mile.
In the end, it is all about keeping your mind active, working on one thing at a time and finding reasons to be grateful for.
So now onwards, learn to say:
Seize every opportunity once you discover your saturation point
(Not the most inspiring quote, but hope it summarizes my message)
I hope you find peace, joy and reason to smile while shooting for the stars and climbing steep mountains.
