How Less Has Given Me So Much More

Up until last year I thought that doing more, giving more, being more was the path to getting ahead and fulfilling my purpose. 

In my business I was more concerned with how much I could do and create and ‘keep up’, rather than getting support and carving out the time to focus down on what I really wanted to be doing, creating, and saying with more confidence and purpose. 

I spent way more time thinking up ideas to post on social media or scouring the internet to see what other people were doing and just feeling like I would never ‘catch up’ and never be ‘good enough.’ 

Do you relate to this? 

In my personal life I tried to pack it all in. Exercise, yoga, meditation, cooking, cleaning, play guitar...I even added things like, ‘call a friend’ and ‘have fun today’ on my to do list because that’s how cramped my life felt back then.

I craved space and often spoke to my coach at that time about longing for a sense of wonderment to be sparked in my life again. I’d get so burnt out that things would inevitably fall to the side. It felt like I was on the ‘yo yo’ diet of life. One week I was on track and felt the flow, then next week I didn’t exercise, cook much for myself, meditate, or work much on my business in a truly productive manner. The next week I would get back on track and then after a week or so I’d be craving a vacation (again). It was an endless cycle of up and down and I was burnt out, overwhelmed, and on a chase for something I would never catch - time. 

Does this ever happen to you? 

Honestly, it hasn’t been until this year that I have really found my flow, my groove, and my way to work with time, rather than against it. I have by no means perfected it, however this one shift in perspective has radically opened up space in my life and in my mind. 

Curious to know what I discovered? 

I found that my groove is in narrowing down what is essential in my life and then showing up for those things with quality...rather than quantity. 

It took some adjusting, but now that quality over quantity is ‘how I roll’, I honestly don’t know how I was managing before and can now clearly see why I felt so overwhelmed and lacking luster in my life. 

I started to look at what really mattered...

• I got super clear on what is really important to me in my personal life (my partner, time to myself in the morning, my mindset and meditation practice, eating well, moving my body, reading, friends, evenings that are free, and what areas I needed support in)
• I got clear on what was essential and what lit me up in my business (coaching, retreats, writing, trainings, and what areas I needed support in)

I had already condensed my mindset and meditation practice down to 10-15 minutes a day (I call it the Magic Mindset Meditation) and was really loving it and seeing great results.

So I thought, “what if I apply this principle to other areas of my life?”

Today...

• I do a 10-15 minute morning mindset/mediation practice
• I do a 15 minute asana practice almost every morning 
• I exercise a few days a week for 15-45 minutes 

and...

• I got rid of things in my schedule that weren’t in alignment with what really mattered to me 
• I delegated things that could be delegated and deleted things that could be deleted
• I adopted the ‘less is more’ approach to my offerings and my daily tasks

What life feels like when quality rules over quantity...

• My days feel more productive and more spacious
• I feel proud at the end of the day 
• My thoughts, words, and actions are more authentic and have more integrity 

With a change in my approach there have been profound changes in my life both internally and externally. I feel more at peace, capable, creative, and most important...I don’t need to pencil in “have fun today” in my to do list anymore. ;-) 

On Friday I leave for Costa Rica to lead a 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training and Women’s Leadership Immersion. During that time I will not be sending out any newsletters as I want to focus my attention with quality on the women I am serving that month. The next email you will receive from me will be around Thanksgiving and it will have a special gift inside. To stay connected (and I would LOVE that), follow me on INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK. 

*** In the comments, I would love to hear your voice. What are your thoughts on quality over quantity? Do you use this approach and if so, how has it impacted your life? What’s an area in your life that could use a little more quality and less quantity?