I believe we have to just let things be easier. Give ourselves the space and permission to allow the easier way be the best way. We so often amplify the struggle to verify the worth of the mission. The reward isn't tucked inside the depth of the effort.
My father once taught me "either do it well or not at all." I followed that advice for a decade or two and it served me well.
Then I found a mentor who told me "spend as much little time as you can to avoid wiping out. Spend the rest of your time striving for success." This was a much more nuanced approach that left room for me brushing my teeth, filing my taxes, and staying out of prison – all things for avoiding major failure, but also encouraging me to do the *bare minimum* necessary to cover my assets.
The Michelangelo story is great, by the way. There's a modern version called the "Queen's Duck" where you intentionally add something unnecessary so the busybodies can ask you remove it before you release it into the wild. It's an effective way to get crap past the radar.
In modern bureaucracies, where the approver chain can be several people long, it's almost certain that you'll get a busybody somewhere along the way. Add something you know will be shot down so the busybodies feel useful.
This way, you *prevent* problems before they ever rise to tantalize your sense of self-righteousness!
This was sharp. The line about “ranking resistance” really stayed with me most of us aren’t overwhelmed by big battles, we’re drained by fighting every small one. The Michelangelo story is such a clean illustration of ego vs. purpose; not every correction deserves your energy. I also appreciate the distinction between composure and passivity speaking once, clearly, and then conserving energy is strength, not weakness. The reminder that internal disorder costs more than external conflict hit hardest. Economy of motion, in thought and action, feels like the real discipline here.
This is exactly what i needed to read today, to get back the perspective that it is totally upto me how much of my time, energy and mindspace i let difficult people and difficult circumstances steal from me. Thank you, this was much needed.
Thank you. I really enjoyed today’s read. It struck a cord with me but I do have reservations. One of them is whether or not it’s right to be true to yourself and your own reactions. This leads on to:- Is it right to take on somebody else’s take on how you should react to things. I do understand what you’re saying and it probably makes for her calmer easier life.
I really enjoyed reading this. You’re absolutely correct but it’s hard to let go when you’re perhaps wired that way. I can show no reaction but it still eats me up inside.. working on it!
Thank you so much for sharing this. It's a timely reminder that we must choose to ignore the trivial and focus on what is in alignment with our life. Like you said, we just save our energy on things that deserve it.
Thank you very much for such an indepth analysis. I think this is and if the main arts of life - ability to not put too much emphasis on things which are of little importance. It burns lots of mental energy but sometimes is like wasps - just wouldn't go.
I believe we have to just let things be easier. Give ourselves the space and permission to allow the easier way be the best way. We so often amplify the struggle to verify the worth of the mission. The reward isn't tucked inside the depth of the effort.
Exactly. Control what you can.
Release what you can’t.
Put your energy where it actually serves you.
My father once taught me "either do it well or not at all." I followed that advice for a decade or two and it served me well.
Then I found a mentor who told me "spend as much little time as you can to avoid wiping out. Spend the rest of your time striving for success." This was a much more nuanced approach that left room for me brushing my teeth, filing my taxes, and staying out of prison – all things for avoiding major failure, but also encouraging me to do the *bare minimum* necessary to cover my assets.
The Michelangelo story is great, by the way. There's a modern version called the "Queen's Duck" where you intentionally add something unnecessary so the busybodies can ask you remove it before you release it into the wild. It's an effective way to get crap past the radar.
In modern bureaucracies, where the approver chain can be several people long, it's almost certain that you'll get a busybody somewhere along the way. Add something you know will be shot down so the busybodies feel useful.
This way, you *prevent* problems before they ever rise to tantalize your sense of self-righteousness!
Thank you for this timely reminder.
Can I get an amen 🙌🏾
This was sharp. The line about “ranking resistance” really stayed with me most of us aren’t overwhelmed by big battles, we’re drained by fighting every small one. The Michelangelo story is such a clean illustration of ego vs. purpose; not every correction deserves your energy. I also appreciate the distinction between composure and passivity speaking once, clearly, and then conserving energy is strength, not weakness. The reminder that internal disorder costs more than external conflict hit hardest. Economy of motion, in thought and action, feels like the real discipline here.
This is exactly what i needed to read today, to get back the perspective that it is totally upto me how much of my time, energy and mindspace i let difficult people and difficult circumstances steal from me. Thank you, this was much needed.
Great piece. This spoke to me as I have these battles right now.
Pick your battles.
Thank you. I really enjoyed today’s read. It struck a cord with me but I do have reservations. One of them is whether or not it’s right to be true to yourself and your own reactions. This leads on to:- Is it right to take on somebody else’s take on how you should react to things. I do understand what you’re saying and it probably makes for her calmer easier life.
I really enjoyed reading this. You’re absolutely correct but it’s hard to let go when you’re perhaps wired that way. I can show no reaction but it still eats me up inside.. working on it!
Thank you so much for sharing this. It's a timely reminder that we must choose to ignore the trivial and focus on what is in alignment with our life. Like you said, we just save our energy on things that deserve it.
Thank you very much for such an indepth analysis. I think this is and if the main arts of life - ability to not put too much emphasis on things which are of little importance. It burns lots of mental energy but sometimes is like wasps - just wouldn't go.