No is the New Yes: 5 Tips for Scaling Back Your Busy Life

Tue, 01 Apr 2014 08:50:18 -0400

"Much of the fun in life is getting stuck in things -- parties, dating, working out, work itself, shopping, brunch, online research, social media... the list is endless. Sometimes these things are extremely useful, valuable and satisfying. Our spirit knows when this is the case, as we feel refreshed, content and rewarded. It makes us happy -- like the time we have coffee with the friend we have a soul connection with, the barre class we take where we love the music and really stretch ourselves, or the day we take a staycation somewhere new and find a fantastic book store or restaurant.

Then there's the rest of the crap we do. This "stuff" often isn't useful or valuable, and instead of feeling satisfied, we're left feeling neutral, indifferent, even hollow.

Picture an awesome day you had in your life. I bet it included people you love, an activity you love, or both. Sometimes, in the day-to-day of doing "stuff," we lose sight of the valuable and confuse it with the non-valuable. We say yes to things that don't necessarily serve us, connect with people who take our energy rather than energize us, and spend hours of our precious time doing things out of habit or to please others."