Progress comes through subtraction

When I was in high school and college, my father tried relentlessly to get one lesson into my head: you can’t do everything. I resisted this lesson with everything in me. I wanted to do everything, I was interested in (and good at) a lot of things, and so I said “yes” to everything. 

Sometimes, things slipped through the cracks. Some assignments didn’t get turned in. Some work wasn’t good enough. I accidentally stood-up people a few times. However, on the whole, for the most part, I did pretty well at everything. My dad’s lesson could go unlearned. 

I further solidified my position about dad’s lesson when I started my freelance career. I was so desperate for any opportunity that it didn’t feel right to turn down any opportunity. As I built relationships and learned to run my business, being the guy who said “yes” was my main differentiator. It didn’t matter if I had done it before—I’d figure out how to get it done. 

But now, something has changed. And I’m thinking about my dad’s lesson again. 

You see, for the first time in my career, I have a strong notion of exactly where I want to go. I want to write books and publish content that educates, encourages, and empowers people to live better lives. Right now, I’m starting with business and creativity. In the future, I’ll explore communication and productivity. 

With this in mind, a lot of the things I’ve said “yes” to over the years have become less appealing. With so many things pulling me in so many different directions, I see the costs of focus and time in relation to my ultimate goals. I’m a human being. I only have so much time and energy. If I want to increase my quality of writing output, and the speed with which I deliver work, it only makes sense that some things will need to be subtracted. 

Progress comes through subtraction.