Do less and enjoy more!

For the past couple weeks my thoughts have been haunted by something I read. I've been yearning for a happier and simpler existence (I imagine I'm not alone in this wish). So I was reading a post from Zen Habits (a blog I learned of from Ali Edward's blog) about the 38 life lessons he's learned in his 38 years. I must admit I didn't get through the entire list because the first several gave me so much to think about. There were quite a few that spoke to me, but #13 really got stuck. It kept playing over and over in my head:

"13. You will miss a ton, but that’s OK. We’re so caught up in trying to do everything, experience all the essential things, not miss out on anything important … that we forget the simple fact that we cannot experience everything. That physical reality dictates we’ll miss most things. We can’t read all the good books, watch all the good films, go to all the best cities in the world, try all the best restaurants, meet all the great people. But the secret is: life is better when we don’t try to do everything. Learn to enjoy the slice of life you experience, and life turns out to be wonderful."

It was just the right thing I needed to read. The perfect reminder. It's crazy how much is thrown at us on a daily basis between our schedules, the Internet, TV, books, magazines, etc.. And then If you add in all my hobbies and interests, as well as my various goals and dreams--it's all exhausting.

This idea of trying to do too much has come up before, and I've been successful at cutting some stuff out. But that sometimes feels as if we're missing out. But really it allows us the time to enjoy our life. Just like I mentioned in my previous blog post, I need to slow down and enjoy the moment. But I also need to do less and enjoy more. Sometimes that's easier said than done.