More of Less
I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately. So, I apologize in advance for being a little self-indulgent.
Let me start with a simple question:
What do you want?
Stop right there, think about it, think about it some more, and again. For although the question is simple, the answer is usually not.
I have these two friends, from two different spheres of my world. I don’t think they know each other, Kevin and Chris, and yes these are their real names, as I am not interested in protecting the innocent. But they both probably are innocent anyway. No matter.
Stay with me here.
There is a picture hanging in our office, my favorite actually, of a scene from Ketchum, with sheep, a rancher, and a horse on a hillside. This picture is easy to stare at for long periods of time. My friend Chris took the photo, put it on canvas, has it listed on a website he maintains, for more money than I can afford. But here is the kicker, he just gave it to me. No strings attached. No trading for chiropractic care, no nothing. Here you go. He just came into the office one day and asked if he could hang it. He does things like that. He wrote a book called Less Is More Than Enough, which he also gave me. He doesn’t want things. He wants to de-clutter and does so on a regular basis.
My friend Kevin is a businessman. He makes things happen. He makes things happen well too. He creates great systems that work over and over. He has done really well for himself. If you are in business, as I am, you want to talk to people smarter than you. So I talk to Kevin. We have had lunch together a few times. At one of our lunches, I told to Kevin of a story I had read. The story is about two guys having a conversation at a party at a billionaire’s home:
First guy: “Man, this guy has everything.”
Second guy: “Except one thing.”
First guy: “What is that?”
Second: “Enough.”
My friend Kevin immediately said, “No thanks, I want more.”
Now before we get our middle-aged moralizer going (me), and condemn my friend for being greedy, or shallow, or a consumerist, let’s consider a few things. Let’s consider a few commonalities between Kevin and Chris. Remember, one wants less, and one wants more.
If you met these guys, they would both appear to be peaceful, not harried, relaxed blokes. They both take time to look you in the eye, to listen to your story, and give generously of their time and finances. Not a lot of differences.
So maybe we are focusing on the wrong things here. Maybe what gives them both the same demeanor, the same relaxed manner, is not whether they desire less or more, but rather knowing what they want. I think this is why they are able to move through life, tracking very differently, and getting the same result.
Less or more is not the issue.
The issue is desire. They both know what they want.
If we are to learn anything from these guys, it is to figure out what we want, what we desire, and go get it. Too much time deciding and weighing is a stressful program.
Reduce the stress in your world and go get what you want. Less or more.
And remember, it’s not about the stuff.
What do you want?
Cheers
ks