Let Yourself Be Outworked

Now, most people will immediately tell you the opposite. Seriously, when has someone ever advised you to work less? Now, I need to be clear here. I am not telling your to accomplish less, I’m just telling you to make sure what you are doing actually helps you have what you want.

I watch a lot of inspirational (not motivational) videos. One of my favorite YouTube channels is Goalcast. I saw a video there of Denzel Washington delivering a commencement address. One quote that really stood out was:

“Remember that just because you’re doing a lot more, doesn’t mean you’re getting a lot more done. Don’t confuse movement, with progress.”

Denzel Washington

This sentence really hit me personally. I do A LOT. I’m always doing. I actually get bored and start new companies. I start new websites when I have an idea. You are actually reading this today because on New Years Eve I finally decided to do it. This is something I’ve wanted to do for two years. I have a great message and a passion for sharing that message.

In the last three years, I’ve spent a lot of time doing things that make a living, but make no difference. I’ve been doing things that made sense for my “career”, but that I had no passion for. So what did I do? I turned 40! Then I stopped. I stopped everything that I wasn’t passionate about, and started doing more that I cared about. I shut down a couple businesses. I reduced my company overhead by 80%. I decided I’d only do what I actually cared about, instead of what it seemed like I should do.

This morning, I read the Bible. I’ve always wanted to read the entire Bible. So I decided I’d do that. So now I read ten pages a day. I’ll finish this Summer. It has made such a difference in my mind and my heart. Sure, I could be reading something else. A book about business. I could read a magazine about my industry, but that’s just not the point. Those things don’t mean anything to me. That’s just about my career. You can actually live a life of purpose now, you just have to PRIORITIZE things that will make a DIFFERENCE.