Permission to Purge

Sometimes we hold onto doing too many things. And the process of letting go is often more emotional than mental, which is why we need to consciously attack it head on.

A colleague of mine constantly used a crude phrase:

"I'm not asking you to put 50 pounds of shit in a 30-pound bag."

Life has its limits.

• We all have 24 hours in a day.

• We all have a finite amount of willpower.

• We can only maintain so many relationships.

Despite these limits, go-getters like myself keep trying to add new hobbies, interests, friendships, and activities into our lives. And we do so without consciously choosing what to subtract to balance the scales.

This is a significant cause of stress in my life. I know I can't do it all, but I keep thinking maybe (just maybe) I can violate the laws of physics by multi-tasking harder.

A more healthy approach is to acknowledge that something has to go. This is tough, particularly for someone who strives to keep commitments and not give up.

In these situations, I need to give myself permission to purge.

Were the habits I tried to form worth it?

I'm working hard to keep this friendship, but have we both outgrown it?

I started exploring this hobby. Am I enjoying it?

My enthusiasm for starting something new has waned more often than not. While that's normal, it's healthy to reevaluate whether the juice is still worth the squeeze. If not, why keep going?

I've had to cut a few things out of my life this week. None of them were big deals. However, by making it a conscious decision, I did not feel guilty or stressed about trying to keep the commitment any longer.

I hope you give yourself permission to do the same for things that no longer serve you (or others).