“It’s not the daily
increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential.”
Bruce Lee
The clarity that comes from a day of
pure focus is truly enriching. I have had days like this, ones where I did not
even want to sleep at night for not knowing what excitement might arise in the
next few moments. I feel “on point”. It is a day like when problems to stress
feel more like challenges to overcome. It is a day like when people to change
feel more like people to love. These days do not come often enough, and I want
to know why.
There is nothing quite like it, living
in the moment. Some even define happiness this way.
To just look around me, I see many
things that represent open loops. I see tangled up headphones, unopened mail,
and an unread book. These loops want to be closed somewhere deep down inside of
my psyche. It may not be running in the foreground, but it is definitely in the
background
Rather than close these loops right
away, and give myself the proverbial fish. I would rather unveil the deeper
meaning of these things, and with any luck teach myself to fish.
The Bruce Lee quote above has not
left my memory since the first day I read it. It reads, “It’s not the daily
increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential.” I was looking
for a different quote of his when I came across this one, but it had such
powerful meaning, that it effectively stuck deeper than what I had originally
had in mind.
Now I need to know, I must know. What
is all of this stuff?
There is stuff around me, stuff in my
head, and stuff on my computer screen. Much of this stuff serves only as a
reminder of a thing that still needs to be done that hasn’t been gotten to yet.
If that is the sole purpose of something, why do I allow it here?
Bruce was right. Hack away. I know
what is important to me. Love is important. Understanding and ACTING in an
unconditional and abundant way towards others and myself. The things that do
not fall in line with this vocation of mine should be on the chopping block of
the unessential.
This could mean:
·
A happy stomach that does not have to
deal with junk food.
·
A happy Goodwill that gets to profit
off of all my junk.
·
A happy recycle bin that gets to deal
with my unessential emails.
·
A happy wallet, unburdened at the
cost of the unnecessary.
·
A happy mind that is well focused on
the joy and/or challenge of the moment.
But will it?
The problem is that my hacking away
arm has not been in use for some time. Lack any muscle that does not get used,
it has begun to atrophy. It may take some effort to donate that first item, close
that first account, or give rest to that nagging thought.
I may take comfort two enduring
principles.
1. If I use my muscle consistently, over time it will get stronger.
Pretty soon I will be the Bruce Lee of a deeply focused life. All I need is a
little consistency. Removing the clutter leaves room for focus, which leaves
room for removing clutter. This is a good cycle.
2. It is easier to destroy than it is to build. Building takes time,
effort, and diligence. I have rightfully chosen the difficult path of building
throughout the depth and breadth of most of my life. Just look at me now, I
have chosen to use the Internet as a means of communicating love instead of
controversy. Controversy is much easier to stir up, but it certainly is a means
of destroying. Building, rather than destroying, has been a hopeful thread in
my life’s fabric.
HOWEVER, in the spirit of Bruce Lee,
I believe I will give myself permission to do just the opposite. I CAN let go
of the unessential, even to the tune of destroying it. I can refuse the
otherwise “good” things that tend to be the enemy of what I have chosen to be
the fundamental essence of my life. I will aim at this.
Forget that Lee could do 50 one-handed
chin-ups or multiple one fingered push-ups or eat raw vegetables (a feat
difficult for most). Remember what he said. Hack away at the unessential. It is
not about the increase. It just isn’t.
-Strength of GIF
