The Daily Decrease

 “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