Don't Sacrifice Great for Good

There are many books, magazines, and websites out there catering to every possible topic.  When you are in the midst of a challenge, you will find that there are even more pieces of information vying for your attention.  Whether it is banking paperwork, rent papers, or resumes you are handling, there is an opinion for how everything needs to be done.  And for every topic it is very likely that you will find information that contradicts itself.  One expert says to keep hardcopies of papers while another says, it’s okay to scan them into your computer.  It is downright confusing.

I have learned two principles that guide me during confusing times and when I am suffering from information overload.  The first is to do your research, but to ultimately go with your gut response to the situation.  Definitely get informed but make sure that in the end, you don’t do something that you don’t agree with.  This is hard work at times, especially when you receive conflicting advice.  As a self-professed lover of lists, I find that this is a situation that warrants a handy “Pro/Con” list.  Once you have identified the way you want to go, act in faith knowing that you sought out information and are making the best decision possible.

The second principle addresses activities and is to not waste precious time on things that are only moderately good. These things may be a magazine that you like and guilt trip yourself about not reading.  Or they may be an activity that no longer serves you like it once did.  Consider for a moment that we are alive for a limited time.  Why waste a moment on something that is good when you could be focusing on something far greater?  However, neither be such a perfectionist that you don’t even start because you are afraid of not being good enough.  The aim is to not let things suck up your time that is better spent working or playing at something you find great in your life and don’t avoid the great work either because you are intimidated by it.  You must know your goal in the end.  What is your priority?  Is it to become re-employed? Save your house? Thrive during a health crisis? And what about your far-reaching goals for life? My life goal is to be happy and bring joy and encouragement to others.   

Some people want to make a certain amount of money a year while others just want to downsize their lifestyle.  For each individual there is corresponding particular priority.    If I let my goal slip and become mentally lazy about enforcing the activities that contribute to my happiness, I become unbearable to live with.  So, if I decide to watch television or search the Internet for a couple hours (both of which could be argued as something good since it is rest and relaxation) instead of writing (which for me is something far greater than good) then I will suffer the consequences.

The real duty of a life well-lived is to simplify the moderately good (of which is plentiful in the world) and magnify the great in life (of which we might have only a few).  We only know what is best for us once we know what we want from life, both in the immediate form and as an overall goal for our lifetime.