Essentialists don’t diffuse their efforts with distractions, applying their full energy to the job at hand.
The Nonessentialist: The Essentialist:
Mind is spinning out about the past or the future Mind is focused on the present
Thinks about what was important yesterday or tomorrow Tunes in to what is important right now
Worries about the future or stresses about the past Enjoys the moment
Be: The Essentialist Life
There are two ways of thinking about Essentialism. The first is to think about it as something you do occasionally. The second is to think of it as something you are.
We can find Essentialists among the most successful people in every type of human endeavor, including religious leaders, journalists, politicians, lawyers, doctors, athletes, authors, and artists. These people make their greatest contribution in many different ways, but they share one trait: they don't just give lip service to the idea of "less is better." They have deliberately chosen to fully embrace the way of the Essentialist.
Most of us have a little Essentialist and a little Nonessentialist in us, but the question is, Which are you at the core?
People with Essentialism at their core get far more from their investment than those who only absorb it at surface level. As we continue to pursue the essential and eliminate the nonessential, our inner core expands outwards until it has all but eclipsed the part of us still mired in the nonessential.
Becoming an Essentialist is a long process, but the benefits are endless. Here are some of the ways the disciplined pursuit of less can change your life for the better.
- More clarity - Life will become less about efficiently crossing off what was on your to-do list and more about changing what you put on there in the first place.
- More control - You will gain confidence in your ability to pause, push back, or not rush in.
- More joy in the journey - With the focus on what is truly important right now comes the ability to live life more fully, in the moment.