Our problem is, we have zero sense of proportion.
When it comes to major life decisions like preserving our health and doing our work and falling in love, we say yes or no to things without even thinking them through.
Meanwhile, when it comes to inconsequential matters like a typo in an email sent right before going to bed, we fall down the rabbit hole of useless rumination until we have stomach cramps.
It’s a terrible misuse of energy.
And understandably, daydreaming and brainstorming thinking about the future can all be pleasurable activities. But just because each day presents us the chance to overthink things, doesn’t mean all of our decisions benefit from such complete analysis.
Camus once wrote that we should just act and do not preoccupy ourselves with verifying whether or not history has been mistaken.
Nearly a century later, his words still ring true. Especially now. If we don’t release the grip of neurons on all our small thoughts, if we don’t stop the dispensing of our limited budget of attention to trivial pursuits, we are going to let all of these little mediocre things fill our lives.
And when that white whale comes along, we won’t have the bandwidth to give that choice the attention it deserves.
Like my father once told me:
The reason we don’t sweat the small stuff isn’t because it’s all small stuff, but because the longer you’re around, the more big stuff there is, and you need to conserve your energy.
Something worth remembering next time those ruminative thoughts start roaring inside of your head like a perpetually accelerating engine over some bullshit time vampire.
LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What zaps your commitment to your priorities?
* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author. Speaker. Strategist. Inventor. Filmmaker. Publisher. Songwriter.
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