ADDITION BY SUBTRACTION

There is not a day that goes by that most people do not want more - more money, more power, more time, more influence, more control, more food, more fun, more happiness, more stuff.  We just want more.  Then there are those days, when enough is enough and all the "stuff" we have accumulated, the emotional baggage we carry around with us, is overwhelming and we just want all of it to go away.

These two extremes of "not enough" and "get rid of it all" polarize our true potential and leave us wondering: What’s the meaning of everything? What’s my purpose?  Our ability to find happiness, to be at peace with ourselves and one another, to explore, to imagine, to dream, to lead, to love are not found in "getting more" or even in "getting rid of it all." 
 
Maybe, just maybe, the answer is "addition by subtraction."  Addition by subtraction looks for ways to take away something that appears to be the answer, only to realize that that by losing it, you discover the something miraculous.  Here are some examples: 

• When a favored basketball team loses their top player to injury.  The statistics predict a losing effort.  However,  the team wins the next game in a classic upset when the "no name guy" on the bench steps up and delivers.
• When a business faced with declining margins, makes cuts across the board and sends the bad news to the stockholders that profits will be down next quarter.  To everyone's surprise, the company workers redouble their efforts and find revenues rise and expenses decline.
• When a person makes a significant change in diet and exercise, loses weight in an effort to get away from medication.  Within weeks is feeling better, and in a couple months is off all medication.
• Restaurants are reducing their menu offerings to only those food items most requested to help cut food and inventory costs.  They are now realizing this is helping them form a better brand image, helping consumers make quicker decisions on what to eat, and reducing cooking and serving times.
• Businesses are encouraging workers to work from home one day a week.  This helps employees save on communicating costs and helps the "green" image of the company.  Now studies have shown this boost employee productivity and morale, and workers do a great job from home.
• People are going through their closets and donating clothes to area shelters.  During the process, they are finding they really didn't need all that stuff, finding "old favorites" all over again, and are helping those who are in need. 

What can you have less of that will get you more?
 
"Less" is the new "more."  And having less will help you realize how much you truly have. 
 
Until Next Friday,