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Adding By Subtracting
“If you’re suffering from a feeling of overwhelm, it might be useful to ask yourself this question: ‘In the midst of overwhelm, is life not showing me exactly what I should subtract?’” - Tim Ferriss
Sloan D.S.
June 17, 2024
The Journal Prompt
Insightful Journal Prompts Delivered Weekly.
Good morning!
Welcome back to The Journal Prompt, your weekly companion for introspection and personal growth. 🌿
This week, we’ll dive into the theme of Adding By Subtracting.
Let’s get started!
In This Week’s Issue (7-minute Read)
💬 Quote of the Week
🖼️ Framing Your Reflection
✍️ Three Insightful Journal Prompts
✂️ Featured Photo & Affirmations
📜 Poem - I Worried
Quote of the Week 💬
“If you’re suffering from a feeling of overwhelm, it might be useful to ask yourself this question:
‘In the midst of overwhelm, is life not showing me exactly what I should subtract?’”
Framing Your Reflection 🖼️
Life’s infinite abundance can be paralyzing.
Think about it….we are all born cute bundles of infinite potential - capable of anything. The question is: in a world we can be anything…how do we choose anything?
There are so many things that excite us. 🤩 And let’s be real - we are way more powerful than we give ourselves credit for. With the right mindset, we can succeed in anything we set out (natural inclinations certainly help).
BUT…..here’s where we often shoot ourselves in the foot.
Especially in a hyper-connected world, with humanity’s entire information bank at your finger tips, and addiction-focused algorithms fighting it out to capture your attention.
We tend to…
Want to add more to our plate.
Want to explore every opportunity.
Want to say “yes” to everything life has to offer, for fear of missing out on something amazing.
After all…..we only live once.
Our ego 🪞, however, forgets one tiny, little, limiting thingy-ma-bob……
Time ⏰
By exploring anything that peaks our curiosity, we squander the true potential of any single one of them. We are all limited to the same 24 hours.
~6-9 hours are spent sleeping 😴
~8-10 hours are spent at work 👩💻
…So there’s ~5-10 hours of wiggle room (less with kids 👶).
We have to accept that in order to become exceptional at the core few things that are absolutely important to us, we must….by definition….cut ✂️ out everything else.
If we try to do everything, we end up doing nothing.
Our mind probably goes straight to thinking about our careers. But this applies everywhere.
Want an exceptional marriage? Put in the time.
Want to be an exceptional parent? Put in the time.
Want to be an exceptional rock climber? Put in the time.
It’s precisely because of the time required to become exceptional that we can only do a handful of things…exceptionally.
In a previous newsletter issue, we talked about doing an Energy Audit on our calendar. If we allow anything wanting our attention to invade our waking hours…we surrender the power over our life’s direction to the wants and agendas of others.
While positive emotions about endless possibilities can leave us in a cloud of indecision……negative emotions are more straight forward-ish.
Evolutionarily it makes sense. 🦍 It was way more important to clearly understand what made us angry, annoyed, irritated, and anxious than what made us “happy” - we needed to survive.
So take a look at what you are juggling in life right now, and think…..
Is the overwhelm and anxiety showing you precisely the things to subtract out from your life?
Maybe not. Growth comes with growing pains.
But listen to those negative emotions - your amygdala 🧠 is very useful. First rule about emotional hell holes 🕳️……if you find yourself in one, first thing to do is to stop digging.
During this week’s prompts resist with all your might the temptation to add things. Find a way to cut or minimize. Set the bar low enough.
Sometimes we add by subtracting. ✂️
Three Journal Prompts ✍️
🔍 Prompt #1: A Past Anxiety Battle
Reflect on a time when you felt overwhelmed like you do now? Or maybe a time in the past where you felt not necessarily relaxed (not all stress is bad), but like you were on the edge of your development - you were comfortably uncomfortable - pushing yourself just the right amount. Make a chart and examine the differences. Look for patterns.
🧠 Prompt #2: Examine the Mind-Body Connection
The mind and the body move together (it’s why placebos are a thing). Overwhelm and anxiety come from chemical stuff happening in your brain.
So examine…
What does your nutrition look like? 🍔
How much water do you drink?💧
How much caffeine do you consume and at what times? ☕️
How much sleep are you getting? 💤
Are you exercising (not gym rat status, but maybe just a walk while you take calls)? 🏃♀️➡️
What’s your screen time and on what apps? 🤳
Focus on the cutting - resist the temptation to add.
🔄 Prompt #3: Experiment With the Opposite
I love one of Tim Ferriss’s questions for when he is feeling stuck - “What if I did the opposite for 48 hrs?”. Try it and just see what happens. Remember to set the bar low enough. You can check out the story of how he came up with it here.
🎁 Cool Helpful Bonus Thingy
If there are certain apps or websites robbing you of your serenity, you can get your freedom back with Freedom.to
It’s the world’s best app and website blocker - you set the rules, and it applies them across devices. I use it to block the time off to write this newsletter, spend time with family, you name it. Check them out. 🤙
Featured Photo & Affirmations ✂️
Ai Modern Athena, Goddess of War & Wisdom, Cutting Distractions
Affirmations for Adding By Subtracting
"I will not relinquish power over my life"
"Serenity comes, not from Fate, but from my Choice"
"I will set the bar low enough to make progress"
Poem - I Worried
Mary Oliver
I worried a lot. Will the garden grow, will the rivers
flow in the right direction, will the earth turn
as it was taught, and if not how shall
I correct it?
Was I right, was I wrong, will I be forgiven,
can I do better?
Will I ever be able to sing, even the sparrows
can do it and I am, well,
hopeless.
Is my eyesight fading or am I just imagining it,
am I going to get rheumatism,
lockjaw, dementia?
Finally, I saw that worrying had come to nothing.
And gave it up. And took my old body
and went out into the morning,
and sang.
As we dive deeper into understanding ourselves, let’s remember that we are not alone. Writing is healing and healing can hurt - reach out to friends and family. They are there for you.
Sending Good Vibes,
Sloan from The Journal Prompt Team
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