I have always been an optimizer, at least in spirit. I don't know how good I am practically, but at least in spirit, I am a big optimizer. I believe in keeping investments into anything, be it material stuff or effort or time or anything, to the minimum, and getting the most out of each of them. I view this as an extension to, and a bigger and broader sense of minimalism.
To explain what I mean, here's an e.g.: I made a one-time investment in my exercise machine and got as much as I could from it at various times. I have spent very little on other fitness stuff, for e.g., I have hardly ever signed up for a gym class, got a personal trainer, spent on a lot of exercise gear, etc.. I hate to spend on something if I know I can focus my will and do it with a lot lesser "input" to the system. I think in the process I have even been quite hard on myself, but think it's worthwhile...
Likewise, I still have clothes from 10 years back because they aren't worn out enough for me to get rid of them. I don't make investments into starting a new hobby until I have proven to myself that I have got enough juice out of what I have so far been working on... and so on. Guess you get my point.
However, lately I have been feeling frustrated. I feel like I am not getting enough juice out of life, out of time, material stuff, energy, will, or anything.
Imagine if we are the best people we can be, put in the most work we can in the least amount of time possible, make the most money we can ever make with our skills, used the least money we can to be as comfortable as we can be, kept the least clutter at home that we need to live an easy daily life, gave the most we could give to friends, family and to society and be the happiest we could ever be?
Really, I am dissatisfied with the juice I get out of life... Time to do something!
I might have just discovered a secret- to kick off the process and jerk off that inertia, you do have to invest a little more than you would in the normal course of things... I am going to put that to test. May be I will sign up for a class. May be I will invest a long stretch of time to plan a process to sell/get rid of stuff at home that we don't need. I am going to try to give myself the luxury of a longer time, spending a little extra money etc. to kick off the process. Otherwise it seems like the optimizer intervenes and makes it harder to shake off the inertia...
To explain what I mean, here's an e.g.: I made a one-time investment in my exercise machine and got as much as I could from it at various times. I have spent very little on other fitness stuff, for e.g., I have hardly ever signed up for a gym class, got a personal trainer, spent on a lot of exercise gear, etc.. I hate to spend on something if I know I can focus my will and do it with a lot lesser "input" to the system. I think in the process I have even been quite hard on myself, but think it's worthwhile...
Likewise, I still have clothes from 10 years back because they aren't worn out enough for me to get rid of them. I don't make investments into starting a new hobby until I have proven to myself that I have got enough juice out of what I have so far been working on... and so on. Guess you get my point.
However, lately I have been feeling frustrated. I feel like I am not getting enough juice out of life, out of time, material stuff, energy, will, or anything.
Imagine if we are the best people we can be, put in the most work we can in the least amount of time possible, make the most money we can ever make with our skills, used the least money we can to be as comfortable as we can be, kept the least clutter at home that we need to live an easy daily life, gave the most we could give to friends, family and to society and be the happiest we could ever be?
Really, I am dissatisfied with the juice I get out of life... Time to do something!
I might have just discovered a secret- to kick off the process and jerk off that inertia, you do have to invest a little more than you would in the normal course of things... I am going to put that to test. May be I will sign up for a class. May be I will invest a long stretch of time to plan a process to sell/get rid of stuff at home that we don't need. I am going to try to give myself the luxury of a longer time, spending a little extra money etc. to kick off the process. Otherwise it seems like the optimizer intervenes and makes it harder to shake off the inertia...
2 comments:
This post sounds eerily familiar-
Having reached similar conclusions, I'm just starting out on that process of 'investing the extra bit', so I certainly hope you are right :)
Yes, life is about balance.. being either extreme doesn't do good. Its necessary to let go of constraints now and then and really reward yourself for all the hard work your optimizer does!
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