The Word

While I have nothing against it, you don't have to head to church on Sunday mornings in order to hear 'the word'. Listen carefully; you may hear it from a close friend or even from a complete stranger. Words I heard from an author of a book I recently read made my world come to a screeching halt.

"With your blog, Twitter, and everything else you have going on, how do you even make time to write (more novels)?", someone asked during the Q & A portion of the event.

She giggled before proceeding.

I can't recall her exact answer, but it was quite profound. She said we all need to begin cutting people out of our lives and eliminating commitments that are keeping us away from our passions.

Regrettably, I then tuned completely out of the rest of the session. I was stuck on her words.

It annoys me when people say 'I wish there was more time in the day'. We have what we have, but how we choose to use it is entirely up to us. I immediately realized I'm halfway there. I've already cut many people out of my life. Many of them were amazing in so many ways, but were just not healthy for me. I just can't give valuable real estate to folks who aren't contributing to my health and well-being. But I have serious ground to make on the issue of allowing commitments keeping me away from my passions. Heck, I'm so busy with random tasks that I don't even know what my passions are.

A long-term commitment comes to an end next February. Normally, I'd immediately replace it with something else. But her words today were just the antidote I needed. It certainly won't happen overnight, but from here on I vow to analyze my commitments and keep only the ones that allow my life to be filled with experiences that provide fuel for my life, liberty, and my pursuit of happiness.