February Book Review: "Scarcity"

Wow, do I have a lot of stuff. I’m not talking nice stuff, I’m talking about crap. The problem is I think it is multiplying.

About this time of year (every year), I’m stuck inside the house because the perma-cloud cover we enjoy in Illinois is locked in and I get a chance to look at it while I count the days until spring. I thought that I had thrown out much of my junk over the last few years, but as I was staring at the walls this winter, I barely made a dent.

In particular, I am noticing how much stuff I have bought for my kids. Much of it trying to sooth the pain of their parents going through a divorce, much of it to make me feel less guilty about them having to go through that as well, and much of it because I love to watch them smile. All not necessarily the best reasons to buy things. The problem is that they smile for about 4.2 days and then the stuff becomes stuff. (Cue the George Carlin skit – look it up on Google). I’ve become more committed to having experiences with my children and for myself this year and do without so much. I wish they had weed killer for stuff. Maybe that would help. 

I share this with you because I’ve been thinking a lot about how having too much causes me to enjoy things less because I keep looking for the buzz of a new pair of running shoes, a new sweatshirt, etc. Then, I get clear about the privilege I have to be able to get that stuff and it really hits home about what do I actually need to be happy and what is just a waste. Many people are not in the same position as I am and are far more happier than I am…with less to worry about. Stuff does not equal happy. Having more does not necessarily equal happy. Maybe, having less makes me appreciate what I have even more.

I’ve been reading a book titled “Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much” which has really brought it all home to me. Brought home the socio-economic privelege that I carry with me and how I’ve learned the hard way that it doesn’t bring you happiness. It gives you a quick fix. My good friend Kristin Skarie speaks about this often and is such a role model for trying to experience more with less. The book brings about a macro view of scarcity and what it means in the world. If you need a change in perspective regarding the perceived “need” vs. “want” then I would highly recommend you pick up the book. 

Even better, pick it up from the library and make sure you bring it back.

-Paul

October Book Review: Essentialism

I have too much stuff. 

Too much physical stuff that I will never use or that I can't get myself to throw away because I just know I will need it some day. Yeah, right. Probably the "stuff" that I notice the most these days is the mental stuff. The things I am not doing, need to do, want to do, and my daughter's favorite songs from the Disney Channel that I can't get out of my head. 

Like many people these days, I am noticing more and more the movement towards having less or really needing what you have. A good friend of mine, Jeffrey Cufaude, recommended a book to me recently that he wished he would have written (he could have) and that I completely resonated with…Essentialism by Greg McKeown. The cover tells you all you need to know about the inside of the book. Look at it and you will understand. The subtitle is "the discipline pursuit of less" and we can all agree that discipline is in fact what is needed to get to what really matters in our lives.

McKeown focuses on four main concepts: Essence, Explore, Eliminate, and Execute with additional concepts to flush out his points within each. I have always resonated with the power of choice and speak often about that in my role at LeaderShape and to others as the most important power we have…to choose the meaning we give to events in our lives and to know that we ALWAYS have that power. The meaning people give to our lives, the meaning stuff gives to our lives, and the meaning of the interpretations of what occurs in our lives.  I will highlight one other concept which caught my eye as LeaderShaper…uncommit. We speak at LeaderShape about making commitments and being a person of integrity, but not much about uncommitting from the things in our lives that create chaos and lack of clarity. Uncommiting is probably just as important to committing when you think about it, right? What are those things that we really should not be engaged with that sap us of energy and time? 

I may not stop watching the Blacklist on Monday nights, but at least I am thinking of what decisions I am making in my life. What is essential and what distracts me from my vision and who I want to be. One of our Co-Lead Facilitators, Kristin Skarie, went a year without buying ANYTHING new. Bet she found out what is essential in her life, huh? 

What is essential to you? What is practicing essentialism? Pick up the book and see how it might influence the choices you make every day. I think it will make you a better leader, a better decision maker, and a better person. 

Enjoy.

Paul