I Wish You "Less"
For everyone who is feeling overextended, overwhelmed, or over-stimulated during the season of more, more, MORE.
In case someone hasn’t already told you this lately: You are already doing enough. In fact, I bet you are already doing too much! If we don’t schedule time to slow down and rest, our bodies will eventually do it for us. Illness and injury are the not-so-subtle ways the body demands, “take a break!”
Today I want to share a piece of artwork that follows the theme of less. Since I shared The Benefits of Working Backward last week, I keep thinking about adding words to existing paneled illustrations. I decided to take the simple three-panel piece pictured above and see if I could add words to it that communicate the idea of wanting less and it being a good, life-giving thing.
After tinkering with multiple words on multiple panels, I fittingly ended up with something incredibly simple:
I experienced one of those satisfying ah-ha moments when I erased all my other scribbles and wrote a single “less” on top of that free flying bird.
The word “less” often has negative connotations. A feeling of inadequacy. Not having, doing, or being not enough. Wanting or needing more. But “less” can also be a freeing thing. Less can help us prioritize what really matters. Less can help us make space for the things we care about most.
So, as we careen into the final throws of holiday chaos, I invite you to do less. Take a hard look at that to-do list. What really needs to happen? I bet it’s less than what’s there! Stop being so hard on yourself! Unabashedly make space for the things you love the most.
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