Greetings!
When it comes to setting and achieving Bold Goals, there are two types of people in the world: the “more” person and the “less” person.
The more person tries to accomplish big things, and works hard to accomplish them.
The less person just wants life to be simple. They don’t want to do too much, and are satisfied to let those Bold Goals and accomplishments remain out of reach.
Which one are you?
This is actually a tricky question, because there are good aspects to more and good aspects to less, and finding a balance between the two is best.
You might recognize the more people I’m describing as go-getters. You probably even know quite a few of them. Maybe the more people you know are overachievers, hustling to accomplish things that, once done, you can’t help but say “wow!” Meanwhile, you might see the less as underachievers, sitting on their couches doing nothing.
However, even less people can be achievement-oriented, especially if they’re striving to find internal peace and happiness through the wonder of simplicity. In other words, there’s good less and bad less, just as there’s good more and bad more! Less complications, less stress, and less pain are all great examples of where being a less person is good.
You can have a value system that has both more and less–more of the right things and less of the bad, distracting things. Take Warren Buffett’s 5/25 Rule as an example. Buffett suggested making a list of top 25 goals to accomplish, circling the top five, and pursuing only those five. Those 20 goals pushed to the side? Those are the less things to get rid of so you can focus on what you truly must do.
More of seeking a positive state and taking initiative to get to that positive state is good, especially when that more encompasses health, finances, career or relationships. On the flipside, just as Mahatma Gandhi taught us, simplifying your life and learning to be happy with less is good less. Someone who strives for less isn’t necessarily an underachiever or slacker–less can often be just what you need.
Sometimes people will decry the pursuit of more as ego-driven. “Oh, you want to run a marathon in record time? You’re just showing off.”
Sadly, you can find a thousand people who have accomplished Bold Goals, and a thousand people who hate them for it. Why do people root for people to fail? Jealousy can play a role. But the truth is, some people are less people because they’re afraid to take the Bold Path, the specter of failure discouraging them from setting Bold Goals they’d be proud to accomplish. That’s definitely the bad kind of less!
So what kind of person are you–the kind who strives to accomplish big things? Or the kind who’s fine with less? Are you a more or less person? I hope you’re more and less! Find the balance where you’re wanting more but making everything simple, and you’ll put yourself on the path to happiness.
Keep living Bold!
Warmly,
P.S. PROJECT BOLD LIFE: The Proven Formula to Take on Challenges and Achieve Happiness and Success is a complete system for planning your life to get what you want, and has been a top seller in three categories: “Motivational Growth & Spirituality”, “Personal Success & Spirituality” and “Management Skills”. I hope you check it out if you have not purchased a copy.
P.S.S. On Tuesday, February 8, 2022, I will be leading a discussion titled “Setting Personal Goals” for a Diversity MBA webinar. Click to register for the webinar here.
