Member-only story
What Habits Can Wreck Your Life?
Learn to “…remove everything that is not David.”
Being near the start of the year, a lot of us have had our fill binging on self-help books.
And I am all for reading them. They hold a bounty of wisdom and shrewd ideas that can spark growth and expand our awareness of the world.
During this year’s annual personal improvement hazing camp, I noticed that these books mainly focus on the habits these authors feel you should be doing.
But this year, I want to hone in on activities I should stop. Addition through subtraction became my focus.
When people asked Michelangelo how he carved the statue of David, he answered, “It’s simple. I just remove everything that is not David.”
Addition through subtraction.
Often, on our quest to unlock inner greatness, we begin by looking in all the wrong places. We look to introduce fancy new habits because we remain convinced there is something we are not doing.
Addition through subtraction is what inspired this article. In talking with several people I mentor, we crafted a list of taboo activities we will all try to abandon this year. Avoiding these habits may resonate with you, too.