| "The man who makes everything that leads to happiness depends upon himself, and not upon other men, has adopted the very best plan for living happily. This is the man of moderation, the man of manly character and of wisdom."
~Plato
Let's face it we live in a culture obsessed with accumulating more things, more approval, more beauty, and more pleasure. We must rethink - do we really need more or do we simply need moderation?
This week let's explore three ways moderation guides us to a fulfilling life:
Less is More
The law of diminishing return states that beyond some threshold, each additional unit "in" does not yield more. Imagine one cook in the kitchen cooking for five hundred people, initially more cooks in the kitchen increases the effectiveness of getting these mouths fed, yet there is a point at which too many cooks in the kitchen yields negative results in other words less productivity. Our life works like this as well, too many clothes in a closet yields an inability to find what we need, too much time working leads to an inability to have a social life, and too much food in the stomach leads to an inability to move! More isn't always better.
Contentment
When we stop searching for more, for better, for different, for larger, for newer, and appreciate exactly what we have now, we surrender to the perfection of the present moment. Moderation allows us to fully savor that which we already have.
Balance
Balance in our lives is a place where all of the people, projects, and things presently in our life are manageable. Moderation brings us this stability. Balance is also about managing the extremes of our behavior. When we have too much or too little of any one activity we become out of balance. Take sun exposure, for example, too little and we have a vitamin D deficiency, too much and our skin is bright red, we are in pain, and risk developing cancer.
Moderation tempers and anchors. Through moderation, we often find less is more, feel more content, and find greater balance - each of which leads to a fulfilling life. The ability to enjoy and appreciate what we have today leads to a full, rich life filled with gratitude and satisfaction. Therefore I suggest to you that moderation is one of the secrets to a fulfilling life.
Make It Happen
This week, select one area of your life in which you desire greater moderation - an area where you know less is more, where you desire balance and believe that moderation can indeed bring you greater contentment. Take five minutes and select one area of your life where you would like to moderate. Grab a pen and write down five benefits you and those you love will see from adding a little moderation. |
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