last month, i was working on the layout for an advertising piece.
my husband, an expert in the area, reviewed my work once i was done. his immediate comment was that my ad looked so busy, with too much information . . . leaving what was really vital buried amongst what really wasn’t.
art mimics life. and unfortunately, this was not much different than the way i’ve been living.
back to my ad – my husband told me to write down the 4 most important ideas and put them in order. then get rid of 95% of the rest. never let the reader guess at what it is that truly matters. in one snapshot, emphasize what’s important and forget the rest.
didn’t take long for me to make the necessary adjustments. i knew immediately what i valued the most. and i barely gave the rest a second thought. i don’t even know why i felt so compelled to jam in so much irrelevance to begin with. and the finished product was far more reflective and effective.
my life needs to read like my ad. boldly putting forth only that which is most dear – and all the rest either deleted and reduced to a minimum. there should never be any confusion about what, and who, I really value.
my son came to me today and asked me to the movies. (on my dime, of course!). i looked around the house. there were a few dishes in the sink and mail in my inbox. not to mention, another project deadline looming.
but today, i remember my lesson from yesterday. today, i push my list of chores aside and leave work for a weekday. i am sure all emails can wait . . . but my son should not.
today he will know he’s most important.
billy makes my top 4 - EVERY day!
Filed under: monthly musings | Leave a Comment
Tags: family, inspiration, priorities
No Responses Yet to “don’t miss the forest for the trees”