Ripples #899: Curating Your Life!
Aug 15, 2016
PEBBLE
Coming to understand that there are usually a few good choices – and then there’s the one you pick, commit to, and make great – is the best way to make flexible, optimal, and good decisions in life.
-Marissa Mayer, shared by Catherine in Fitchburg, WI
BOULDER
Museums become amazing by gathering brilliant art in one location. Someone has to say no to certain pieces and collections. A curator is involved, making conscious decisions about what should be displayed and what should go. There’s an editing process. It is more often more important to those things that you say no to. What you leave out, whether it be in business, design, art, film, music,…and life. Choose what is truly essential. Remove things that are not. Continue editing. Then do it again.
-Michael Dunn (slightly adapted)
PONDER
As many of us get ready to dive into another academic year of school and/or work, we’re faced once again with choices about courses, projects, and/or priorities. One of the challenges in planning is that there are an infinite number options to explore and yet a finite amount of time and energy with which to pursue them.
This week’s boulder appeared in a LinkedIn post a few weeks ago just after I had visited the famous and fabulous Art Institute of Chicago while on vacation with my boyfriend. Michael’s analogy struck me as a creative and useful way to approach my schedule for the fall. There is so much more that I would like to achieve than I could possibly squeeze into a few months, especially if I want to produce “brilliant” work. Instead of overcommitting and perhaps setting myself up for failure, I set out to curate my calendar and accept that some things will need to wait for a later exhibition.
If you’re struggling as well, I invite you to spend some time this week reviewing your entire collection of possibilities. Mindfully assemble priorities that complement each other, and remember that determining which tasks you’ll need to set aside for now is a challenging yet courageous part of assembling a successful life that you’ll be proud to display. Happy curating!
Peace,
Paul
The Ripples Guy
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