The Hard Truths Of Wanting To Do More

Every high-achiever who wants to be the best version of themselves is constantly battling a desire to want to do more. More experiences, more time with loved ones, more trips, more businesses, more impact initiatives, more self-care and self-awareness. And that's because making the most out of life truly involves pushing the boundary in all of these areas, and more.

The challenge is, ‘doing more’ isn’t all it’s cut out to be. While it’s good in theory, it’s different in practice. I want to offer a reality check that gives voice to the perspectives and tradeoffs that come with doing more.

First, what’s the purpose for doing more? Many people seek to do more, and become more, because they view that how much they do and who they are isn’t enough. It’s a means to filling a bottomless pit. When our day to day matches that of the person we admire, we expect to feel the same admiration for ourselves. But we bring the same belief system that sees what we’re doing today as not enough, and it comes to the same conclusions in different circumstances. 

Second, especially if you’re already fully busy, doing more of one thing requires doing less of another. It works out if you know that you’re wasting time, but if you’re not, then something needs to be pushed out in order to create space for what you’re bringing in. It’s great to want to add on a new volunteer position, but be practical about what that means for your current commitments. Something new will certainly take time from something else.

For many, that thing is sleep, which brings us to the final point - we each have a finite amount of energy. Our energetic state is most responsible for the quality we bring to the things we do. Doing more means you’re putting energy into more things, which takes energy away from everything else. That is unless you’re investing that time in life-giving activities that fuel your body and soul. 

I’ve found that when people say they want ‘more’, they really mean ‘better’. They don’t want to work more to make more money, they want to make more in less time - they want to work better. They don’t want 5 volunteer roles they’re committed to, they want one that offers more and better fulfillment. 

When we reframe the desire for growth as a pursuit of ‘better’ rather than ‘more’, our life opens up. We can actually deliver on having a more expanded life because we’re no longer operating from a finite and linear capacity. We tap into the exponential equation that life offers.