Lately, I've spent more time listening and reading Ali Abdaal's work. He's one of the most famous productivity Youtubers today. I recently subscribed to his newsletter, Sunday Snippets, and this week's issue he addressed scarcity.
He prompted the question:
What actions or decisions are you making in your life right now that are driven by scarcity?
I used this as my journaling prompt of the day and discovered some things. I hope you find some of these helpful or interesting.
If you work in higher education then you know that May is a hectic month to be working. Being in the marketing and public relations side of things has shown me how many timely projects can come up in a matter of days. Additionally, I've decided to book a handful of people for graduation pictures. Balancing it all has not been easy. Upon reading Ali's snippet on scarcity, I've realized that I'm putting myself in an unhealthy mindset:
I'm not doing enough work
There's not enough time
What a terrible combination of thoughts! As I was doing the math on how much available time I have on a weekly basis, I came to the conclusion that I actually have more time than I thought. So what's causing my scarcity mindset?
How we choose to spend our time can say a lot about our character.
Time is our most precious asset and it is the one thing that we all receive equally. Nobody gets to have one extra hour in their day or an extra day on their calendar. 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. We all get the same amount. Thus, we all have a choice: what do we do with this time? I believe that because of this allotted time, we ought to make the most of it. That if we are blessed enough to wake up to live another day, then it would be a shame to let that go to waste. Sleeping through the day, scrolling for hours, consuming substances that impair our judgement, these are all toxic habits that most of us are aware of, yet fall into them repeatedly. Personally, I pressure myself to make the most of my days. To make sure that I'm going above and beyond so that I can end my day feeling accomplished. Unfortunately, this has left me in a state of urgency. I've been living each day as if it were my last.
If this were my last day on Earth, I’d be torn between two scenarios:
I would enjoy the little things (which are actually the greater things). I would be with my loved ones.
I would do as much as possible, cross out my bucket list. Live it up to the fullest before the clock stops.
In both scenarios, I would be urged to do something because time is ticking. But what if we live our lives as if they were the first?
Just like young 5 year olds ask why the sky is blue or where babies come from, they learn out of sheer curiosity. Because they genuinely WANT to know more. Not because they have to. If this were your first day on Earth, would you be pressured about getting things done?
Live life as if it were your first day on Earth, not your last.
If I were to live as if it were the first time I would want to try new things (just like the bucket list). But it wouldn’t be out of urgency or fear of missing out. It would be out of curiosity. I’d patiently open new doors, ask different questions and learn. When's the last time you've asked a new question?
If this were my first day alive, I wouldn't be planning rigorous schedules and monotonous daily tasks. I'd at least have one new thing I want to try out. Embark on new adventures. By living this way, our perspective will shift. See your to-do lists as something you GET to do, not something you have to do. Seek out new experiences and unlock new thinking patterns. Reawaken your curiosity.
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