Writer Elizabeth Gilbert once shared an exchange she had with someone who was trying to help her with her struggles as a writer.
This wise older woman asked – “What are you willing to give up, in order to have the life you keep saying you want?”
She said – “You’re right – I need to start saying no to things I don’t want to do.”
She corrected her – “No, it’s much harder than that. You need to learn to start saying no to things you DO want to do, with the recognition that you have only one life, and you don’t have time and energy for everything.”
Such a powerful illustration of what focus really is – saying no to things we’d like to do to say yes to things we need to prioritize.
