Major, Minor.
Do not major in minor things.
It's entirely possible to major in minor things.
Inaction is much better than sweating over minor things that doesn't make a den.
Majoring in vital things requires reflection and thought.
You'd need to "waste" time to figure out what to major in, so that you don't waste your future in trivialities.
Trivialities might seem important and appeal to our FOMO. On the other hand, the fear is heightened when we approach things of higher stakes.
To major in minor things happens by default.
To major in major things happens by design.
Why does “major in minor things” happens by default? Because there is a constant stream of shiny things vying for us to be consumers.
Meanwhile, to major in things that are truly important to you, you need to be intentional. You need to to engage in active contemplation before contemplative active can happen.
You are called not just to be a consumer, but a creator.
It's silly to put it this way, but it’s worth stating the facts. When we major in minor things, the cost is that we end up minoring in major things.
Major in things that matter, not just for now, but for the "long" now. Design your life around those things that matters most.
Don't start your day with the news. Don't major in timely things; major in timeless matters.
Here's how you can begin to major in things that matter to you:
1. What is a measure of success in your life?
Take the time to reflect deeply on this. Don't outsource this to society's standard. Define what is a life well spent for yourself.
Think of this question in 3 sub-categories:
I. Personal
II. Relationships
III. Work
2. Measure the Major things.
It's tempting to reach for things that are easily measurable. Do not end up valuing what is “good” to measure, but measure what is of value to you.
From 0 to 10, put a number to where you are at now. Figure out where you are at in order to figure out where you need to go.
3. Don't Measure the Minor Things.
Finally, it's tempting to keep track of everything. A huge cost is involved when we keep score of things that actually don't matter.
The cost is a wasted life.
Let that go. It's minor.
Daryl Chow Ph.D. is the author of The First Kiss, co-author of Better Results, and The Write to Recovery, Creating Impact, and the new book The Field Guide to Better Results .
If you are a helping professional, you might like my other Substack, Frontiers of Psychotherapist Development (FPD).
