(...and a lot of things really don't matter)

I work with a lot of stressed out executives who feel like their, life energy, hope and joy have been sucked out of them. What we find very quickly is that they are doing a lot of things that don’t really matter instead of concentrating on the things they really do want in their lives.

What if you stopped doing things in your life that really don't matter? How would that change who you are? How much extra time would you have available to do things you really enjoy? How would this affect your health and well-being? And, what the heck does any of this mean?

How do you stop doing things in your life that don't matter? Well, you need to take a step back. First, you need to figure out what does matter to you. This may involve doing some serious soul-searching to figure this out. Your answers typically lay in the values you hold dear and these are often expressed in the vision you have for your life.

For example, what matters most to me is creating a better world for everyone and working with people who respect me for who I am and the work I do. I've actually taken it one step further to find out in detail, what I really want in my life. This way, I'm very clear about my "mission."

Sometimes it isn't easy to figure out what matters most. We can lose track of our life vision over time as we get pulled in a million directions and deal with life's daily activities. In that case, consider working with a personal coach to develop clarity. I work with dozens of people in helping them to unearth their real vision.

The second step is to take a look at what you're doing in your life. Where do you spend your time? What's your profession, who are your friends, what groups do you belong to and what types of activities fill your days, weeks and months?

The tough step is next. Look for the disconnect between what matters most to you and what you're doing in your life. It's time to clean house (which could take months or longer) of anything that isn't supporting what matters most to you. It's time to get rid of what isn't aligned with your vision and values. Stop investing your time and energy into people, ideas, events, and anything else which isn't serving what is truly meaningful to you.

In the past few years, I've gone through the very process that I've outlined here. The results have been phenomenal. I have a lot more time to spend with my family and friends. I'm not overbooked with time-filling, busy-body, pointless activities. My business runs effortlessly and my life is virtually stress-free.

I defined what mattered most and then started removing everything that didn't fit. Did this take a lot of focus, dedication and hard work? Absolutely. But anyone can do what I did. It all starts with taking the first step.

Anything worthwhile in life takes effort. You only need to have the drive and the desire to make it happen. I'm glad I took on the challenge because now I'm on a path that's filled with daily joy and abundance. And, you can do the same.