Can you cut back and thrive?

Stopping, eliminating, and otherwise subtracting can feel like failure. That’s not necessarily true.

Not mine. I don’t do plants.

There are things in life you do not control. The weather tends to dominate this category for me. I also don't control how other people respond to me, nor do I control how the management team takes care of the building in which my apartment exists.

I struggled with that last point this year. I started with a positive attitude. I moved to addressing issues on my own. But when the unit started leaking from every orifice again this spring, I accepted the situation was beyond my control and chose to leave.

I then decided to capitalize on my move and turn this year into The Year Of Cutting Back. Like when you cut back a plant so that it will grow fuller and stronger.^¹

I have eliminated every unessential physical item in my home. I have whittled down my tech stack. I even chose to close one of my companies.

We often see cutting back as a failure. A retreat in the battle of life.

I don’t. I see subtracting from life — whether that’s removing objects that are no longer es…