In the name of living a whole, complete and truly Alive life, what’s more important … Quality or Quantity?
The substance of something OR the amount of something?
It’s a tricky question, isn’t it?
I know this:
We can be such perfectionists and put Quality first before all things. A noble approach, yet taken too far and nothing gets finished. That’s the problem: in the pursuit of the ideal, everything falls short. Obsession over Quality is not Good.
And yet the world is full of Quantity. We’re doing things at a mad pace, frantically multi-tasking, ticking things off our lists, and all without much concern for whether it connects, whether there’s any love in it, whether it’s any Good.
So then, we’re after a balance … we’re after first things first.
The truth is we get dissatisfied and frustrated if we ever feel part of a sausage factory – a small cog in a big machine that only cares for getting things done, to an average standard.
We need love and care and attention – we need Quality – in our lives, otherwise we suffer.
Life becomes empty without it. What we Do lacks meaning. But bring in the love and the attention, and purpose and meaning comes forth. Satisfaction happens. We feel happy, we can deal with the unwelcome and unexpected so much easier.
Great rewards come from a Quality approach … from putting Being, some substance into whatever it may be that you’re Doing.
You have to take care of business, but being too busy, being stressed – this is the enemy of care. Racing to get There with no appreciation of what’s Here? Same same.
There will always be More to do, there will always be the urgent to take care of, but if you only focus on that you miss out on what’s truly important.
Slow down. Step back.
Make time for connection, for care, for attention.
Put Quality first.
“I don’t have time!” – you may say, and these are busy times. Yet it’s important to you and everyone around you that you make time for love.
I’ve quoted her before, but it’s beautiful and an excellent reminder:
As Maya Angelou wrote,
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Connection with Being not only creates connection with Truth and substance in your life and what you’re Doing, it creates connection with others.
It’s not so much what you Do, but how you Do it – the alignment with Being that’s behind it all. It is your care and attention and presence that speaks louder than words.
Quality of Being makes the very real difference to everything that you Do.
And if you don’t believe me, try it. Head there first before Doing anything. It’s the way you help yourself, it’s how you help the world.
Take the time, and enjoy!
Go well,
Arjuna