Don’t Do More This Year, Trust More.

Cultivate community, not to-do lists.

When I think of trust, I think of concepts. Testable, measurable predictions that are repeatable, reliable and accurate. It’s my scientific background. When you don’t fully trust something, you test it, remeasure it, and design a new experiment. You gather data and see if you’re lead to a new conclusion. When I think of trust, I hardly ever think of people.

But lately, this has changed.

Over the past year I’ve started doing less and trusting more. In training, in myself, in community; instead of filling my day top to bottom with to-do lists and being overly scheduled, I’ve purposefully emphasized community and connection. Prioritizing social runs, trivia nights, dinner with friends, or deliberate co-working days in a public space. It’s to prioritize connection, to spend less time doing and more time trusting.

I started doing this after reading Oliver Burkeman’s Four Thousand Weeks, where he discusses this perpetual state of business we are trapped in. We’re stuck thinking that doing more will save us, will lead to success, but really, the most successful and productive people find a balance between the two. It caused me to reflect on my life and why I was feeling unsatisfied. I can work remotely, I have a flexible job where I can travel, yet I was feeling isolated, unproductive and devoid of community. I realized what I was lacking were points of connection with people - not work calls or consultations - instead, conversations and quality time.

I had to trust more and to do less.

In scheduling myself less, and trusting those around me more, the more meaning and satisfaction I gained. I found more inspiration in my daily work, and instead of assigning myself more tasks, I decided to delve deeper into the ideas and concepts I was already exploring. To trust I was on the right path and to fully commit to it. I found more clarity and motivation to work hard at my job while also discovering purpose outside of work and my ‘to-do’ list.

Trusting people and developing communities gave me a different form of satisfaction - one that only comes from relinquishing control and trusting that a little less structure can bring a lot more contentment.

If you’re looking for a little more community and connection this year, check out my Hillygoat Run Retreats happening this summer and fall in Boulder, Colorado.