The 80-20 Rule

Do more. Be more. Achieve more. Sounds pretty on point, doesn’t it? Isn’t that the American Dream? But continually aspiring to greatness in everything, can not only be exhausting, but it can also be quite dissatisfying.

In fact, research has shown that all that self-evaluating on incredibly high goals can potentially lead to all kinds of mental health quandaries: depression, anxiety and mood disorders, to name a few.

So, I’m thinking Mr. Aristotle might have been on to something – that ‘happiness depends upon ourselves.’ We have it within ourselves to be truly happy, which would include setting reasonable, achievable and satisfying goals. It’s not about perfection. It’s about being realistic and living into the idea that ‘good enough’ is good enough.

And 80% is certainly good enough. Because a 20% reduction in production can actually lead to 50% more happiness. And, of course, once we achieve that goal, we gain confidence, and can then choose to up the ante.