Simple Arithmetic = A Better Life!

Is your life perfect just the way it is? If so, you can stop reading now.  However, if you’re normal there’s probably something that could be better.  Can you put your finger on what you don’t like or are unhappy with? You see, if you can identify what you wish were different, there’s a simple solution – either add or subtract.

The wisdom of the Principle of Addition and Subtraction is revealed in the following statement: If you always do what you’ve always done, you will always get what you always got.  In other words, if there are things in your life causing you recurrent pain, whatever you’re doing about them apparently isn’t working.  You have to introduce something new or different in order to experience relief.  If you are struggling with your children, marriage, finances, career, communication, health, friendships, etc., something must either be added to or subtracted from your life in order to experience different, and ideally, desirable results.

Let’s look at your physical health for example.  If you want to lose weight and keep it off, you will likely need to subtract certain foods from your diet, like the afternoon chocolate bar or bag of potato chips, and then possibly add new foods like a protein snack bar or an apple.  You may also benefit from subtracting a half-hour of sitting on the sofa watching television each night and adding a 30-minute cardiovascular workout.

Pain and suffering can enter your life through no fault of your own and, at times, it seems as though little can be done about it.  However, even in these situations you can choose to subtract bitterness or discouragement and add optimism and hope.  Few circumstances or problems in life are truly exempt from the Principle of Addition and Subtraction and you may be surprised to find how often these small changes can add up to significant improvements. 

Practice implementing the Principle of Addition and Subtraction by completing the following exercise:

1. Take a sheet of paper and fold it in half vertically.
2. Identify one domain of your life and write it at the top center of the paper, e.g., Finances, Marriage, Health, etc.
3. Write “Subtract” at the top of the left column and “Add” above the right-hand column.  Under each heading write the things you can either subtract or add from your life in order to help bring about positive change.  For example, if you are looking at your finances you may want to subtract things like eating out three times per week, credit card purchases, and new car payments.  Then you may want to add things like saving 10% of every paycheck, carpooling to work, and creating an expense budget.
4. Next, commit to the process of adding and subtracting for positive change.  Start small, because beginning with the things you believe will require the least amount of work and effort will allow you to experience success and build momentum toward the more challenging actions more quickly.

Remember, no matter how small the positive additions and subtractions are, you will experience healthy change while creating a better, more satisfying life.  So, get your pencil ready… and do the math!     

Live, Work & Relate Well!

Dr. Todd