I'm Choosing Deeper Instead of More

Take Pen to Paper: Edition 120

Susan G.S. Abel

Jan 09, 2025

Welcome, Take Pen to Paper readers!

We have had a full week of 2025, and what do we have to show for it?

It’s OK if you answer, “Not much.”

In this newsletter:

The pressure to do more.
Change our thinking from more to deep.
“New Year” need not mean new goals.

“Please, sir, I want some more.”

The other day, my husband said to me, “Do you realize we are already one-quarter of the way through the century.”

Suddenly, I felt behind, which was silly because we just started. At least, we just started 2025.

You may be familiar with the phrase above from Oliver Twist. He had a good reason to ask for more. That is not always the case for us.

It seems we are always under pressure to do more. With the new year we think more exercise, more fun, more money, more excitement. The list goes on. We put this pressure on ourselves.

It’s easy to get caught up in more. It appears to be the right thing to do.

But, how much can we accomplish in a given amount of time?

Reach Deeper

Each year, my enthusiasm for clearing my email inbox by unsubscribing is high until I start reading newsletters I have subscribed to. I inevitably come to something I’m glad to read and decide not to unsubscribe.

In Sahil Bloom’s January 1st The Curiosity Chronicle, I read:

You are told to focus on the big, but the real texture of life is found in the small.
My third intention is to remember that: Slow down and find joy in the small.

The small can be the things we do all the time. They seem small because they are always there. They are the things we do daily.

We can find more by reaching deeper into what we already have and what we already do.

What Deeper Looks Like for my New Year

I like to think of my annual goals as a guide.

If you read my newsletter two weeks ago, you know I didn’t accomplish (or start) all of my goals.

I approached them differently this year. I didn’t write new goals!

I have a list, but it looks a lot different.

I’m going to put my skills and abilities to use. I’m going to lean into what I have. I’m “flexing” my strengths around what I want and enjoy in life:

Knowledge - I love learning. Reading, writing, new experiences, bring them on.
Connections - Family, old friends, and new friends, I’m ready.
Health - It doesn’t just happen. I must work at it so I can do and enjoy the above.

My range of wants and pleasures may be small, but I will reach deeper by flexing my strengths. I will cultivate a positive mindset to read more (including Ovid’s 636-page Metamorphosis), gather more with family and friends, walk farther (even when it’s snowy), and lift heavier. If you keep up with Take Pen to Paper, you’ll read about it.

What are you planning to do in 2025?

7 Days, 7 Thoughts on Gratitude and Good:

Charles Dickens’s novels are more accessible than you think. I recommend the Penguin Classic annotated edition of Oliver Twist and the 1948 movie starring Alec Guinness, a great film version of the book. 🍲
A quote: “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” -Albert Einstein🍃
Do you need to stop putting pressure on yourself to do so much? This short article might help you.
It’s a good thing to recognize how you can reach deeper to find more of what you want in life.
Even I am overwhelmed by 45 questions to ask myself to discover what goal to set. But if you are stumped, you may find the perfect question to get you thinking here.
It’s a good thing to go for what you want to achieve and do it however you want. Don’t try to over-achieve just for the sake of achievement.
I’m grateful to have various interests I can explore deeper to reveal more about myself in 2025.

Thank you for reading. What’s on your list of goals this year?

Until next time,

💚

Susan

Do you think about improving when January rolls around, or do you take the year as it comes? Leave a comment and let me know. I would love to read about it.

Take Pen to Paper