If you think you need to do more, it might be time to do less.

But do it more efficiently.

You’re working hard. You’re giving it your all. You have all the ingredients:

1. Passion
2. Perseverance
3. Patience

But you’re flatlining. You may be advancing, but you’re barely moving the bar up. Or you’re flat. Or worse, you’re declining.

A friend has been meditating for years. Every Single Morning. For one and sometimes two hours. She’s made huge, incredible, literally miraculous strides. But she’s hit a wall. Maybe it’s a thin wall, but it’s a wall. She’s stuck. Does she meditate three hours every morning? Or even less than she’s doing?

I’m going to completely obliterate a stand-up comedy routine from early Steve Martin to explain. A guy is trying to improve the sound of his stereo system (yes, it’s a really old joke). Steve Martin goes on and on with all kinds of zany names of speakers going from the standard two for stereo to the “do-decaphonic” which might mean nothing, but it sounds impressive. After even more speaker iterations and improvements, he finally says:

“Well, maybe it’s the needle.”

(Yes, it’s from Steve Martin and his stand-up albums from the 1970’s and yes, that’s a needle that plays on a record player. OK, I’m dating myself … ;-))

All of the focus was on the speakers. Then he finally says to try the needle.

My friend has been meditating–with crazy success–for years.

1. She’s got that part down.
2. She’s a pro.
3. She needs to take things to the next level.

Here’s my take: I don’t think she needs to go to three hours per morning. I think, because she’s advanced, because she’s practiced, because she’s already at the next level, she can reduce her meditation time (if she wants to) to whatever she think feels right.

Or, maybe as Steve Martin sees it, it’s time to focus on a different aspect.

She’s been focusing on her health and that’s what’s been giving her a bit of a struggle lately. Maybe it’s time to focus on something completely different while continuing to have a minor focus on the health. She could focus on:

1. Her love life,
2. Some passion/hobby/new hobby.
3. Her work.
4. Her family.
5. Something else entirely.

Doing more of the same thing isn’t necessarily going to take you to the next level of that same thing.

In fact, I think it might be time to cut back so you don’t burn out and then give up entirely.

Maybe it’s the needle.

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