Last week on the Disc Golf Answer Man, my Mind Over Plastic segment focused on taking stock of the previous year. Looking back and making note of what went well and making plans to improve on the things that didn’t. As it gets colder and darker outside, I become more introspective. The furious activity of the summer gives way to to a quiet contemplation.

As I peer back across the last 11 months, one word stands out from all others. No matter what I see that I wish was better about 2015 (and don’t get me wrong, 2015 rocked for the most part!), it can always be traced back to one word…

Simplify.

I have too many discs. I carry too many discs. I try to be good at too many different types of shots. I try to do too much in any given round. I have too many things planned for the course outside of just playing. Somehow I’ve drifted away from the exhilaration of simply getting out and throwing. I’ve forgotten the pure joy in watching the flight of a perfectly thrown disc.

It seems like I almost never get to play anymore. I work a ton. I spend a ridiculous amount of time on this blog. When I am on the course, I spend more time worrying about throwing and testing whatever disc I’m reviewing than I do just playing. That needs to change. I need to simplify.

As I write about a lot here on the blog, disc golf is a microcosm of life. My disc golf issues translate directly to other areas of my life. I have too much stuff. I try to be good at too many different things. I try to do too much. I spend so much time on being busy that I’ve neglected the things that I hold most dear. Family. Friends. Creativity. Fun.

[tweetthis]Spend more time on things that matter, like #discgolf[/tweetthis]

As you make your way through the busyness of this holiday season, many of you will come to the same realization. Like a snowball rolling down a hill, you’ve spent the year picking up “stuff” at every turn. Each bit seemingly harmless until you realize you’ve gained a mass of things in your life that is no longer sustainable.

It’s similar to a lot of our disc golf bags. We start with just a few favorite discs. Then we add a disc here and a putter there. We win something at a tournament. A friend gives us a new piece of plastic. Before you know it we are carrying 20-30 discs when just those original few would be better.

So that leads us to the question of what to do about it. This is ‘murica after all. Aren’t we supposed to have a lot of stuff? Isn’t being the busiest one you know a sign that you’ve somehow “made it”?

Or maybe it’s not about how much. Maybe it’s about how good. Quality over quantity. In disc golf and in our lives.

How about you? How can you start to declutter your life and your disc golf game? What things have you accumulated over the years that you might be better off without? How can you simplify so that you can spend more time doing the things that matter most? How will you take the first steps towards a cleaner, more focused existence?

I think I’ll start by packing up my NutSac with my 5-6 favorite discs and heading out to a new course that was just installed 30 minutes from my house. I’m not bringing the two discs that DD just sent me to review. I’m not bringing my camera. I’m leaving my phone in the car. Just me and the pursuit of that perfect flight.

You know what else makes your life simpler? Subscribing to the blog. By entering your email below, we’ll email you once a week with links to every new article. You won’t have to remember to check in here and you’ll make sure you don’t miss a thing! It couldn’t be simpler!

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Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The post Wisdom Wednesday – Simplify appeared first on Mind Body Disc - Disc Golf Blog.

The next time you are out on the course, try to keep track of how many times you say to yourself, “I wish I could…”. I bet it’s a lot more than you think.

I wish I could drive further.
I wish I could putt better.
I wish I could throw more accurately.
I wish I had this or that disc.
I wish I had a different bag.
I wish our course was better.

The list literally could go on forever.

Instead of enjoying our rounds, we spend the entire time being dissatisfied with every aspect of our game. Instead of enjoying our lives we spend the entire time wishing they were better.

Remember when we were kids and our parents used to tell us about walking ten miles each way to school. Uphill both ways. And it snowed every day? Remember we used to roll our eyes at them at how ridiculous their examples sounded? Now is the time to realize that they were simply trying to get us to be grateful for what we have.

Do you have that guy in your club that does the same thing? “I remember when we had to make our own discs out of soap. The closest course was 400 miles away. The furthest anyone could throw was 6 feet. You kids have it so good these days!”

Again, all he’s trying to do is show you the value of being grateful. And why does he do that? Buddha has the answer…

[tweetthis]Gratitude turns what we have into enough.[/tweetthis]

So get out on the course and enjoy the skill set you already have. Enjoy the discs and bag you already own. Enjoy the course you are lucky enough to have. Appreciate the life you are blessed with. Do those things and I guarantee that happiness will be yours.

We would be very grateful if you subscribed to this blog. All you have to do is enter your email below and we’ll send you a super cool disc golf newsletter once a week along with links to every post we put up that week!

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The post Wisdom Wednesday – Gratitude appeared first on Mind Body Disc - Disc Golf Blog.