According to the theory…
- principle: 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes
- economy: 80% of income in Italy went to 20% of the population
- business: 80% of sales comes from 20% of clients (and conversely, 80% of the work comes from the bottom 20% of sales)
My personal interpretation…
- personal: 80% of the joy in life come from 20% of the people and experiences in life
I’m working very hard to spend more time (as a business owner, as a friend, and as a member of a family of two) with those people doing those tasks which are currently only 20% of my time, but are 80% of my joy. While I realize, if the theory holds true, that I’m only shifting my happiness, I also see how that happiness increases. Even if it’s only 20% of my life, it’s a better quality than before.
In recent months, I have cut several things loose from my life. I’ve quit organizations, I’ve stopped volunteering for any entity with more drama than fun[1]. I’ve cut back on virtually everything in my life.
We’ll see if it works for me.
[1] Interestingly, gay chartity work is one of the only groups I held on to. Talk about blowing stereotypes!