June 20

You only have so much energy to exert. Any energy that you spend nec- essarily comes at the expense of other things in your life. It’s easy to prune redundant tasks, old projects, and recurring calendar commitments from your life, but sometimes what needs pruning feels a little more personal and awkward. There are some relational commitments that simply out- live their benefit to each person, and the time comes when you simply need to prune the relationship and move on.

This can be a difficult conversation because the decision is not always mutual. For example, an old colleague may want to continue to meet up for coffee every two weeks to chat about how bad his work situ- ation is, or your college roommate wants to grab a few beers after work to relive the past. Neither of these situations is bad on its face and may have even brought you energy at one point but has now outlived its merits. It may be time to prune so that you have the energy you need to bring to the fulfilling relationships in your life.

A quick caveat: I amnotendorsing walking away from your com- mitments to others. Those must be honored. However, pay attention to when relationships seem to have withered, and be courageous enough to prune when necessary so that you have the energy you need to pursue your productive passion.

Sometimes we need to cut ties with people who drain us.

QUESTION

Are there any relationships in your life that need to be pruned?