The Math Of Life

The math of life is the same simple math we learned in elementary school: Addition and Subtraction. Find out how it applies to your life in this mini podcast.

Grasshopper Notes are the writings from America's Best Known Hypnotherapist John Morgan. His podcasts contain his most responded to essays and blog posts from the past two decades. 

Find the written versions of these podcasts on John's podcasting site: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1628038

"The Grasshopper" is the part of you that whispers pearls of wisdom that  seem to pop into your mind from out of the blue. John's essays and blog posts are his interpretations of these "Nips of Nectar." Others have labeled his writings as timeless wisdom. 

Most of the John's writings revolve around self improvement and self help. They address topics like:

• Mindfulness
• Peace of mind
• Creativity
• How to stay in the present moment
• Spirituality
• Behavior improvement

And stories that transform you to a wider sense of awareness that presents more options. And isn't that what we all want, more options? 

John uploads these podcasts on a regular basis. So check back often to hear these podcasts heard around the world. Who wants to be the next person to change? 

Make sure to order a copy of John's new book: WISDOM OF THE GRASSHOPPER – 21 Days to Creativity. These mini-meditations take you inside where all your creative resources live. And you'll come out not only refreshed but recommitted to creating your future. 

It's only $16.95 and available at BLURB.COM at the link below. https://www.blurb.com/b/10239673-wisd...

Also, download John's FREE book INTER RUPTION: The Magic Key To Lasting Change. It's available at John's website  https://GrasshopperNotes.com

Transcript

The Math of Life

You know, the math of life is actually pretty simple . . . but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.

The late, great Jackie Gleason once said that the trick to life is going out when the tide’s going out . . . and coming in when it’s coming in. In other words, timing is everything.

Here’s how I put it:
There’s a time for addition . . . and a time for subtraction.

Even the Bible—and the band The Byrds—put it this way: “A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together.”

Great advice.

But honestly? I think they got the order backwards.

See, the first part of life is all about addition. We gather things—experiences, habits, beliefs, roles.

The second part? That’s when subtraction kicks in.
We start letting go.

Sounds straightforward. But here’s the catch: letting go?

We’re not so good at that. In fact, most of us have a death grip on the very things we should be releasing.

Think about it:

Before we even know what a belief or an attitude is, we’ve already picked some up.
For me, it started with how I spoke.

I grew up with a strong, regional accent—added to me without my permission. By that I mean we learn our speech patterns by osmosis, imitating the speech patterns of our parent or early care givers.

It really wasn’t a problem . . . until I went into broadcasting. Back then, you had to sound like “nobody from nowhere.” Translation: no accent.

So that speech pattern? It had to go.

It was time for subtraction.

Took a while, but the accent faded.

And it made me realize:
We all do this.
We add.

We pick up preferences, prejudices, patterns, and things that don’t begin with “P.”
Some of them get so locked in, we don’t even notice them.
But they’re heavy.

And eventually, they start holding us back.

That’s when subtraction becomes not just helpful—but necessary.
We begin to see that we’re not our roles.
Not our stories.
Not even who we think we are.

In fact, the real us only starts to emerge . . . when we start letting go.

Imagine bumper stickers—layered one on top of the other.
That’s addition.

Subtraction?

That’s peeling them off—one by one—until we get back to the bare bumper.
Back to the mindset we had before the world started sticking things on us.

So yeah, both addition and subtraction matter.

The key is knowing when it’s time to switch from one to the other.
When the tide shifts . . . that’s our cue.

Start subtracting. Lighten the load. And watch how life starts to add up.

All the best,
 John