January 26, 2026 The Two-List Rule: What to Stop Doing to Start Winning Again
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” — Walt Disney
Listen to, or read this meditation:
Most people have a “start list.”
Start eating better.
Start exercising.
Start saving money.
Start reading.
Start praying.
Start the business.
Start the class.
And I love ambition. I do.
But let me tell you what I’ve seen after a lifetime of watching folks try to change: the start list isn’t the problem. The problem is we keep adding good things onto a life that’s already packed with things that don’t serve us.
That’s why I’m a fan of what I call the Two‑List Rule.
List #1 is your Start List. That’s normal.
But List #2 is your Stop List — and that’s where the real power is.
Because sometimes you don’t need more gas. You need to stop driving with the brake pressed down.
Here are three “stop list” examples that fit both a young adult and a senior:
1) Stop saying yes to things you secretly resent.
Young adult: extra shifts, extra favors, extra drama.
Senior: commitments that leave you exhausted, events you attend out of guilt.
Resentment is a billboard that your boundaries are missing.
2) Stop feeding your mind junk and calling it “relaxing.”
There’s a difference between rest and escape.
Some things don’t refresh you — they just numb you.
3) Stop repeating the same story about yourself.
“I’m not good with money.”
“I’m too old to start.”
“I always mess up relationships.”
That’s not a fact. That’s a habit of thinking. And habits can be replaced.
Here’s the gentle punchline: a winning life isn’t always built by adding. Sometimes it’s built by removing.
Like weeding a garden. The goal isn’t to punish the soil — it’s to protect what’s trying to grow.
Your Action Step: Write down 3 things to stop doing this week. Then cross out one and stop it today.
© 2026 Detroit Flanagan
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