I was thinking the other day about the beauty and art of simplicity throughout life and how that plays into what you and I do daily. Simple does not always mean easy and vice versa. Some of the easiest things to do in life are complicated at times.
Too often people are looking for the easy way out yet knowing that easy is not always right. For some reason, we tend to automatically equate simple with easy, and therefore on some level, whatever I am doing must include a type of hardship for it to be credible. When we stay in this place then simplicity becomes a ‘bad’ concept.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Undoubtedly, there are times that the ‘hard’ is required. The easiest example of that is working out. Muscles can only grow with a little bit (sometimes a lot) of pain, so therefore growth must equal pain.
Can you see what is happening? How easy it is to equate growth with pain therefore simplicity does not equal growth.
Utilizing Simplicity
Simplicity can be either easy or hard. Simplicity’s key however, rests in its energy. The best definition of energy is that of it being or having usable power.
Simplicity is about thinking, speaking, and acting with better efficiency.
The first step to utilizing simplicity is found in how we think about it. Making the shift in mindset that knowing growth does come from simple acts positions us to talk more about it. Before we start talking or acting on anything, out thoughts come first. What we think about ourselves directly impacts what we say and what we do. Thinking entails our gut instincts, our memories, our fight or flight system, and how we process our ethics, values, and morals. We speak from what we think.
Speaking simplicity into existence is like reciting daily affirmations. It is something that must be done daily. Every circumstance or situation that we encounter is an opportunity to see it through the lens of simplicity. Of course, there may be times when simplicity is not the answer and complexity must take over, however no matter the case speaking simplicity into existence will, at the very least initiate a slowing down.
The action that follows someone who thinks in simple terms is frequently that of responding over reacting. A recurring theme I see all too often is making a situation or circumstance more complex than it should / could / would be. Actions come directly from the words we speak (whether out loud or to ourselves), which are derived from our thoughts. Therefore, the more we think in terms of simplicity, the more we will act in the form of simplicity.
Making It Make Sense
Pull away from any thought that simple thinking is in any way a bad concept and what you are left with is knowing that:
You can’t control time… but you can control how you use your time
You can’t control others… but you can control how you respond to others
You can’t control certain circumstances… but you can control how you react to them Simplicity is about developing a mindset that allows you to maintain control of what you can to maximize how you show up. Most of us have multiple responsibilities that we must attend to (work, school, kids, family, significant others, friends, etc.) that take our time. Navigating all situations with a simplistic mindset maximizes our time, our energies, our commitments, which then opens time, energy, and the ability to commit to other people or places without becoming overwhelmed or burdened.