Category Archives: Simplicity

Live Simply Love Generously

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“Live Simply, Love Generously, Speak Truthfully, Breathe Deeply, Do Your Best. Leave everything else to the powers above you.”

—Author Unknown

Image of a field of red tulips

Life is complicated.

Or is it?

It seems the rules of the game are as long and laborious as the new tax code or other governmental regulations.

Far too often, we find our heads spinning and our spirits crushed by the overwhelming effort to sort through the complexities.

Who doesn’t crave far greater peace of mind, simplicity, and tranquility in our rat-race world?

EXERCISE:

Consider the five fundamental touch points in today’s quote as guides to inform your daily efforts to lead a far happier and satisfying life.

What would be possible if we all did this, and left the rest to the powers above?

If You Want to Be Free

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“If you want to be free, learn to live simply.”

—John Heider, The Tao of Leadership

Image of a bird on a wire, with today's quote

In the last few months, I have posted several times regarding minimalism and essentialism, which point to the value and freedom associated with a simple life.

What areas of your world would benefit most by slowing down, paring back, downsizing, or even eliminating completely? Explore this list as possible places to start:

Relationships Career Media Consumption Diet
Wardrobe Living/Working Environments Schedule Health & Spiritual Practice

EXERCISE:

What one action can and will you take (or stop taking) to gain a bit more freedom in your life?

Consider making this exercise a daily practice and let me know what you discover.

Friday Review Simplicity

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FRIDAY REVIEW: SIMPLICITY

What is the value of simplicity in your life? Here are a few simplicity-related posts you may have missed. Click the link to read the full message.

 

“If you can’t explain it to a six year old, you don’t understand it yourself.”

 

 

 

“A bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking, because its trust is not on the branch but on its own wings.”

 

 

 

“Remember, all the answers you need are inside of you; you only have to become quiet enough to hear them.”

 

 

 

The answers inside you

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“Remember, all the answers you need are inside of you; you only have to become quiet enough to hear them.”

—Debbie Ford, author of The Dark Side of the Light Chasers

Quiet Zone sign

Image from Pinterest

Take a moment to reflect on your day so far.

How much quietness, peace, serenity, and tranquility have you experienced? On the other hand, how much stress, chaos, multi-tasking, and general noise have you experienced?

If you have plenty of quiet time, you are one of the lucky ones who have time to think and reflect on the important questions life may be asking.

If your life fits more with the second category, you may be unable to hear yourself think.

EXERCISE:

Find a special location in both your personal and professional worlds to spend just ten minutes per day in quiet reflection, to discover the important answers to the questions life is asking.

“A bird sitting on a tree

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“A bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking, because its trust is not on the branch but on its own wings.”

—Author Unknown

Photo from Flickr by Martin Heigan

Photo from Flickr by Martin Heigan

Where in your professional or personal life are you leaning too much on the help and support of others? How would you cope and adjust if their support were suddenly withdrawn? Do you have a “Plan B”?

A dual strategy to proactively address such scenarios is to sit more lightly on the branches of others, and of course, exercise your own wings to fly solo when necessary.

EXERCISE:

Where in your life could you strengthen your capacity, trust your own abilities, and operate more independently?

How could you be a branch to support others, when needed, as they develop their ability to fly on their own?

If you can’t explain it to a six year old, you don’t understand it yourself

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“If you can’t explain it to a six year old, you don’t understand it yourself.”

– Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist

image of Einstein with children

Image from Encyclopedia Britannica

In the world of physics, perhaps no-one is more famous than Albert Einstein. He is best known for the formula E = mc2 where E =energy, m stands for mass and c represents the speed of light.

There is genius in simplicity, in that it brings ideas and insight into our lives. Compare programming your first VCR with the simplicity of many of our plug-and-play devices today.

Exercise:

Look up the term “Occam’s Razor” and explore how making things in your life simpler is a road toward unleashing your own genius and creating a more user-friendly, workable world.