Simple or Complicated?

“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” ~Confucius

…and why are our lives so complicated anyway?  Well, I say the problem is us.  We buy too much stuff, we have too many things, we look for reasons people are different, we make excuses not to explore the world, we overthink issues and ramp up our stress for things we cannot control, and we are way too comfortable in our tiny box we call “the comfortable life”.  Why are some so happy and others so stressed?  We, for the most part, all live, breathe, laugh, cry, play, work, sleep, pay bills, get sick, raise kids, have cars breakdown, etc.  Let’s focus on how to be like the “happy and de-cluttered friends we have”.  We are always trying to make our lives easier, learn more, and focus on happy.

Ok, for those of us getting older, here is what we know.  We know what we want in life and what we do not like (advantage), we have better time management skills than we had in our youth (advantage), we should be more disciplined than our carefree teenage years (advantage), we probably have a better supporting cast around us (advantage), we have made more mistakes – so we should be smarter (advantage), and we have this incredible thing called technology we can take advantage of.  Let’s get better.

Here is what else we know, things are just things, people are just people, the world is your empty canvas – paint.  WE create complication, and life is too short.

I have a friend who always says, “Life is short - take chances, run with scissors and play with fire”.  He does not literally mean that, but what he does mean is for us to get out and live life.  If we choose to live life with no risks, we will see little rewards.  He also has a wonderful way to focus on what is important in his life: his spouse, his kids, their adventures, their stories, their life.  He does not talk about things, or people who take away his positive energy, or what he has not done.  He talks about what he will do, where he will go, who he will be with.  What else has he done?  He said good bye to his TV, he is a tech geek so he has a wired house, he has auto “everything” like banking, etc., he has a simple wardrobe, he “eliminated” the negative friends in his life, he lives outdoors with most of his family activities, he has a dog, he does not over schedule.  He focuses on his I “want to” list versus the “to do” list.

And most importantly, he is comfortable in his own skin and lives his life to meet the expectations of only himself.  As I write this, I realize he has de-cluttered his life.  He has completed a thorough spring cleaning of his life.  He says “no”.

So how do I take a look at the life of clutter I have created and start to clean it up?  Interested in your suggestions…and the collective list of people’s suggestions.

Together.  We.  Win.

Dave Harmon
People Division
“Kindness is Currency”
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/davidharmonhr

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