Simplify: A Ten Day Recap

Simplify: To make something easier to do or to understand.

For the last 10 days I have been doing a study on Simplify. The intro starts out with Overscheduled, Exhausted, Overwhelmed? Sound Familiar? At that point, I just knew I had to dig in and see what insights I could gleam off of the study. As each day progressed, I shared my notes with my wife, who in turn shared her wisdom about the study also. Here are some of the highlights I took away.

1. Don’t give a darn about the “deadbeats”. You know the type. They are the ones that are resting and vesting or give the minimal effort necessary. They are not the good stewards of the employer. I realize that the more I focused on what others weren’t doing, the more it created excess weight and stress.   By simplifying to do the work to the best of my abilities and not worrying about others is pretty freeing.
2. Pursue what you do with a laser like focus. Don’t be distracted. Soak up all the learning you can about what you are trying to accomplish. It hit me when I start off with this mentality in the morning through journaling and reviewing my goals, I no longer waste a lot of hours on what is not important.
3. Be content in all things. There are always things that I can’t control. However, no matter the situation, I just need to remember to think of all the things I can do that counteract anything negative.
4. Build up a culture of doing things that matter. This will usually mean do more with what you currently have. Spend time on the most valuable resources. If we place culture building as the priority, even above strategy, there will be simplicity in how we live, breathe, and act.
5. Repair relationships. Which is more complex, carrying on a bitter grudge or forgiving? Ask for forgiveness, when you have done something wrong to others instead of letting it fester. Have mercy on those who have wronged you. Then you won’t be bound by artificial rules in relationships and you can share in love.
6. Have no fear. Don’t make situations complex by acting out with a fearful mindset. Be bold, make big decisions and make big mistakes. You will learn from the mistakes and you will progress beyond normal with the big decisions.
7. Be a great friend and have great friends. Don’t use the watered down definitions that Facebook and social media has created. Understand the qualities that matter in friendship and display those to everyone.  It may be that you only have a couple of great friends in life, but they will be the ones that simplify decisions, provide feedback, and care for your wellbeing.
8. The goal is to win the race, but the reward is the journey.  Learn from the struggles that every journey has in store. Be refreshed by the accomplishments in the preparation. This way you won’t always be grasping for the next thing upon completion. You can be satisfied by simply finishing the race and reminiscing on the journey.
9. It is only a season. I do believe it is challenging to recognize the season though and what we are being taught. When the seasons are good of course we want them to be repeated. Repeat the good seasons.
10. Have an understanding on what success will look like for you.  Visualize that success until it becomes a reality, even in the tough times.

I believe that these lessons and applications lead to simplification. I never said simplifying is easy. It takes a lot of work. But I bet the outcome will be simply beautiful.