Simple. Easily understood or done; presenting no difficulty; plain, basic, or uncomplicated in form, nature, or design; without much decoration or ornamentation.
Simple! Used to convey that something is very straightforward.
I’ve come to really appreciate simplicity in life. Be it the words we choose to use so that what others hear is what we meant, our everyday processes and routines, our wardrobe, our meals, or our surroundings. There is a certain joy that comes with not having to analyze and overanalyze everything in your life. People are already complicated… and I’ll add, more so than necessary. Why should everything else need to be?
Let’s take a quick detour to the ‘people’ side. I’m not saying that humans need to be simpletons. Not at all. Nor should we be. I love the ‘amazingness’ of our brains. What I don’t love is using that brain to try to manipulate, control and benefit from every person and situation around us. That’s what I mean by being unnecessarily complicated.
But let’s get back to it. So, while I definitely prefer a simpler, cleaner look and feel to things, I don’t feel the need to sacrifice beauty in the process. I have found that simple can be very beautiful. Am I here to talk about how you should structure your life? Absolutely not. Your life is your life. I’m simply popping in to pose a question:
What if life didn’t have to be so complicated? What if your life could look and feel beautiful to you?
What if we did the work we had to do to overcome our past hurts, trauma and related insecurities, so we could just be ourselves and live life fully and happily?
What if we chose to exercise our power of choice instead of just going along with things because “that’s how it is”?
What if we offered support instead of trying to control?
What if we were honest, with ourselves first and then others?
Adding to that, what if we said “no” when we’re screaming no on the inside; and only said “yes” when we meant it?
What if we were honest about what we wanted from the people in our lives? What if we actually said how we wanted to be treated?
What if we treated people the way they want to be treated – well?
What if we simply accepted people for who they really are, or separated from them drama-free if we couldn’t?
I know, I know. These all sound like lofty ideals. But are they? I don’t think they would be if we weren’t living out of our negative experiences. I don’t think they would be if we got to know our current selves, developed a healthy appreciation for who we are, and then did the same for others. I don’t know for sure what the results would be, but I think that’s an experiment that’s definitely worth trying.
Maybe the next time you find yourself strategizing and plotting about things that aren’t actually under your control (let’s be real – if you had control you wouldn’t need to be scheming), try the simpler route and see what happens. You never know, you might like it.
- Everyone Talks About Boundaries, But What If We’re Doing It Wrong?
- Don’t Let Your ‘Freedom’ Become Your Trap (extended)
- Don’t Let Your ‘Freedom’ Become Your Trap
- Are You a Gap Filler?
- Fix It or Let It Go?