POWER OF SIMPLICITY
Lance Witt coaches, cares for and consults leaders and their teams all over the world on how to live from a healthy soul.
A LOOK AT THE POWER OF SIMPLICITY
SIMPLICITY. IT’ S a beautiful word, isn’ t it? But the irony is that simplicity doesn’ t always feel simple.
And everywhere I travel and speak, I hear words that are a disguised plea for a simpler life. Words like exhausted, overwhelmed, overscheduled and stressed.
Maybe you can relate to the words of Charles Wagner:“ Amid the confused restlessness of modern life, our wearied minds dream of simplicity.” It is mindboggling that he wrote these words in Paris in 1895, before the invention of the car, the airplane, the television, the computer, the internet or social media.
I am convinced that the quality of my one and only life has a lot to do with learning simplicity in an increasingly complex world. This topic is about far more than organizing your closet or cleaning out your garage. So, let me share with you three steps on the road to simplicity.
1. OWN YOUR LIFE
The first step to simplicity is responsibility. You need to“ own” your life. You have to face the fact that the life you’ re living is the result of the decisions you’ ve made. We all have circumstances we can’ t control, but we do control how we respond to those circumstances.
I love the words of Dr. Henry Cloud who said,“ You are ridiculously in charge of your life.” Let those words soak in for a moment.
You have to own your stuff and admit that, when it comes to simplicity, you are your own worst enemy. Most of the complexity and clutter in your life is likely your own doing: saying yes to too many requests, not having healthy boundaries, not knowing your limits, and always trying to please everyone all contributes to a cluttered life.
You are not the victim. You are the perpetrator.
2. GET CLEAR ABOUT WHO YOU ARE AND WHO YOU AREN’ T
So many voices shape and inform our sense of identity, and that can lead to confusion. We start living the life others want us to live rather than the life that flows out of our own values, priorities, gifts, and personality.
Lack of clarity around who you are and what is truly important to you will lead to complexity and clutter.
All my life, I have been a type A, driven, ambitious, overachieving person. It is in my DNA. I am a fairly typical firstborn. But the script I learned from my family also contributed to my driven personality. The script I learned was work hard, be responsible and do good. That’ s how you get affirmed and loved.
You are only as good as your latest accomplishment. At least for me, the end result was a compulsively busy and complicated life. And while scripts impact us and shape us, we don’ t have to be held captive by them.
3. IDENTIFY THE HIGHER YES
Once you are clear about your purpose and your identity and what you value, you have to put a firewall around them. And one of the best practices is to learn to say“ No.” Learning to say“ No” can create margin and lead to greater simplicity in our lives.
14 WINTER 2017