Words that caught us: Simple and Easy
One
of the most magical moments
We
experience every week,
Comes
in writing this blog post.
“Words
that caught us” is exactly that!
We
get ‘caught’, literally.
Our
responsibility is, merely, to pay attention
To
words that prick our curiosity.
The
magic happens when we begin to feel
The
first stirrings…that first poke…
That
first soft nudge…
Sometimes,
like this week, it is a coincidence…
A
word or theme that keeps coming up, over and over,
And
we just wonder in, and follow it…
Joining the dots...
And literally
getting ‘caught’,
In
the thrill and excitement of it.
The
word that caught us this week was ‘simple/easy.’
It
all started with these words,
Tucked
inside this article.
‘Simple
solutions
Are often
shot down by brilliant knuckleheads
Who don’t
understand
That
progress is always imperfect and incremental.’
That gripped
us, and caught us in the throat.
We
felt like a deer
Caught
in the glare of blinding headlights,
Because
we've been guilty of this,
On
more occasions than one.
Then
followed this…
‘Fools
make simple things complicated.
Complexity
leads to confusion.
Confusion
produces anxiety.
Anxiety
creates insecurity.
Insecurity
leads to stagnation.’
Then this…
‘Start
with the easy tests.
The
idea of the easy test is often ignored.
Before
spending three years in law school,
Why
not get a temp job for a week at a law firm?
Or
spend a day reading depositions on file at the courthouse?
If we
can’t figure out how to understand and support
A
simple small business,
It
doesn’t make sense to spend our time
Decoding
a complex large one.
And
if you want to make a feature film,
Figure
out how to create a delightful three-minute short first.
The
ocean is made of drops. Start with those, not the waves.
Complicated
civil interactions
Are
built on top of successful small ones.’
And,
as if this was not enough to rouse us,
Providence
placed in our hands
And
tucked in at page 64 are the words
‘Things
are easy enough to figure
If a
person gets in the habit of noticing.’
Noticing
what?
The obvious,
front-in-your-face, things, we suppose.
These coincidences were just one too many.
So we zeroed in,
And wondered what lessons this had for us.
In
our view, one of the reasons we get stuck,
Is
because we ignore simple solutions.
Think
about it.
May
be all we need is a 30 minute power-nap.
Or
getting to bed 30 minutes early.
Or
reducing our sugar by one tea spoon.
Or
taking a 10 minute walk to the grocery.
Or
dialing a number we've been postponing to call.
Or
gathering a few friends over for tea.
Or saying
a simple, ‘I'm sorry.’
Or a 10-minute me-time to reflect on our day.
We
ignore, or shoot down, simple steps
Forgetting
that ‘every remarkable success
Begins
simply’.
We are so in love with our grand plans and visions,
The
moon-shoots,
And
the BHAGs (Big-Hairy-Audacious-Goals)
That we fail to appreciate
It
all starts
With
one small, easy, and simple, step.
We completely
ignore the fact that
Progress
- any progress -
Is ‘always
imperfect and incremental’.
We
completely ignore and discount
The
first easy tests,
The
first easy step,
The
first simple thing,
The
first small effort,
That'll
get us started.
Mostly,
that's how we get stuck.
And,
fortunately, that's also how we get un-stuck...
By
looking for the simplest and easiest first step/solution...
Then
the next simplest and easiest step…
And
then the next...
What
is the easiest and simplest first step, you can take today?
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