Simplicity: How Keeping Things Simple Will Change How You Feel
Monday I was on a group coaching call with my own coach and I was reminded of the power of simplicity. What’s funny is at the start of the year I set the intention of simplicity for the year ahead, yet somewhere along the way I got caught up in the complexity of life. It was the reminder I needed to come back to what I know to be true and what I know supports me - to keep things simple.
You see, life usually becomes complex when we start to look outside of ourselves at what everyone else is doing. It usually happens when get caught up in all the bells and whistles and then believe that is what we also need to move ahead in the world. Sometimes yes, but a lot of the time that’s not always the case. A lot of the time it’s a distraction from what is most important.
When we keep things simple and we focus our attention fully on what it is we’re doing, not only do we move forward with more intention and thus momentum, we reduce overwhelm, stress and feelings of anxiety.
For a lot of us, it’s easy to get into states of what I describe as high-functioning anxiety as unfortunately it’s what the world values. It values high-performers, it values busyness as a badge of honour. Yet, so many of us are more frequently feeling burnt out, sick, and depleted as a result of chasing this version of success which is not sustainable long-term.
As someone who has experienced burn out, not once, but three times, I find myself slipping into these states easily when I start to look at everyone else. ‘Oh that’s a good idea,’ or ‘maybe I should try that thing,’ forgetting that a lot of these people have teams to support them, or forgetting that my strengths lie in something completely different. It’s a sure fire way to pull me into a state of complexity and stagnancy, and I’m left wondering, ‘what am I even doing?’
If you’re starting to feel this way yourself, or perhaps you already feel this way, I recommend coming back to the basics and simplifying things completely.
Some things to ask yourself to support removing anything which is not essential:
What’s my why and/or intention? Am I on track, or is my focus elsewhere? i.e. If my intention is completing and publishing a book as an example, why am I distracting myself with investing energy into other projects which take me away from completing this goal? Can I put these projects on hold? Or eliminate them completely?
How can I remove what’s unnecessary? How many steps do I have? Can I have less steps? Can I completely eliminate some things? i.e. Can you have 5 steps instead of 10?
What am I good at? What are my strengths? Focus on these and amplify these instead of trying to spread yourself thin trying to do too many things. i.e. If you’re focusing on too many social media platforms as a service provider, what is the one which best supports you and making that your core focus.
What do I really want and what is really important to me? Am I focusing all this energy into this project or business as an example and yet my relationships are failing? One of the things I frequently see in my clients is the desire for stronger and better relationships, yet they’re spending all their time on work or being busy with work and not making their relationships a priority.
Will this matter in one weeks time, one months time, one years time? Get real and ask yourself if these things you’re stressing over are truly that important. Sometimes we think all of these things are important, when in reality they’re not. A lot of people get caught up in the details, forgetting the foundations are what’s most important.
What are the basics and the foundations? Anytime things become complex, I come back to this space. What are the basics? For example, the basics for my energy to thrive are 8+ hours sleep, lots of water, eating well, moving my body and taking time to breathe. I don’t need to complicate things with a 2+ hour morning routine every day. Understanding your basics can help you to remove that which is not completely necessary.
What am I choosing by saying yes? Am I saying yes to everyone else and what might be exciting and in the process abandoning myself as an example? Is your yes supporting your energetic and emotional health?
What would life look like and feel like from a place of spaciousness? How do you want your life to feel? Does your calendar currently reflect this life and lifestyle, or are you self-sabotaging yourself by choosing to remain in the same old patterns and behaviours?
I truly believe simplicity is something which can support so many of us to reduce overwhelm and live a life which feels good on the inside and doesn’t just look good from the outside. Remember how your life feels is something you can cultivate and something you can choose. What are you choosing?