How many of us really use the technology at our fingertips? Since you are using technology right now to read this, it seems like a silly question, right? But if you think about it, do you use technology daily to simplify things? Or just for entertainment? I spent last weekend and most of this week in Amsterdam, Bruges, and Ghent, taking a break. We walked a lot; I do mean a lot! I have tremendous respect for all you walkers out there, who do this daily! We were constantly on the go, walking the streets and seeing some incredible things. We caught up with old friends, met new ones, and learned about the history and cultures of these cities. Travel truly does feed my soul 😊.
Since we also ate a lot at excellent restaurants, the walking was a good thing. Most of us have tools in our pockets to help with directions and to look up useful information. These tools are meant to make our lives simpler, but we got lost often. Not only did we get lost, we made the routes longer than they needed to be since someone in the group thought they knew a short cut in a city they had never been before! But we followed along. We went to restaurants without bothering to check whether they were open or had available tables leading to many disappointing moments when the restaurants of our choice were closed. We were spontaneous, which is fun but once the decision was made, we should have paused and checked our phones. We could have made reservations, found the most direct route, and avoided disappointment. Instead, we chose to make it hard and to overcomplicate things. Keep in mind this whole time we had no problem checking our phones for messages—they were right there in our pockets! Why do we do this to ourselves?!?!
I wonder why we tend to overcomplicate things, both in the personal and professional sides of our lives. How many times have we tried to solve a problem at work, with the answer eluding us? Although we usually already know what the answer is, but for some reason we can’t accept it’s that simple and keep looking for a complicated solution, making things harder than they need to be.
I think we fall into this trap of complicating things because we overthink things. We are so close to the problem, the details, and possible outcomes that we become paralyzed with indecision and second guess ourselves. Maybe we don’t trust the simplicity of a solution, are just stuck in our ways, and find it harder to see a different path or are simply afraid to fail. Whatever the case, we put so much pressure on ourselves to get it right, we don’t always see the simple path ahead.
We don’t need to make things harder than they really are. Life is hard enough already. I like simple. Maybe the next time I’m roaming around town, I should use that technology in my pocket to shorten my walk; maybe I will see more!!
What will you do to simplify yours?
“The simplest thing is the hardest thing: not to overcomplicate one’s life.” – Mary Rubin
Have a great weekend.
-Vijay