By: Enrique Simo
Source: The Daily Guardian https://epaper.thedailyguardian.com/view/1808/the-daily-guardian/15
Dated: December 21st, 2024

 Simplicity is a virtue of the soul, yet it is a virtue so little acknowledged or valued because it is such a humble virtue. If we were able to simplify our lives we could be so efficient and we could save energy for the most important things in life – our relationships and valuable time for the self. However, it requires effort to eliminate the unnecessary and retain the essential. It requires clarity and purpose.  

We need to practice introspection to become clear about our purpose in life. We need to pay attention because we are being pulled all the time by distractions out there.  Introspection is a deliberate and thoughtful process and we need to create time for this. Very often, in my work as a corporate coach, I find that even though executives understand the need for introspection and reflection, the common refrain is “I don’t have time”. We all have the same 24 hours in a day, so if I say I do not have time, then I must be doing something I consider more important or urgent. But if we find time to simplify our lives then we find we use less energy for better results. It requires focus.

We need to do less of three things:

1. Act Less – do less of the unimportant things. Use more time to reflect and recognise our purpose in living. Give time to reading, writing a journal, talking to people who matter. Then the mind will work in a more constructive way we will focus. Know when to say no to things that do not fit in with your purpose. Stop just reacting and responding.

2. Speak Less – we use so much energy talking. Many talk so much because of the need to receive the attention, love and time of others. We need to think about what we are saying and ask ourselves if we are adding value, or bringing benefit. We can make the time we spend with others more meaningful and withdraw from conversations that are superficial, critical or just gossip. We save energy by avoiding those conversations. We develop an inner silence and the art of remaining neutral. The fuller we are, the happier we are, and the more at peace we are, then the less we need to speak.

3. Think Less – we need to stop using energy in unnecessary thoughts. We need to reduce the noise in our minds. There are five kinds of thoughts that drain our energy the most:

     a. Worries – People tend to worry about things that have not even happened and work on solutions to situations that we imagine might happen. Instead, deal with what is happening now, at this moment. Do whatever we need to do to live in the present moment; train the mind to do this. We need to pay attention to our thinking patterns during the day, to be able to have powerful meditations in the early mornings.

    b. Assumptions – when we notice someone, we instantly create all kinds of assumptions, based on imagination. This drains our energy and creates so many problems in relationships.

    c. Expectations – how often do we find that we are disappointed in someone because they have not fulfilled our expectations? Yet, we never told them what our expectations were. We must keep things simple, be curious and ask questions to clarify situations. 

    d. Judgements – when we meet others, we often make judgements about the clothes they wear, and their facial expressions. We create thousands of stories according to our filters and experiences but not according to reality. It is better not to waste our energy with noisy judgements about strangers we will never see again.

    e. Desires – we are pulled all the time by social media, marketing and advertising campaigns vying for our attention. We waste our time and money on things we do not need and never even wanted. 

Imagine the space and clarity we can have in the mind if we stop all of these things noisy, complicated thought patterns.  Simplicity is to think less, really be present and allow life to bring all we need in the moment, to deal with whatever is happening. 

Meditation is the key to living a simple life. Spending time in the early morning to create thoughts of our spiritual identity and connect with the light of the Divine, puts us on a higher frequency.  Our minds become divinised and then, quite simply, magic happens.

Enrique Simó is an executive coach
and coordinates the activities of the Brahma Kumaris
Spanish headquarters in Madrid.