There is an iconic saying sometimes attributed to Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, a German-American architect who was very well know for his somewhat minimalist approach to design. It is simply, “Less is more.”
Yet, he wasn’t the first to pen the phrase, it was actually poet Robert Browning, who used it in his 1855 poem “Andrea del Sarto”.
The basic meaning of this phrase is a reminder to keep things simple, usually by removing all of the needless, redundant, unnecessary, nonessential, excessive, stuff.
More is Better?
In today’s society, particularly in America, we are a system that is rooted in capitalism, a system whose basic premise is to make a profit. And in order to make a profit, you have to sell goods or services. The more goods and services you sell the more profit you will make.
The more you can sell at a higher price and a lower cost simply increases the overall profit.
This mindset is at the heart of all advertising. And that my friends is why you are having countless ads shoved down your throat on your cell phones, your televisions, your gas station pumps, and the millions of billboards that pollute our highways and byways.
Stop the Insanity
How did we get so caught up in this more is better syndrome and how did we get conned into believing that more will make us happier? I happen to know some very wealthy people who have fractured relationships with their families and friends but have everything they could ever want and yet are some of the unhappiest people I have ever met.
How did we evolve as a race believing that we could find happiness in acquiring stuff?
How did we become so caught up in having more that we stopped noticing what is going on with those around us?
Have we become so self-centered on doing more that we have lost sight of the of the extraordinary power of simplicity?
Perhaps it is in performing one simple act of kindness that we could transform our life or the life of another?
What If?
Below are just a few actions you could take to slow down and simplify your life at work and at home, even if for just a little while…
- Take a few minutes to check in with a coworker or colleague who might be going through a rough time.
- Invite a coworker into your clique at work to lunch who is normally outside of your normal group.
- Reach out to a team member who is over-loaded and ask them if you could support them in some way.
- Stop by an elderly neighbor and ask them if their is anything you can do to help or just ask them how they’re doing.
- Sit down with your spouse or kid and ask them how their day was without your phone in your hand or even in the same room.
- Take a few minutes to actually watch the sunset with your kid, partner, or spouse.
- Spend an evening reading a book instead of watching television.
- Observe an infant or a small child playing and notice how they navigate their world.
- Do a random act of kindness for someone in need and don’t tell anyone else about it.
- With Thanksgiving coming up in a few weeks, what if you used it as a time to give back or serve others who are less fortunate than you?
What if that one simple act powerfully impacted someone else’s world and brought them some temporary joy or at least let them know that they were valued?
How would you ever know…unless you took action?
Simplicity Can Set You Free
The older I get, the more I am learning that truth, real truth, lies in simplicity and that more is not better.
When I over think, when I over complicate things, the further I move away from the truth. The more I buy or the acquire doesn’t make me any happier or bring me any more peace. In fact it does the exact opposite!
I am finding happiness is in the more simpler things, helping a coaching client get out of their own way, helping a group of leaders come together as a team, spending time with my wife Tracey, sitting and watching sunsets, reading an amazing book, or spending time with friends and family.
And guess what? I am finding more peace and more happiness. The funny thing is that it was here all the time, I was just to busy doing and acquiring more stuff that I couldn’t see it!
This coming holiday season, I simply wish the same for you!
