Steps to Simplify Your Life

It's astounding how many people think Life has to be complicated; and if it isn't, they make it complicated, often unaware that filling one's life with needless turmoil, indecisiveness and chaos is a stumbling-block to fulfillment in life and is both psychologically and physically unhealthy.

In a nutshell, the best principles to acquire and live by would be:

-If it's in front of you to deal with, deal with it.
- Be prepared; but worry and projection gets one nowhere;
- If it's not truly important, leave it alone;
- Look at where you've been, where you're at, decide where you wish to go & take the first step.

One may be tempted to dismiss this as "easier said than done," but it is not so difficult to adopt this new philosophy. All it really takes is careful thought, decision-making, and the determination to follow through with it.

If it's in front of you to deal with, deal with it.

Not only is much time wasted in procrastination, one also expends far too much effort and energy in "putting things off," "hoping someone else will do it for you," or endlessly attempting to arrange and rearrange priorities until the end result is that nothing gets accomplished. The key is in organization-- a word needlessly feared by many! Whether you have a household task, a personal problem, or a decision which must be made, a good start is to begin focusing on the principle "if it's in front of you to deal with, deal with it." Whatever needs to be done, there's no time like now to do it!

Be prepared-- but worry and projection gets you nowhere.

Everyday life is filled with challenges; many are more significant and serious than others. But projecting on what may or may not happen is counterproductive, and a waste of your most precious resources: time and energy. To be prepared for the basic challenges which everyday life brings will keep your focus on the matter-at-hand-- living life!

If it's not truly important, leave it alone.

Many fail to recognize the difference between a challenge and a serious problem, a minor occurrence and an actual disaster, and therefore treat every situation as if it were on the same scale. Leaving the cap off the toothpaste tube is not as important as crashing into your neighbor's car; a missed phone call is not as important as needing to earn money to pay your phone bill; but it's surprising how many people "make mountains out of molehills," as if a trivial aggravation were a major disaster. Reassess your priorities-- decide whether individual instances are of lasting consequence, or whether it is something which you can let go.

Look at where you've been, where you're at, decide where you wish to go, and take the first step.
In neglecting to recognize the connection between the past, present, and future, it is easy to become "stuck" in the mistake of focusing on any of those points in time. Each has his own individual perspective-- one person may waste his time and energy commiserating on either the "what was" or the "what should have been" of his past that he allows his present-day to pass by virtually unnoticed and unlived; another may live solely "in the moment," as if there were no tomorrow, having no preparations, plans or resources for the future; another may be so hung-up on either wishes or dread or both that his "today" is essentially nonexistent.

Whether your primary concern is your career, education, relationships, personal interests, the key is to clearly assess where you've been, where you are currently at, what you want to do and accomplish, and then take the first step toward attaining your goals.

The needless complications of indecisiveness and chaos can lead one to be immobilized with unsureness and uncertainty. Not only is time too important a resource to waste, so are the negative effects it can cause to your health. All it really takes to get out of the trap of inertia is to think, decide, and begin.