Simplicity Meets Perspective

What exactly does it mean to simplify one’s life? I Google-d “simple life” and came up with more references to Paris Hilton than I care to mention. Ahhh, the irony. A subsequent “simplify your life” search at Amazon.com netted 1,219 self-help books: instruction manuals, if you will, authored by Mary, Mary’s mother-in-law, and Mary’s mother-in-law’s neighbor’s dentist. The variety of available titles would suggest that Americans are eager to embrace the concept of simplification and that publishers are happy to oblige.

I admit that I haven’t read any of these books, but they seem to focus on two primary themes. The first is prioritization: Lighten your schedule, get rid of your debt, stop trying to be perfect, change your life! The second theme is organization: De-clutter your desk, clean out your closets, plan your meals for the week, change your life!

My own quest for simplicity is… excuse the pun… a little more simple and lot less organized. To me, simplifying is about worrying less and taking the time to appreciate the people and things around me more. This life directive was ingrained in me quite possibly from the time I was a child: My parents had a plaque posted in the sunroom that said, “Don’t hurry, don’t worry, and don’t forget to smell the flowers.” As I got older, I gained the perspective to realize just how important this mantra really was and how simple it was to adopt.

Perspective. Knowing how to separate what is important from what is unimportant in your own life. Isn’t that the key? Perspective is something you can only acquire with age and life experience. And for most people, it’s not something that Mary and her mother-in-law can decide for you.