Tackle Simpler This Year
The holiday season is here. If you are like me, New Years comes fast. Resolutions remind me of past promises not kept. I know I am not alone. Wanting a simpler life is a good goal. Forbes reports less than 25% of people follow through on New Years resolutions by years end. In 2021, find a simpler, kinder way to approach your vices, problems and the unexpected situations that throw you out of whack.
Statistically speaking New Years resolutions have dreary outcomes. CNN reports that only 40% who set resolutions will be successful 6 months into the year. In 2018 there were nearly 327.2 million Americans – that means 196,320,000 people in America will fail. I know you have the GRRR to get it done.
I propose the approach to a Simpler Life with 7 ways to deal with life’s ups and downs. Try to be SIMPLER this Year!
S – Solution
Stay in the solution, not the problem. Of course this is not new 2020 advice. However, this time, instead of continuing to gather facts, anecdotes and scenarios about what happened, work towards accepting the situation. If you stop explaining what happened and recognize it did happen, you are multi-more times ready to find the solution. A good trick is to think about what you would say to someone else in this situation. We all know how to advise friends, family, and colleagues on their problems. Give yourself the best advice of acceptance and move to solutionizing. How you can approach the situation, regardless if it’s a good or bad problem to have, to keep it drama free.
I – Illuminate
Light the way with choices that are thoughtful. Open up your world instead of making it smaller. Don’t just put a Band-Aid on a problem, do some surgery if that’s what it takes so it can heal properly. It’s eaiser to do it right once, than to have to keep going back and fixing it again and again. Be playful with how you approach the situation. Shine some light instead of keeping it dark.
M – Manageable
Make it manageable. Step-by-step we can climb any staircase. Break it down into digestible pieces that are achievable. Be realistic. How much can you really accomplish in any given day? Do you know the value of your financial runway? Are you being honest about your resources and support?
P – Paths
Follow it through to the end of the path. In terms of finding the solution, as my dear friend Kathy says: “Play it though to the credits.” Does the path flow smoothly or are there large gaping holes along the way? If so, go back to the illuminating solutions and make them manageable.
L – Learn
No matter how smart you are, you are at a place you have never been before. This time, this age, this set of issues, although eerily familiar, this is still the first time you have been here. If you climb Mt. Everest, no matter how hard you train, how many simulations you run, at some point, you have climbed further than you ever have and that is a new situation. Remember it’s new to you. Approaching each task or situation with a learning attitude changes your internal dynamic and frees you up to try new methods.
E- Easy
Easy does it. Simple is not always easy. Slow down. Rushing won’t help. Although we can be in situations where hours, even minutes matter, try to step away and slow it down. Going easy will change your perspective drastically.
R – Rationally
Start with common sense. Think with your feet on the ground. A good litmus test to take is see if you can explain it to a 10-year old (mind you kids are smart these days and have resources….). If you can’t explain it, then it is probably not rational yet. Try again, you’ll get there.
What’s Next:
Reach for a Simpler Life in 2021. Use the Simpler Method to make your life more manageable. Be part of the 40% that sets intentions and realizes them. (Notice the change in my wording, no use of goals or resolutions.) Come with me on the journey of advocating for a simpler and kinder way of living. Happy New Year 2021 – May we all have what we need, when we need it, and then some!