Less is More

Do you believe it?

It is such a powerful insight. So deep and intricate in its simplicity.

We’ve all heard it before.

Less is more.

But the truth is – you need to experience this for yourself. No one can do it for you.

It’s written throughout history, time and time again, by the greatest teachers this world has ever seen.

Less … is … more …

What Is Possible For You?

What do you think?

Is it possible to achieve more, in less time?
Is it possible to have more, with less money?
Is it possible to see this world differently? To be grateful for the simplest of things?

We live in a culture and world where an additive mindset prevails.

Do more. Have more. Consume more. Own more. Be more.

Yet the message keeps coming back through the echoes of time. Less is more

It is hidden in the strangest of places:

“It’s only when we’ve lost everything, that we’re free to do anything” – Tyler Durden

“Let it go” – Elsa

“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated” – Confucius

When true insight occurs, evidence appears everywhere.

This morning I updated my phone to the latest operating system and some apps were updated too.

And here, hidden in plain sight, was this gift from the YouTube developers who explained what their update entailed – in the simplest of terms:

“Fixed bugs, improved performance, took the afternoon off.”

Could there be a better metaphor for living by the understanding that less is more?

Yes – It is possible to achieve more, in less time.
Yes – It is possible to have more, with less money.
Yes – It is possible to see the world differently. To be grateful for the simplest of things.

For the incredible humans that I work with, my hope is that after our time together, their “update notes” look something like this:

“Saw clearly, lived fully, loved deeply.“

Honestly, I’d be just as pumped if they stole the YouTube developer’s notes to reflect their own lives:

“Fixed bugs, improved performance, took the afternoon off”.

But these are just other people’s words. Discovering that less is more, is a personal thing. So try this on for yourself:

The next time you are with a group of people…

… create your 6 word memoir.

Can you describe your life in just six words?

In fact, try it right now. Why wait?

It can be hard, but it is definitely worth it.

In six words, what has been the story of your life?

And more importantly, at the end of your days, what do you want your 6 word memoir to read?

It is equally rewarding, to listen to another person’s 6 word memoir. Particularly those you care about.

If you are lucky – you will get a precious glimpse into their soul.

I found this little gem on a website devoted to six word memoirs, under the category of “life”:

6 word memoir type type type delete delete delete

In five separate conversations that I had last week, for some reason there was a recurring theme:

“Our lives are a tale of two halves.”

My son told me that today (the 23rd September) is the first day of Spring – the equinox. I had no idea what that meant. Astrology was never my thing.

So he explained that the equinox occurs when day and night exist in two equal halves.

I guess some might say this is coincidence given the nature of my conversations last week. A tale of two halves…

A wise man told me that “we spend the first half of our lives trying to become a somebody and the second half of our lives trying to become a nobody.”

Or in less words: “Type, type, type. Delete, delete, delete.”

For now, I like to think of this as letting go of the ego that we work so hard to construct in the first half of our lives. When we let go of our ‘self’ importance, a far richer world of connection and love unfolds.

In this season, I share with you a few simple ways of living that are working for me right now.