Life is simple. It's not, but it is.

Life is simple. It’s not, but it is. 

Sitting on a Singapore - Dubai flight (with some dude snoring next to me), reflecting on a workshop I recently lead in the former city. 

Taking a view on wisdom - specifically the kind that relates to guiding success in business and leading a good life - is that we travel through at least three stages. 

We start with a pretty easy and simplistic view of life, not knowing what we don’t know; then more to a realisation of its’ complexity that life (and work) can be uncertain, ambiguous and over-whelming; before we finally emerge into the elegant simplicity that lies on the other side of complexity.  

·      Simplistic - complexity – simple.

Having a mind that’s closed to learning, getting overly caught up in past success, or continuing to do the things that worked for us yesterday, gets us stuck in the simplistic leg of the journey. Like our teenage kids, we think we have it all figured out. Life is fairly easy and non-stressful here, but the ceiling of success is low and short-lived. 

Things then get complicated - maybe it’s our job, with all these new innovations, the increasing size of the business or the team we’re leading. Perhaps its the changing economic and political landscape,  and juggling all this with a spouse, kids and domestic responsibilities.

As we journey into the complexity of work and life, we question our knowledge and ability. “Do I have what it takes. Do I belong here?” Imposter syndrome dawns. We experience doubt, confusion, and realize how little we actually know. It’s tempting to go back to when life was easier, however that door is closed behind us. (Although at some point another door emerges with a sign, ‘mid-life crisis this way’.)

Venturing further into the complex, we turn to those who know - seeking what the experts have to say about our current struggles.

There is no shortage of wise mentors, good coaches and  quality knowledge to help on this journey of complexity, but sometimes even experts can exacerbate rather ease our stress - with their big words and difficult explanations. Academics, particularly, enjoy appearing intelligent by explaining in a way that’s beyond our understanding. Maybe intelligent, but not wise. 

To progress through complexity and its associated doubt, requires persistence and an openness to learn. It requires us to draw confidence from what we do know, to be comfortable with what we don’t know, and simultaneously to be hungry to know more and be better tomorrow. 

Saying ‘I don’t know’ becomes a strength and a comfort, followed with ‘but l’ll do what I can to find someone who does.’

Through time, success, failure (aka life!), we become increasingly knowledgeable and experienced. Through repeatedly applying this experience, we become wiser. 

Enter the elegant simplicity that lies on the other side of complexity. 

Wisdom arises from within, not like in the first ‘simplistic’ stage where wisdom comes from external sources, and is merely regurgitated.

Wisdom is not as sexy as intelligence, it doesn’t require big words. Rather, it is simple, relatable, and useful. 

We hear it and think, ‘Yes, that makes perfect sense. Actually, it’s common-sense.’ 

Life is simple, which of course is a simplistic view. Because as we know it really is complicated. Until we realise that it’s pretty simple. 

Life’s a journey. 

Hope you have a great trip. 

* Simplistic is making something too simple, misleadingly so.

 Simple means making it easy to understand, deal with, or use.