Hardly Simple

Hardly Simple

The mouth and senses are the gates through which our life-force constantly leaks outward: talking too much, consuming too much, reacting too much, chasing stimulation, feeding every impulse.

There is something worth noticing here. As I often do, I try to help create awareness.

An impulse rarely arrives alone.

One “need” can quickly lead to the next. We feel something, so we reach for something. We consume, and then we need more. We become stimulated, and then we seek another stimulation. We react, and then we need to explain the reaction. We experience discomfort, and we immediately look for something to fill, fix, distract, or soothe it.

The senses become the doorway. Sometimes they lead to freedom, and sometimes the lead us astray.

Before we know it, we are being pulled to and fro by everything outside of ourselves. We talk because we feel the need to be heard. We consume because we feel the need to be filled.

We react because we feel the need to control.

We chase because we feel the need to obtain.

We seek stimulation because stillness can sometimes feel uncomfortable.

And the cycle continues.

Need leads to impulse.

Impulse leads to action.

Action creates another need.

And another.

And another.

Eventually, we can become so externally oriented that we lose touch with the very place where our answers are often waiting.

Ourselves.

Simplicity helps us arrive.

Simple in thought and action.

Simple in our approach in life.

Not simplistic.

Simple.

Here’s a really simplistic approach:

Create a relationship — or a stronger one — to faith, belief, higher self.

Ask.

Make time for appreciation and praise.

Sink into gratitude for the messages being received by the universe.

And…be able to receive.

That may be one of the most difficult practices of all.

Abundance and “the land of plenty” will arrive when we don’t “block” or self sabotage it.

That’s the medicine.

Are we able to receive it?

Love.

Opportunities.

Peace.

Or whatever we are asking for.

Can we not chase it, control it, or be consumed by it?

Can we allow what is meant for us to meet us without constantly reaching outward to make it happen?

When we approach life through simplicity, we can access the present moment. We can respond with our presence and what the moment is calling for. We can lean into our gifts when needed rather than constantly trying to manufacture an outcome. Simplicity helps us organize ourselves. No matter the outside impacts of life, we can lean heavily in who we are because we are not “leaking” our energy outwardly into impulse.

We become less scattered. Less reactive. Less consumed. More available. Available to listen. Available to notice. Available to receive. Available to serve. We can move through life more connected to the power of calmness.

In my line of work, and in my life, moments of quiet, pause, and nature help greatly with this clarity.I return to myself. And when I do, I can see how the busyness, distractions, and “need” for something to fill a void create turmoil and dissonance within my being. The quiet reveals what the noise was covering. When finally clear, I can recognize and utilize my unique gifts for service and the greater good.

This is the essence of simplicity.

We focus on what matters. It may seem like nonchalance or doing less. It’s not going less because we don’t care, it’s the clarity in doing what matters because we do care.

When I live through simplicity, my actions match my words. My life experiences are met through an inner calmness instead of reaction. There is less separation between what I believe and how I live.

Less leaking.

More alignment.

Less chasing.

More receiving.

Less noise.

More knowing.

So, simplicity doesn’t mean elementary, stupid, or incomplete.

It’s quite the opposite.

Simplicity is hardly simple.

It requires discernment. It requires restraint. It requires awareness. It requires us to recognize the impulses that constantly ask for our attention and decide whether they actually deserve it.

Yes, we live in a time of information overload and 24/7 accessibility. We are pulled by all of it.

These are often the traps of our senses.

The phone.

The notification.

The opinion.

The purchase.

The next thing.

The next answer.

The next experience.

The next distraction.

The next thing that might finally make us feel complete.

What if we stopped long enough to realize that perhaps we were never incomplete?

A lot of the times, we are simply distracted from ourselves. Simplicity is hardly simple. Simplicity is not an intellectual insult, it’s so much more.

It is a practice of returning.

Returning to what matters. Returning to the breath. Returning to the present. Returning to faith. Returning to gratitude. Returning to ourselves.

So today, return if you can.

The formula:

An internal ask or conversation to your higher self.

Praise what is — gratitude.

Receive.

And then watch.

See how you “block” or self sabotage what you’re asking to come in.

Create the awareness.

Where are you chasing?

Where are you controlling?

Where are you filling?

Where are you reacting?

Where are you consuming simply because there is an uncomfortable space inside you?

And the kicker:

Where are you refusing to receive?

The universe will provide — especially when it matches your sense of worthiness.

Sometimes the medicine isn’t finding more.

Sometimes the medicine is creating enough stillness to recognize what is already here.

Enough simplicity to hear it.

Enough faith to trust it.

Enough gratitude to appreciate it.

And enough openness to receive it.

That is hardly simple.

This is exactly why it is so powerful.