Avoid Complication In Everything

Leonardo DaVinci said “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” He was right. BTW – he stole that line from me. He was quite the klepto.

Any idiot can take a simple thing and complicate the heck out of it and many idiots do. It takes a more insightful person to take something that may seem to be complicated or overwhelming and simplify it. Not “dumb it down” but simplify it.

I have what I refer to as my “8 & 80 Rule”. Regardless of the subject matter, quantum physics or interpersonal skills (actually very similar subjects), if you can’t explain it conceptually in a minute or so to an 8-year-old or an 80-year-old, you don’t really understand the subject yourself. This is a great self-check.

Some people complicate things because they think it will make them look smart. That’s just their low self-image talking.

Think of the sharpest folks you know and I’ll bet they have a simple conversational style and a way of explaining things simply so that they make sense.

Avoid complication in everything. It’s a trap. Simple is where it’s at. Always has been, always will be.