The Magic of Simplicity

Recently, I read the book Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple’s Success by Ken Segall. He shares that the mantra for Apple was always simplicity. He offers examples to illustrate how Apple put it to use to create brilliant Apple products. It made me think that it’s true for how we live today as well.

Human lives have become more complicated. Social media has taken over our lives, the majority of us are found staring at our smart phone screens checking out some social media app or reading something. Pre Covid, I used to take the bus and train everyday to work. Sometime I would look up and look around, to see everyone glued to their screens. During the rush hour, some trains and buses are super-crowded and people are almost in each other’s faces with their smartphones, it’s both sad and funny to me, reminds me of the movie Matrix.

Most people seem to be controlled by technology and material nature of the world. The human mind is constantly engaged in some sort of activity, there is hardly any peace of mind. 

Living a simple life is a choice. One decision is all it takes. I took all my extra clothing items few weeks ago and donated them at Salvation Army. I have 3 pants, a pair of jeans, 5 shirts, and 7 t-shirts, and this bunch gives me plenty of options for my clothing (still working on shoes). The only thing that has increased is my laundry, which is still a better deal.

I have deleted the Facebook app on my phone, because my fingers would naturally move towards clicking the button This now saves, at least
2-3 hours per day  yes, those minutes accumulate, if you use a software like RescueTime to track your activity, you will be unpleasantly surprised! 

Being simple gives you a chance to be grateful for what you have. Even though you may have less, you will feel more satisfied than the person who has a lot more than you. And when you are grateful, you experience joy and bliss. Even scientifically there is evidence that people who are more grateful are happier in life. 

Simplicity is happiness, joy, contentment. This is the closest you will get to perfection, as the famous saying goes, ‘Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away’. Simplicity is a simple choice.