I love Jack White. I love his project the Raconteurs. They have a song called Salute Your Solution. I love it too.
I have realized the HR/ Leadership solution I am saluting is simple. Simplify.
We are overstimulated. We are overstretched. Therefore we overthink. I am a huge culprit of this, and it doesn’t help me at all. Overthinking simply keeps me in first gear. We overthink because we are afraid of a commitment that could and usually will lead to failure.
For instance, I always pack too much. I went to the beach last weekend; we were there for 4 days. I packed:
- Brown Shorts
- Black Shorts
- Beige Shorts
- Long Black Pants
- Long Brown Pants
- A Black Skirt
- A Black Shirt
- A Blue Skirt
- A Peasant Shirt
- A Black Bathing Suit
- A Grey Bathing Suit
- Stretchy Pants that I call fun pants. I can eat what I want in them = fun
- 2 T-shirts
- A Beach Coverup
- Underwear…etc.
- 2 pairs of sandals
- Running shoes
- Windbreaker
What if it rains, what if I feel ugly one day and want to wear long stuff, what if I spill something on one of the shirts, what if….
Holy. Crap.
Know what I wore the whole weekend?
- The two bathing suits/beach cover up,
- A T-shirt (same one like every day)
- One of the brown shorts (like every day)
- And my stretchy/ fun pants
- Of couse the underwear…etc.
As a leader look at your goals and see if it reads like my packing list. Quit thinking of every possible outcome and just chose one. GO WITH IT. Move on. If one of your goals get’s rained on, buy a windbreaker then. Or just get out of the rain.
Love it! Just returned from a 2 week trip to Europe so….
I feel you girl… I went to Rome– just imagine my suitcase for that trip
Over thinking is something I struggle with mostly at work, in other areas of my life I simplify. I go to the same restaurant for lunch five days a week (and yes I sit in the same place and order the same thing, I do have a backup place to sit though in case my usual table is taken), I have the same breakfast almost 365 days a year (and yes I pack my breakfast foods in case where I’m going doesn’t stock the brand I like), I have my business shirts and trousers handmade in Singapore – so they are always the same (usual clothing stores always run out of things – I have to buy my shoes two pairs at a time to try and combat the constant style changes). Anyway, this frees me up for thinking at work, but sometimes the downside is that I over think at work. My point of all this, sometimes its nice to simplify, but sometimes it good to let the mind run wild in a couple of areas and build in complication and wonderfulness.
Love this post. My wife calls this the “just in case” problem. So much you can have things just in case but chances are you never need it. For travelling I have got down to no more than what I can take on the plane as hand luggage.
Similarly if you have more than three goals, you are carrying just in case goals!
great blog by the way!
Your ability to take just one carry on is an inspiration. The challenge in any goals is our ability to edit. I am still a work in progress!
Fabulous! It all comes down to dealing with uncertainty. I sing professionally: one fun part of my job comes with dealing with the variables – it makes it fun! Sometimes you have one of those “character-building” learning experiences, but enter Johnny Carsen. Johnny was the Master of improv! He was funniest when things went SOUTH! Wouldn’t it be great if we could do that with our lives? I am gonna try!
The only certainty we have is uncertainty. Keep rocking in the free world @singerleelee