Inputs Only - Newsletter | Kevin Wathey

Simplicity (Strength & Ease In Every State)

Written by Kevin Wathey | September 23, 2023

If you're reading this, chances are you consider yourself a driven individual.

 

An identity that makes just 2% of your life feel 'successful'...

... and the other 98% feel like failure time and again.

 

I've existed in this realm for most of my life...

... striving for more, never satisfied - feeling I 'should' have done better.

 

For me, the problem lies in my tendency to overcomplicate life.

A belief rooted in the idea: "If I've never had (x), it must be more complex than my current thought process."

 

However, every time I deconstruct what's right in front of me, this belief proves to be a fallacy.

 

"Success is moving from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm."

- Winston Churchill

 

I've found that growth, expansion, and success never stem from complexity...

... instead they are found in simplicity - an ease cultivated from presence.

 

Over a decade ago I got my Yoga Teaching Certification and part of the training was to study the Yoga Sutras.

At the time, one sutra stood out to me above the rest: Yoga Sutra 2.46

 

Sthira Sukham Asanam

- Strength & Ease in Every Pose (Steady, Stable & Comfortable)

 

I meditated on this back then, but as I've grown older, it's taken on new meaning.

 

For me, presence stems from a deep understanding of oneself.

Ease, arises from stable consistency.

 

When paired together, you realize that these two cannot exist in a complex environment...

... they require simplicity to flourish, allowing you to remain fluid within the energy of existence.

 

I find it extremely helpful to audit and meditate on my life quarterly with the following questions:

  1. How am I complicit in creating the conditions in which I say I don't want?
  2. What aspects of these conditions currently require the most time?
  3. Why do I feel the need to overcomplicate these conditions?

Once you get to the root, a clear path toward simplicity unfolds...

... and then it's up to you to take action.

 

Remember, the only way to 'do the thing' is to 'do the thing.'

 

Happy Saturday.