Some Introspection In Advance Of Whatever Is Coming Next

A while back, toward the end of last year, I started to see that the world as we have known it was changing. I had no clue what it was changing into and certainly no thoughts about what I could do to control that.

All I knew for sure is that I felt everything was too complex, and needed, at least for me, to be simplified.

Getting a handle on this led me to create a series of thoughts. I called it The Simplicity Manifesto at first. But that was kind of pretentious so I have just settled for calling it Some Introspection In Advance Of Whatever Is Coming Next.

1. The Luddite In Me Is Rising

A few months ago, while riding around on my bike, it occurred to me that my thought processes had become way too complex.

This was, I discovered, because I was trying too hard to optimize all the tech and media at my disposal. And I had certain obligations that were steering me in directions where I wasn't sure I wanted to go, creatively speaking.

Right then and there, I decided to make a concerted effort to simplify my whole approach to my work, the kind of work I wanted to do and how it would get done.

It’s definitely an unlearning process, but the gestalt of letting go of a lot of the tech/media-induced useless and pointless bullshit is incredible.

I have started to think like the real creative guy I used to be again.

I strongly recommend this kind of re-boot for everyone whose brain is spinning-in-place way too quickly these days.

2. The Medium Is No Longer The Message

One of the things I have always believed is that, when it comes to communications, the tools, or media may have changed, but the principles are still very much the same.

Trouble is there are a lot of people who want to change the principles to better suit the tools. And what that does, quite simply, is put the cart before the horse.

Tools are tools. If you fall into the trap of relying on tools and their application to be your idea of how to communicate, you invariably end up boring the shit out of people. Like most people do.

To me, this is the main reason why most digital marketing has a pathetically low ROI.

People are letting the medium, and not their creative brains, do the thinking for them. And the results speak for themselves. Not everybody. But a good number of them.

Getting back to creating ideas and then finding the best ways to communicate them will put you in the very unique position of the lemming who actually runs away from the cliff.

3. Politics Is Simply Not Worth The Effort

For the past few years, I have spent, or should I say, pissed away a lot of time, writing longer format posts about politics. I really didn’t have anything good to say about it, and from time to time, it would even depress me.

So as part of this simplifying process, I have been making a conscious effort to wean myself off writing about, even thinking much about, politics. Not totally, because you can't do that.

The simple fact is that the most significant way that politics, at least where I live, can affect my life is by making it cost more for me to actually live it. This, in turn, means I would have to work a little harder to maintain my lavish lifestyle. LOL.

So by pretty much ignoring politics (an arduous process) I am simply cutting out the middle man, and leaving more time to work, and less time to be depressed about the sleazoids who populate the better part of the political world.

Nothing I can do will change the way that world turns anyway.

4. My Social Media Personal Brand?….Hey, You Decide

Since I have come to the conclusion that pretty much all of social media is simply bullshit that’s fun, I have spent very little time worrying about my ‘personal brand’ there.

In point of fact, I’m not even sure what the hell what a personal brand really means.

Here’s the thing. You’re either a poster or a commenter or a lurker on social media. So what do you do when you are all three?

Damned if I know. I used to have thousands of Facebook ‘friends’ but closed my account when I realized that most of them were just dipshits of one kind or another.

Then I opened a new account and have about 120 friends now, all of whom I actually know, have met, or have made meaningful contact with.

To them, my personal brand is...whatever they want it to be. Sure, why not? I'm flexible.

5. Spirituality Versus Religion

I was raised to be a Catholic. I believed in God and Jesus. I was even an alter boy, and wore a St Christopher medal around my neck.

When you’re young, religion is comforting. It keeps you from driving yourself nuts with questions like ‘How did we get here?’ and ‘What the hell is this all about?’

A lot of people can carry this belief with them throughout their whole lives, despite the fact that no one ever shows them any proof that God actually exists. They have faith and that is an admirable quality.

But others, like me, would rather puzzle over life’s other mysteries. Abandon religion for a more esoteric view on the big questions concerning our existence and purpose.

So a big part of simplifying in this area is just forgetting all the dogma and simply being thankful for every day you have on this planet.

If you choose to live like that, I would argue you’re a lot more ‘religious’ than a lot of so called religious people. But that's just me.

6. Quantity Is Not Quality

There was a time when I would say yes to anything that came along, work-wise.

And I invariably paid a price for that, by ending up doing a lot of shit I really did not care about for a lot of people who simply didn’t get it.

We all go through that in our lives. But one of the key points of simplifying is having a pretty clear idea of what it is you want to do and who you want to do it for.

I would much rather have a few really good clients who are out there trying to make some kind of positive difference in the world than a whole bunch of hustlers out to make big bucks off an unsuspecting public.

And part of that process is teaching yourself to settle for a little less materially in exchange for a lot more spiritually.

These days, for me at least, that’s a fair trade-off.

I suppose I could go on a little father down this line of thought, but what the hell.

The message here, which is really something I file under 'notes to myself’, is that quality of life, of work, of love, of belief, and of your own humanity is much more important, or should be, than any quantitative measure would yield.

Maybe these insights will mean something you to. Then again, maybe not. Either way, I wish you all the best on the road ahead. Watch out for the potholes. There are a lot of them.

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