A helpful model when challenges and opportunities are nipping at our heels!
Little, ______, Simple and Small!
Guess what word goes in the blank space? If you said “Less” you would be right. As we have discussed, the downsized problem solving perspective is a far more effective and comfortable approach than the more complex ones suggested by today’s bigger, faster, and more complex models.
In addition to the power of “Less”, I find the concepts of Little, Simple and Small to be effective grounding points in the search for the best answers.
Little offers a consistent reminder of what is usually most important. The Little Things like a a tasteful garnish of sour cream on top of a bowl of home made black bean soup or 5 way chili sets the dish apart from other offerings not so tastefully treated. Little things offered without fanfare pave the way for much greater outcomes to come. One handcrafted chocolate Truffle trumps a box of Whitman’s any day, while one budding rose says something a dozen cannot. All of these done with style, grace and taste will produce far greater results than excess and over doing.
Simple is in a constant race with complex. Fewer well timed steps on a dance floor feels much better on the soul than a flurry of hops, leaps and twirls. Legendary chef James Beard had a way with food via his four favorite flavoring agents: Salt, Pepper, Butter and Cream. And in the movie Contact, we learn of Occam’s Razor where in most cases, the simplest solution tends to be the correct one. Fewer assumptions produce the best outcomes.
Now we come to Small. One of my favorite “reads and re-reads” is Don’t Sweat the Small stuff by Richard Carlson. In the simplest and most direct style, he reminds us that 95% of what we amplify, expand and magnify is much smaller than we usually make it out to be. And, yes there will always be exceptions with dire circumstances and stark realities. But, our perception of all of these can and will prepare us for our daily walk through the jungle if we consider the useful model of Little, Less, Simple and Small. Nothing More and most likely Less.