Hey, it’s Luke from Unwritten Tomes.
“What was the biggest lie you were told?”
“It’s not that simple.”
This line from the movie Bleed is what inspired today’s story.
In this issue:
Short story: It really is that simple
About our tendency to overcomplicate
Story: It really is that simple
Thrust, slash, and a pirouette. My dear friend looked like an acrobat dancing around the practice dummy.
I rolled my eyes and repeated the same movement for a hundredth time.
Take the proper stance, slash the blade down, bring it up again.
The difference between this one and the last one was invisible. My wrists hurt from the effort, and my mind looked for any kind of escape from the boredom of this never ending practice.
I repeated the same thing every day. While in the corner of my eye, the other warrior seemed to come up with new techniques every sunrise.
Today – we were finally told to face each other.
I took the stance and waited for his approach. One step, two, three – I swung my sword. A man screamed out in pain. I felt drops of blood hit my face. “Stop,” the instructor announced.
Just like that – the fight was over. All the tactics and scenarios I imagined in my head – completely pointless. Turns out, all I needed to do was a simple strike, repeated a hundred times over.
About our tendency to overcomplicate
It might be difficult. But most of the time it isn’t complicated.
Overthinking is something that’s very familiar to all of us. And the brutal truth is that things are always much more complicated in our minds than in reality.
Is it actually complicated? Or are you just overcomplicating things because you’re afraid to face the simple problem? Simple things can often be the hardest. They leave no room to obfuscate the issue. Simple things leave you face to face with the obstacle.
I believe most things are actually simple. The complications are illusions created by our fear, lack of self belief, or other uncomfortable emotions.
Next time you’re faced with a complicated issue. Ask yourself – are you omitting the simple but difficult solution?
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