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Keeping it simple - the ultimate sophistication (Leonardo da Vinci)

It's a good slogan at the best of times, and one that becomes crucial at the more difficult moments.  Our tendency to ruminate, elaborate and proliferate is best held in tight check and, for me, this is a quick and simple reminder of just how to do that.

"Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated." Confucius

Recovery is often described as a simple process for people who like to complicate things.  The reasons we might do so is probably largely irrelevant, though one could speculate that it maybe feeds a sense of identity whilst keeping us at a comfortable distance from reality.

As ever, fear is usually our greatest peril, and drives us to engage in all kinds of unhelpful behaviours, consciously and unconsciously.  By complicating matters, we often find ways in which to delay, deny, postpone or procrastinate. 

Recovery is best taken in bite size chunks.  We didn't get where we are overnight, and it usually takes a bit of time to make real, and meaningful change.  This is a great strategy to avoid the overwhelm that so often results when we stay in our heads, and try to sort out our thinking by thinking.

Keeping it simple, focuses us, and makes the task appear immediately more manageable, boosting our self confidence, to try, and our self belief, that we can succeed.  We are able to see more clearly, the road ahead, and what we might need to achieve our goal. 

Unless you know where you're headed, you'll never know whether you've arrived...


"Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone.  The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials."  Lin Yutang


Hanger Lane gyratory, known as Britain's most terrifying road junction

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