Have you ever experienced a moment of clarity when you finally realized that you have the ability to access the answer to a question you have been puzzling over for a long time?  All of a sudden you experienced a “moment of brilliance” and you realized you have the capacity to “see the answer clearly”.   That moment you discover you have the gift of solving a challenging problem or a difficult question. Before that moment you believed this was a gift others had. You now realize you also have this gift and you can access it because you were designed for brilliance!

Once we cease judging what we believe our brain can or can’t do , we free it to be able to operate the way it was designed to operate and magic happens! We have all had moments where we have tapped into the nature and power of our true self and felt like we were rubbing shoulders with other great minds (Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Winston Churchill, Benjamin Disraeli, Socrates, Marcus Aurelius, Helen Keller, Mozart).

Our brain follows the same principles and operates following the same science as our muscles. Each time we have the faith and confidence to take on a new challenge (one we don’t think we are ready for) we stretch and push beyond our limits to create a new boundary with regards to what we think we are capable of accomplishing. People you meet that are alive, and vibrant  constantly and intentionally put themselves in a position or opportunity to achieve something beyond what they think they were able to accomplish.

James Lipton hosts a show called “Inside the Actors Studio.” At the end of the show he always asks the same question to each one of the actors. Why did you accept this particular script for that role in the movie? The answer is always the same… because that role scared me and it put me out of my comfort zone. Actors understand that accepting a role that they have already done is not going to allow them to grow in their profession. By intentionally doing something beyond our present belief of what we believe is possible it extends our possibilities for future accomplishments.

The reason we get lost and lose our ability to be inspired by life is because we consistently go back to what we already know. The ability to move into the unknown is an attribute that high performers and high achievers practice. This experience of having an intuitive confidence to lean into the unknown is sometimes referred to as “Rare Air.” It is only referred to this by those that have not experienced it. Those that have experienced the ability of tapping into their “True Nature” realize it can be accessed by all who decide to go after it.

You were designed for brilliance and you first need to believe that. Take a chance. Who knows you just might like it, and you just might find yourself not struggling with yourself so much. Test it. When you start thinking about moving forward by operating more often by- Ready, Fire, Aim- and don’t allow yourself to continue to be stuck with Ready-  Aim- Fire (with this strategy you will never get the plane out of the hanger). Trust who you were created to be. You might surprise yourself and others with your deep brilliance.

“In the beginners mind there are many possibilities, in the experts mind there are few.”   -Shunryu Suzuki

Have you ever observed someone and noticed that they seem to operate in the world in a fluid way? They seem to enter into interactions with people very easily and effortlessly. When they engage with others, whether it is with people in business, on a team, or with a family, they seem to carry a quiet confidence with them in all of their interactions. It’s clear that these individuals are just not wandering through the great ‘rat race’ of life.

My experiences have lead me to see that simplicity is not something to be taken simply. Those that have a better grasp on simplicity seem to have a laser beam focus around “what matters most” and are able to live their life on a path and make  great choices that appear to  be guided by a dash board that focuses them towards simplicity. It seems to me that those who are experiencing a life full of simplicity have figured some things out. One of the disciplines they seem to be following is that they are the architect of their own future; which allows them to have  choices and make decisions that guide them towards simplicity.

“Other things being equal, a simpler explanation is better than a more complex one.”   -Occam’s razor

To create a life of simplicity requires you to be clear in your own mind about what is valuable to you  individually and to then commit to what you believe is important and let the rest fall away. Each one of us knows someone who chooses a complicated life because they seem to commit to things that are not meaningful to them and this leads to a very complex life.

Van Gogh painted simply: usually using only 6 colors.

Simplicity is all around us. The discipline of simplicity is always practiced by the Masters. Van Gogh rarely painted with more than six colors on his palette. Ernest Hemingway wrote with a simple fountain pen, much later someone else did the typing for him. Abraham Lincoln wrote the Gettysburg Address on a piece of ordinary stationary that he had borrowed from the friend whose house he was staying at. Simplicity is thoughtfulness. If you expect to inspire and impact others at home, at the office, or on a team continue to practice the philosophy of being laconic (meaning using few words; expressing much in few words; concise).

“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”   Albert Einstein

Simplicity has a wonderful side benefit. It provides confidence for others we want to inspire to make better decisions and ultimately,  impact their life. Conviction, authenticity, and confidence are best conveyed not through more words, but through fewer. Lincolns Gettysburg Address consists of 267 words. The Bill Of Rights is 660 words. The 10 Commandments takes 163 (And that is in English, in Hebrew its only 77 words).

To be heard and understood requires less words. All good things require discipline and simplicity is not immune to that principle. Give yourself the gift of concentrated effort and discover how this theme will surprisingly bring more meaning and purpose to your life. I bet some of the best lessons you have learned have been the simplest.