Simplicity is not comfortable.
Simplicity is not the easy path.
Simplicity is the clear path.
There was a moment in my life when I realised this with crystal clarity.
Mauro and I were working in senior roles at a company we enjoyed. We were successful, well-paid and respected. Everything seemed secure.
Then the company was sold.
And in that moment, we knew:
This is no longer our path.
We could have stayed.
We could have waited and seen.
We could have adapted.
But we handed in our notice with immediate effect.
Not out of defiance.
Not out of anger.
But out of clarity.
We won’t let ourselves be sold out.
At that moment, we felt incredibly free.
Unfettered.
And at the same time, a rocky road began.
Because at that moment it dawned on me: simplicity doesn’t mean it will be easy – it means it’s true.
Simplicity means knowing what you’re striving for.
After I handed in my notice, everything changed. The security was gone. The familiar structure was gone. And challenges arose – including health issues. Illness in the family. Questions. Uncertainties.
But that is precisely where the journey of learning began.
We could have despaired.
Instead, we decided to learn.
What do I really want?
What is our path?
How do we change all this?
And this journey of learning became our life.
Everything we have gone through ourselves, everything we have experienced, learnt and transformed, has become a tool. A treasure. A foundation that enables us to support others with ease today.
Life often becomes complicated when we want to achieve something that, in truth, is not ours. When we want to portray something we have not yet learnt. When we pursue goals that do not fit with our inner being.
It becomes simple when I make a clear decision:
I want this.
And not that.
It becomes simple when I am prepared to take the time needed to learn what I really want.
Simplicity does not mean letting everything be.
Simplicity means wanting clearly.
And then being prepared to work for it.
It’s also easy for me to make a spontaneous decision:
Today, I’m putting everything aside. Today, I’m recharging my batteries. With people I love. With people I enjoy talking to, laughing with and spending time with.
It’s easy to say:
Today, I’ve decided to bring joy to someone else.
It’s easy to ask myself:
What can I do to make things easier for my partner?
As a manager:
What can I do to make things easier for my team?
How can I bring them joy?
It’s also easy to let others have their own opinion. Not to turn every discussion into a battle. Not to turn every difference into a mission.
And perhaps the most important thing is:
Simplicity means not constantly wanting to save other people’s lives.
I can accompany them.
I can support them.
I can be there for them.
But I don’t have to carry everything.
If my team asked me how they could live more simply, I would say:
Take the time to look honestly at yourselves.
What is really weighing you down?
What do you really want?
Let go of whatever is weighing you down inside.
Choose what you want to do.
And then throw yourselves into it. Learn. Get good at it. Get clear.
I am convinced:
Great things don’t come from complicated thinking, but from clear decisions.
Simplicity is not a weakness.
Simplicity is courage.
And sometimes it starts with a cut.
Gianna
