Why Bother to KISS?

Are there a lot more social and emotional issues in our world today than at any other time? Are more people distracted this day in age than say just two years ago? Are we faced with more conundrums, perplexities, diversions, disorder and discord than “back in the day”? A befuddlement, quandary or paradox may not necessarily be the problem with our lives, rather what we chose to do with them when they arise may be the knotty point.

Let’s KISS

The acronym, KISS, equates to “keep it simple stupid”. For personal purposes, I’m going to eliminate discussing the word stupid while writing about this abbreviation because I want to keep things even more simple than the original acronym.  

First off, I always like to know where a particular principle first came into being. What was its original purpose? One source claims that KISS was first designed by the U.S. Navy in 1960. The hypothesis was that most systems work best if they are kept basic rather than complicated. Explicitness should be the rule not the exception. 

Many businesses use KISS in their trade, but I use it for everyday living. First of all, I like to DWIC, do what I can. For instance, I just completed a three day hands-on workshop about the wood industry. I visited experimental forests, logging operations, forest nurseries, lumber and pulp mills. I was required to be ready to roll out for a day in the woods by 7:30 a.m. This  put a crimp in my normal morning routine. I couldn’t go for a swim, ride my bike or go to a yoga class, but I could go for a run. Though my schedule was tight, I did not get entangled by my tight schedule. Instead, I kept things simple by doing what I could.

Secondly, DNPYD, do not prescript your day. In other words, much of my day during this workshop involved traveling with other people in vans. Some mornings I imagined who I might sit next to or who to avoid sitting next to. I’d also predict the conversations we might have. But then the unknown would pop up. For instance, one morning I rode with a lumber mill owner in his plush truck with two other workshop attendees. We peppered this business owner with all manner of questions about his job and the industry. I could not have predicted this rich opportunity, I could only step into it. Therefore, DNPYD. 

Finally, LIRN, let information rise naturally. Many of my cohorts from this workshop felt overwhelmed by all the information we heard and experienced. “How am I going to remember all of this?” one of the attendees asked yesterday. Well, we won’t. We will only remember the parts that made the most sense to us. All the cohorts in this workshop had one thing in common, education.  Whether a high school science teacher or primary teacher responsible to teach all subjects, our brains could only hold onto the applicable information.

So, why bother to KISS? Though keeping things simple may not be easy, KISS is worth the effort. It lightens the load in life, LTLIL, making it all the much clearer.