KISS

 

I bet most everyone has come across K.I.S.S. Most of you know what it means. Keep It Simple, Stupid. This is not to say that we, and I include myself in this, are stupid, but there are times when our actions could be called into question.

Life can become so complicated when we let decisions and actions stack up without taking the time to thoughtfully process them as to their short term and long term impact on our lives. Opportunities come at us like rain drops in a thunderstorm, pelting our brains until we go into brain overload. Our thinking becomes fuzzy, muddled, and confused. “Which way did they go, which way did they go,”  as the cartoon says.

 

Like most people we have our own filing system to deal with our thoughts. One file is labeled “Tomorrow”; one is labeled “Do I have to think about it”; one is labeled “Things to think about when I get time”; one is labeled “Yes”; one is labeled “No”; and one is labeled “This belongs in God’s court.” Does your study desk reflect your thinking system? Are there papers stacked all over your desk and you are the only person who sort of knows where everything is (when you look for it)? Does it take you 10 minutes to find what should be found in 30 seconds, so time is a wastin’.

 

Let’s take a look at the above filing system and see how it affects our lives.

 

1. “Yes” is a mandatory file for our thoughts. It is used in conjunction with the “No” file. This file allows thoughts to go into our memory; attitudes, emotions, and actions are the result. This file should be used with the utmost care and caution since it will definitely affect our very being. This file can bring about resolution which is very healthy to our mental state; providing the thoughts are positive and uplifting in nature or disastrous if in the negative. This can sometimes lead to the rhetorical question, “How did I get myself into this mess?”

 

2. “No” is a mandatory file for our thoughts. Like “Yes,” this file should be used with the utmost caution since it can affect us the same way that the “Yes” file does. Even though “Yes” is considered a positive and “No” a negative, they can have the opposite effects in our life.

 

3. “This belongs in God’s court” is a file in which we neither have a “Yes” or a “No” due to lack of information or knowledge. We don’t want to sidestep the issue and create more potential problems so we turn it over to a “higher power”. By faith, we believe that God will in some way provide an answer, so we wait on Him. This is not the same as “punting,” which is to temporarily postpone the time of decision. If faith or belief in a God who hears and answers is not in your belief system, then it is just “punting” and using a divine being as an “out.” If that is the case then this thought should be put in another file labeled “Tomorrow” which is the same as “punt.”

 

4. “Do I have to think about it” file is a file full of pressure, stress, and anxiety. We put thoughts in this file when we know we have to make a decision but due to external and self-made pressures we don’t want to. This harkens back to our earlier years when we would tell someone, “I don’t want to.” As long as the thought is in this file the stress will continue to mount. The quicker we get it out of there and put it into a solution file the better we will feel. Some people live for days, months or even years will thoughts in this file, only to their detriment, mentally, physically, and spiritually.

 

5. “Tomorrow” file is the file of good intentions. We have fooled ourselves into believing that tomorrow will be a better day to make a decision on that thought. We are deceived and delusional in thinking we have really good intentions of making a decision tomorrow because tomorrow will be a better day; we will be thinking clearer and have less pressure. Deep down inside we know that we have just lied to ourselves, but somehow we try to pacify ourselves; patting ourselves on the back and saying that, “it will be OK.”  This file should have nothing in it, ever. Unfortunately, this file can become very large, hence, all the mental and health problems in society.

 

6. “Things to think about when I get time” file can be a real legitimate file. There are some thoughts which have no real immediate deadline so a decision in the future is appropriate. Caution must be exercised so as not to confuse our thoughts and put them in the wrong file. This file is used for thoughts that need more information and input in order to arrive at a proper decision. This file is intentional, thoughtful, and sincere with no false pretenses. However, this file should be cleaned out once in a while to prevent a file full of discarded and abandon thoughts to remain and clutter up the mind.

 

We all make thousands of decisions each day but are not aware of most of them because they are either sub-conscience or automatic. For those we are aware of, putting them in the proper file is essential to our mental stability and physical well-being.

 

SMILE --- there, you just made a very good decision.