Regardless of your religious beliefs or lack of religious beliefs, there are tons of things that can be learned from Buddhism as a whole. The whole concept in itself is full of lessons that we as human beings need to learn.
One of the things that I feel has helped me the most in life is a Buddhist principle that basically consists of ‘less is more.’ This in many ways can be applied to our lives in all aspects. Now, regarding success and true happiness, ‘less is more’ should be something we keep in mind.
The concept of ‘less is more’ can create more value in small things and help us make progress regarding the big things. For instance, the less we obsess over the things that are bringing us down, the happier we will be overall. The less you’re focused on things that don’t matter the more you will see regarding your own life at any given moment.
In regards to this philosophy Tiny Buddha wrote as follows:
You may not have a large number of hours to commit, but this means you have an incentive to prioritize your goals, and that just may help you focus and become optimally effective.
You may not have abundant resources, but this means your passion and purpose maybe your greatest assets, and there’s no limit to what you can accomplish when you invest yourself in a vision that moves and inspires you.
You may not have countless readers or customers, but this means you can focus on providing exceptional service, which can be far more valuable than dozens of cursory connections and standard experiences.
Most importantly, when we focus on doing less and doing it well, instead of doing more and assuming it’s better, we’re less scattered, more deliberate, less harried, and more present.
You see, the less you have or the lower you are in things the more you have to gain. The more you can grow as a person and the more benefit you will find as time passes if you’re willing to put forth the amount of effort that you as a human being are capable of.
The less we give in to fear the more we can work to motivate ourselves to do what needs to be done. The less we assume the more we can work to understand. There are so many things that can be achieved through ‘less is more.’
The more we are willing to accept life as it is and work to better ourselves the less we will end up having to fight through the rough times that come forth in our own experiences here on this planet.
We can all accomplish the things we set out to if we are able to really make the things we already have in place work for us rather than against us. We don’t have to fight so hard to get more when we are appreciating what we already have and making the most of it in a way that allows us to grow as people on this Earth. Nothing in this life is set in stone, we are all able to become who we want to be if we are willing to do the things that need to be done beforehand.
How do you feel the principle of ‘less is more’ applies to your life and how can it help you become a better version of yourself? I for one always try to keep it in mind. I can always accomplish more when I put the resources I have to work in the right ways.