…less is more…

Simplicity.  Less is more.  I am always amazed how the simple solution is often the best.  My old boss, Mr. Kroc, had a plaque in his office that shouted K.I.S.S (Keep It Simple, Stupid) on which he based his business strategy for his little hamburger joint.  Hey, if $23 billion in sales doesn’t impress you, then you only have to watch the movie “Contact” and the reference to Occam’s Razor to feel really confident that it must be true….hey, it’s in a movie! 

Here are a few ways “less is more” seems to win out in my life:

·         Play-Doh – it starts out in those nice, vibrant colors.  Then it happens…(as it did right before my eyes as I did my “shift” at childcare at Good Shepherd)  Someone gets the idea to mix the blue with the yellow…da daaaa, you have green.  Next thing ya know colors are added, and added and then you end up with everything looking brownish, kind of ugly and boring.  In fact, kids stop using it far before it begins to dry-out.  Less is more!

·         Food – the natural flavors are so much better when they are simple.  Doesn’t pepperoni pizza really taste better than the combo.  Sure, the combo might fill you up, but you’re dealing with quantity over quality.  I find myself craving the taste of a good old Quarter Pounder with Cheese…before lettuce, tomatoes, bacon, guacamole, peppers, partridge & pear tree were additional options.  The sloppiness factor itself is enough to make you want to stop the madness.  Less is more!

·         Mission Statements – every good organization has a clear mission statement…Ken (who was my incredibly talented boss at the McDs Innovation Center) drove our team to agree and verbalize our mission “We innovate, design and integrate systems that deliver a Forever Young Experience in all our restaurants”  (I don’t think I’m revealing any major secret, if so…sorry Ken).  It drove everything we did.  In fact, each Director was charged with owning either Innovate, Design or Integrate.  A day didn’t go by when someone would ask if what we were doing was getting us closer to our mission.  It was easy to remember, easy to recall, easy to explain…so it was easy to use as an alignment screen.  Less is more!

·         Jesus did it (I saved the best for last) -  yeah, lately, you might call me a Jesus freak (but hopefully in a good way).  After people messed up the 10 commandments for centuries, Jesus came to make it easier for us flawed humans to understand, to focus, to get it righter.  He boiled it down to two (2).  Love the Lord and love your neighbor.  If these 2 things were done, really done…the world would be in a much better place (this was a topic of discussion at my small group Friday night).  Hey, does this mean Jesus was the first to use the 80 / 20 rule.  .  Less is more!

Hope I will act on this life lesson instead of seemingly being anxious to relearn it over and over.  Maybe writing about it will keep it in the front of my mind.  I need to keep telling myself “Keep it simple, stupid”, “Keep it simple, stupid”…“less is more”.

 

In the words of Albert Einstein "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."

...why do I use my body for advertising...?

…people use their bodies to advertise. I'm not talking like the guy on the corner in the "King" or "Hamburglar" costume. I'm talking about the average Joe, you and me.

…a glance at my closet reads like a series of 30 second commercials. Between my shirts, hoodies and hats, I cover the wares of many of the stores on Route 59 (a street I avoid at all cost because of my dislike for traffic lights.) I'm willing to give free shout-outs to the Chargers, Padres, Aztecs, USC, Purdue, McDonald's, Guinness, the MMA, Xyience, Habitat for Humanity, Kiva and Feed My Starving Children. There is proof (if a piece of clothing suffices) that I've been to Hawaii, London, Oklahoma (don't ask), Israel, Los Angeles, Greece, and Orlando to name a few.

…in the last couple of years I've added Jesus, the cross, Iron Sharpens Iron, Good Shepherd Church, Mens CRHP 21 (pronounce "chirp") and Dodgin' 4 Dough...but it does feel kinda weird. Why? Certainly Jesus is as important to me as the Padres (they came in last place.) God means more to me than Guinness beer (I'm required to go the light route as my metabolism slows to a near stop.) The cross and what it represents is so much more powerful than the Oklahoma Electric Company.

...but I feel a bit leery when I decide to wear any of my Christian garb. What if people think I'm some kind of Jesus freak (I know I am.) What if someone asks me a tough question like "Is Gandhi going to Hell"? What if a non-Christian feels offended (like wearing a Sox cap to a Cub’s game.)

…i want to be bold. I want to share the joy I've gotten from my relationship with Jesus. I want to be asked the tough questions, and believe listening to the question is just as valuable (if not more) then having a great answer. I want to be a willing lump of clay in the Master’s hands...and advertise to that effect.

...I'm not going to get rid of all my other 30 second spots...it's nice to relate to other "fans". I do want friends to know that I am a fan of Christ, His grace and how cool the "fish" looks on a baseball cap.

…thank goodness we don't give free press on cups, mugs and car bumpers...