How To Manage Complexity In Life?

As we grow old life tends to be more complex. Things don't always go as we planned.

 As an adult, things have totally changed. I notice a different pattern, it is no longer my parents telling me what to do, I am now responsible for how I do things.  

 Life seems to find a way to get a bit more complicated every year. As this is happening, we also continue to change, grow and respond to these added layers of complexity. Sometimes the complexity may match our ability to handle it. Other times, it doesn’t.  We don't know what will happen next. Tomorrow is unknown and uncertain. 

Managing the complexities is a dynamic process. Life continues to evolve, change and shift.  Here are the four principles I try to use every day to optimize my life and tackle challenges. You can pick from my list.

1. God Knows Everything And He Has Planned My Life. 

2. I Focus On Things Within Control: I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me.

3. Everything Has Its Own Advantages.

4. Every Challenge Has It's Own Advantage And Disadvantage.

1. God Knows Everything And He Has Planned My Life

When I remembered this word, I felt strong and regained the energy to keep moving.

God is the creator of the universe.

My existence is by accident. My birth was not a mistake, and my life is not a fluke of nature. Even if my parents may not have planned my birth but God did. He was not at all surprised by my birth. He expected it. Long before I was conceived by my parents, I was conceived in the mind of God. He thought of me first. It is not fate, chance, luck, or coincidence that I am breathing at this very moment. I am alive because God wanted it. 

The Bible says in Jeremiah 29:11, “I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for.” God is an omnipotent being. He knows everything even our thought.

God prescribed every detail of my body. He deliberately chose my race, the colour of my skin, my hair, and every other feature. 

 He also determined my natural talents and my personality. God never does anything accidentally, and he never makes mistakes. Samuel said, " As for God, his way is perfect: The lord's word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him." He has a reason for everything he creates. Every plant and every animal was planned by God, he created us with his image and likeness.

2. I Focus On Things Within Control 

The best thing I can do to gain control is to apply Epictetus's dichotomy of control. Reinforce and describe different situations on what is within my control, and what is out of my control. My goal is to be calm and focus on things within my control.

When I focus on things within my control that is my effort, attitude, and approach. focusing on things within my control, it reduces my stress level massively. I find more peace and fulfillment in my life. I don’t have control over the air I breathe but I have control over the things I eat. I have control over who to be my friend. 

 I don't have control over events but I can control how I respond to it. I have no control over the number of people who will read this article, but I have the power to keep writing and posting stuff.

Control can help me create space in my mind so that I can think, imagine and clear space in my world so I can focus on creativity and other things that are most important to me. If I embrace what's out of my control and accept it, I will experience tranquility. 

3. I Can Do All Things Through Christ You Strengthen Me

I remind myself that with God all things are possible. I believe that intelligence or skills in any field can be developed through effort, and I can nurture my ability in anything. I understand that making mistakes is part of the learning process and failure is an opportunity to try again. It encourages me to embrace challenges and persist through difficulties.

 

I believe that everything can be learned and improved over time, whether our ability to solve problems, speak in public, or sing. I acknowledge there is an element of raw talent. Some people sing better than I do by default.

 Having this mindset with God, I can do all things. I accept there is talent. I accept there is also room for improvement in almost anything, I put my mind to. brain Tracy said, "you become what you think about most of the time." 

The attitude that we should do something with ease doesn't work for me. Everything I can do today comes from putting in continuous effort even when I fail, I still try again. Even the geniuses put a lot of effort into getting things done. Albert Einstein once said, "Genius is 1% and 99℅ per cent hard work.

4. Every Challenge Has its Own Advantages And Disadvantages

When I face any difficult challenge I always remember the words of Epictetus, "No matter what happens, it is within my power to turn it to my advantage."  I no longer look at anything as a problem, I see them as opportunities. I see the good side of any problem. For coin has two sides, still more so problems. I pray for God's grace to help me take advantage of any problem. I always feel excited when I solve any problem—my baseline of dopamine increases and my stress dissipates. My brain rewards me with the release of endorphins, (nature’s “happy drug”). Endorphins will make me feel more positive, focused, alert aware and in control.

Conclusion

I always tell myself that my only competition is the person I am yesterday, my goal is to strive to be better each day and keep improving. I measure my success by how much I have grown and not how much I have surpassed others.