I was watching a vlog recently about some personalities moving into an Amish community to live the lifestyle for a few days, get an understanding into their way of life and showcase it to their followers. The Nelk boys are a bunch of younger guys in their mid-late 20s who party, entertain and create various types of content. They’re a very clever and well put together outfit who very much caters to the young, aspiring, party goers of the modern world.

They have created various vlogs over the years, primarily around partying and everything associated, but have started branching out into more diverse content to cater to a wider, somewhat more curious audience. The idea of heading into an Amish community I thought was a great idea, however, the entertainment potential was overestimated as the community seems to live a very simple lifestyle with little activities and distractions that would be perceived as entertainment in our society.

They ended up meeting a younger Amish man and persuaded him to leave the community for a weekend and head to Miami. The contrast and associated experiences that were highlighted made me think deeply into the balance of simplicity vs complexity and how over or under of each can greatly dictate the course and outcome of your life and happiness.

I have spoken about it before and find the realm of materialism vs simple living, basic requirements and the ability to release modern day optional desires incredibly fascinating. I would say my lifestyle leans far more towards complexity than simplicity, however the objective and life goals ironically head towards a simple life via a complex system of steps to attain it. It seems strange even writing that, however in order to obtain a simple life within a complex world, takes participation into the complex game, a game of strategy, connection, desire, structure and devotion to pursue something probably counter intuitive but try to do it via an enjoyable means.

As I’ve matured over the years and gained a deeper understanding into what’s important, met a variety of people from all over the world and gotten a deeper insight into their perspective of the matter. I’ve learnt that a simple life provides a simple path to happiness and a complex life creates a complex path to happiness. The question is finding what elements of each cater to your own personal needs, wants and desires. Whatever they are, it’s important to understand that achieving success within the fundamentals of the most simple version of yourself unlocks the pathway and can always provide a fallback position in times of need. I know how difficult it is to ignore modern day luxuries, complexities and the endless possibilities of euphoria, but finding a level of balance between the 2 ends of the spectrum and still being able to hit the targets in line with your benchmarks is essential. You can create the most simple of most complex life and if this is in line with your said objectives, growth, community and fundamental needs you will be well on your way in the search for happiness.

It’s not how much we have, but how much we enjoy that brings happiness

Thanks,

Dean