Simplify your thinking

Once, a group of top aeronautical engineers were assigned to design and develop a new aircraft. Within a period of few months, they were successful in creating a marvellous piece of the giant flying bird. All officials from the top were extremely happy with the achievement and congratulated the engineers.

On the day of the aircraft's maiden test flight, there was a small problem. While trying to bring the aircraft out, they realised that the aircraft fuselage was few inches higher than the entrance of the hangar. The team came to a conclusion that if pulled out, the plane may incur a few dents on top along with the scraping off of the paint. A meeting was then called to find a solution and after a lot of mulling, it was decided that few panels where it was hitting would be removed and fitted back later. It was a major task and a few men were at once put on the job. As the staff arrived on-site to work, a watchman observing all this suggested that instead of breaking the top panels, why not try and deflate the tyres as it would bring the height automatically down. Amazingly, this simple solution coming from a layman surprised everyone. As all had their eyes on top, this was something which the experts too did not think of. In the end, the aircraft finally rolled out smoothly without any damage to any part. Sometimes the best solutions come from the corners where we least expect them.

We often complicate a simple problem so much that its solution seems very complicated. Our mind is often cluttered with too many thoughts which reduces clarity. In the words of Steve Jobs: "Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple." By letting go of unwanted thoughts and focusing on what’s relevant, life can become a little less complicated.