JORGE RODRIGUES SIMAO

Yes, life is tough. But life can be a lot easier when we keep things simple. Surprisingly, you would think that human beings would work at simplifying their lives, but the opposite is true. Given a choice between a simple way and a complicated way of doing things, most people will choose the complicated. Preposterous as it may seem, some of us will even spend time inventing a complex way when none is immediately available. No question, we do not need to make our lives more difficult.

No doubt you have noticed that many people with a Ph.D. degree aren't very happy - and some of the happiest people in this world don't even know what a Ph.D. is! Contrary to popular belief, education has little to do with how much happiness and satisfaction people get out of life. What's more, an individual can have a fancy education, but still not be very wise. In other words, book smart does not mean life smart.

Unfortunately, when you arrived on this planet, no one gave you an instruction book on how to deal with life. In your early teens you were expecting life to be  one big party once you got your act together as an adult. What a surprise! A few years after reaching adulthood and having to deal with the real world, you came to the realization that life is difficult. In this regard American philosopher George Santayana surmised, "Life is not a spectacle or a feast; it is a predicament." Regardless of your age, if you expect living to be easier down the road, forget it.

Do you want a full, relaxed, satisfying, and happy life? Begin by making organization one of your strongest assets. Perhaps you realized a long time ago how favorably your life functions when you are well-organized and how things get out of hand when you are terribly disorganized. Indeed, being well organized puts you in control of your life. Fact is, we are not born organized; organization is a learned skill that anyone can master. Organized people get the very best out of life because they get the important projects completed and are constantly achieving their goals.