FFN 054： Complexity Kills
Episode Stats
Words per Minute
192.75638
Summary
In this episode, Ryan talks about how simple is better and why simplicity is the key to success. He also talks about the dangers of over-complicating your life and why you should focus on the things that are simple.
Transcript
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You're a man of action. You live life to the fullest. Embrace your fears and boldly chart
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your own path. When life knocks you down, you get back up one more time. Every time.
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You are not easily deterred or defeated. Rugged. Resilient. Strong. This is your life. This is who
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you are. This is who you will become. At the end of the day, and after all is said and done,
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you can call yourself a man. Gentlemen, what is going on today? My name is Ryan Mickler,
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and I am the host and founder of this podcast, The Order of Men. I am glad that you are with us
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today, whether this is the first time listening in or you've been listening to us for years now.
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Either way, I'm glad you're here. If you are new to the show, you are about to listen to me for the
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next 10 minutes or so on some thoughts that I've had throughout the week. But if you aren't interested
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in hearing what I have to say, know that we also have an interview show, which is released each
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Tuesday where I interview the strongest, the smartest, the most talented men on the planet,
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I ask them powerful questions, they answer those questions, and you get to tune in for your benefit.
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So you will want to subscribe to this show if you have not yet subscribed so you never miss me or
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one of my guests. A couple of quick resources, guys, before I get started on some thoughts with
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you today. One, join our Facebook group. We've got over 28,000 men at facebook.com slash groups
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where we share all the tools, the resources, the guidance, the direction, and the accountability
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that you're looking for. So you can improve in your relationships, wealth, marriage, business,
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bank account, health, and everywhere you may be trying to improve. And you can do that at
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order of men.com slash iron council. Now let's get into the conversation of today,
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which is that of complexity kills. I did a podcast a while back called complacency kills,
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but when I say complexity kills, I'm talking about the exact opposite of complacency and or
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doing nothing. I'm talking about doing too much and more specifically the mistake or pitfall of
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over planning and over complicating every element of your life. I look around and I see so many people
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offering these crazy hacks and tips and tricks and fads and pills and strategies. And most of them
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are just too complex, so complex that no one even implements the strategies in the first place.
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I get a lot of how to questions with my line of work. How do I lose weight? How do I start a
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business? How do I save my marriage? How do I get a promotion? How do I get stronger? So let me just go
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ahead and answer these questions for you very simply. Eat less, sell something, love your wife,
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work hard and ask for it and lift heavy things. Now, inevitably, when I give answers like that to
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serious questions, most people think I'm being a smart ass. I'm not. I'm just giving you the truth.
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I'm giving you the exact answer and I'm telling you exactly what to do. Oh, but Ryan,
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it couldn't possibly be that easy. It is that easy, but you don't know about it because you're too busy
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looking around for that complicated formula that will allow you to have the results without
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working for it. And while you're out there doing that, the guy that decides to eat better
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and take his wife on a weekly date and sit down and budget his money each week or put a few more
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pounds on the bar to lift or march into the boss's office and ask for the promotion, that guy's getting
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the money and the promotion and the body and the women you're after. So there's this question
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floating around maybe in the back of your mind. If this is really true, if simplicity is really the
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answer, why don't we hear more about this? You're not hearing more about it because if simplicity
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is truly the answer, you don't need all the internet gurus. You don't need the marketing geniuses
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or the entrepreneur or the snake oil salesman and the wannabes out there trying to sell you their
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wares and their products and their services and their gadgets and their gizmos. In other words,
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simplicity, you guys, doesn't sell. Telling you to eat better and move a little bit more
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doesn't sell that health course. Telling you to spend less money than you make doesn't require
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a financial planner. Telling you to show some love and appreciation to your wife doesn't allow
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for that marriage counselor to bill by the hour. Now, I do realize that there are some things that
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you can learn above and beyond all this entry-level stuff that we're talking about here, but at the end
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of the day, you're probably not going to be qualifying for the Olympics anytime soon.
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So worrying about what to eat down to the exact ounces or when to eat down to the exact minute
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is just producing diminishing returns. So I'd rather you go for the low-hanging fruit than the fruit at
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the top of the tree you can't get to without coming up with some harebrained tactic to actually get it.
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I'm talking about the actions that will yield the highest results with the lowest amount of effort.
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Let me say that again. The highest results with the lowest amount of effort. Now, some people might
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say that's lazy, but I say it's efficient. I only have 24 hours in the day. You only have 24 hours in
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the day. So I'm going to do the activities that yield the highest results in the lowest amount of
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time and energy possible. And that, my friends, requires you to strip away all the BS and get to
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the core of what matters. The core of what matters. Let me give you a couple examples. Writing your wife a
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note. Not a novel, just a quick note. Picking up flowers on the way home. You don't need to buy her
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a new car or something fancy. It's just flowers. That goes so far. Balancing your bank account.
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Not using some sophisticated app that takes you six months to learn. Paying for your big purchases
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with cash. Not some fancy credit card point hacking reward system that you learned about. Eliminating
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soda. Not worrying about the green smoothie with the ingredients imported from the corners of the
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earth. Putting 10 extra pounds on the bar or doing five more reps. Not researching how the muscles
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respond when you do a 5, 12, 4, 9, 4, 19 rep scheme. Going for a walk. Not that sophisticated running
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schedule that you bought online. Playing catch with your kids. Not necessarily the family vacation that
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took you years and thousands of dollars to plant. These are all low effort, high yield activities.
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And that's what you're after. Now I realize there's a time and a place for some of these
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sophisticated strategies. But the default, the default should always be simple. And then you can
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build from there. So the moral of the story, gentlemen, stop gaming the system. Complexity kills.
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It kills progress. It kills growth. It kills innovation. And it kills your chances for success.
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As Leonardo da Vinci said, simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. And I'm going to leave
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you with that today. I know it's a shorter one today, but in the spirit of the message that I'm
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sharing with you right now, I'll stop talking when there's nothing more to say. I'll look forward to
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talk with you next week. And man, you are in for a treat on the next week's podcast interview
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and the following week. I've got two great guests lined up. So again, make sure you tune in,
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make sure you subscribe. But until then, go for the low hanging fruit, guys. Keep it simple and
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become the man you are meant to be. Thank you for listening to the Order of Man podcast.
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You're ready to take charge of your life and be more of the man you were meant to be.
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We invite you to join the order at orderofman.com.