Lessons From Cambodia
What is KISS?
A 70’s glam rock band of course! Even 40 years later, like you, I still rock and roll all night and pickle every day. (I think that’s how the lyrics went?) I can’t believe how much time has gone by. Vinyl and 8-Tracks were overrun by cassettes and CD’s. iTunes had its place in the sun. Now streaming and YouTube rule the music world.
The point is that everything changes and we need to change with it. If not, you might get some looks when you show up to the court with your cutoff jeans shorts, crop top and headband. (I so want to do that some day. Who’s up for a 70’s pickleball tournament?)
What hasn’t changed for decades is the wisdom of the other KISS: “Keep It Simple Stupid.”
Life and technology seem to have gotten much more complicated, but keeping things simple can be a surprisingly effective strategy in a digital world. By all means, use technology as a tool. I sure don’t miss those fold-up road maps or pay phones, but we can lose ourselves in our devices. In fact, if you watch “The Social Dilemma” on Netflix, you can see where we are headed, and it’s not a pretty picture.
The value of simplification is enhanced focus. Doesn't it make sense that too many options and stimuli leave you feeling scattered and lost? Yet this is the world we live in. As I started to write this blog, someone invited me to play pickleball on a LARGE group text. As I tried to gather my thoughts, I was inundated with dings and buzzes from my phone and iPad. I muted my devices as quickly as I could, helpless to put together thoughts with the constant distractions. My focus returned as quickly as it was hijacked.
The lesson is that multitasking is the devil... at least for me. I know that it is sometimes necessary, but too often it lapses into a way of being. The result is that neither task usually gets done as well as it could, and you end up feeling frazzled and overburdened. I have enough trouble “single tasking”. In fact, I’m best at “zero tasking”.
The Zero Tasking Squad
SIMPLE WINS THE GAME
Have you ever been playing a game and find yourself temporarily considering two or more shot options at once? What usually happens? Your body doesn’t receive a clear signal from your brain and an indecisive, poor shot ensues. The same thing happens to your mind when your brain is overloaded — decision making and mindfulness are compromised.
Clutter undermines clarity.
When I wrote Pickleball & The Art of Living, I spent a lot of time considering how to write my final chapter, Pickleball Postscript. My goal was to cover the optimal techniques, strategies and mental qualities without getting bogged down in too much detail. It’s a fine line between too much and not enough information, but the initial feedback I’ve received has been favorable. Learners appreciate explanations of potentially complicated subjects reduced to simple, actionable concepts.
If you find that indecision is plaguing your game, come back to a simple thought or two at most. Establish the following three step program the next time you practice. When you’re ready, carry it over into games.
Move quickly to the ball, establishing proper position.
Commit to your decision.
Relax slightly and execute the fundamentals of watching the ball into the paddle and making contact in front of you with a square paddle face.
That’s it.
Maybe easier said than done, but if you practice this sequence over and over, you will be more decisive, make fewer errors and play with a clear objective. Think about when you are warming up with a series of relaxed dinks. You make very few errors. It seems like you could dink 20-30 times in a row without missing. Once the game starts, what changes? Usually it’s the mental pressure of wanting so badly not to miss and win the point — or it’s indecisiveness. When you practice the three step sequence above, the repetitive simplicity seeps into your game. You find yourself less likely to stress out, change your mind at the last second and miss the ball.
So what does all this have to do with Cambodia? When my wife and I were traveling there, we visited a school where the kids were learning English. At one point, the teachers divided the students into two sections of about 20 kids each to play a game of Pictionary. Two people from our group were asked to volunteer to do the drawing and the kids had to guess five simple words to win the game. One man who volunteered to do the drawing was an artist. My wife, Diane, was the other volunteer, hopelessly outmatched in artistic ability. The game began.
From my vantage point I could see Diane drawing simple stick figures and diagrams. “Mother!”, her kids cried out. “Sun!”, “Car!” On they went, rapidly calling out all five words in English before the other team got a single one. When the game was over, the winning kids let out a whoop and the other kids smiled politely in their confusion. I asked to see what the artistic gentleman had drawn and he showed me an ornate scene of a village with trees and homes. He had sketched out a family in the village and was just finishing up the portrait of the mother. I had to stifle a laugh, somewhat unsuccessfully. His drawing was quite beautiful but entirely missed the point of getting simple ideas across effectively.
Pictionary winners hug goodbye
Whether you’re playing Pictionary in Cambodia, making financial decisions or selecting the proper shot to play, Keep It Simple. Eliminate distractions, make a plan and execute it without losing sight of why it matters and how to best reach your goal. Even if you’re just hanging out with someone, give them your full attention. That other thing will still be there when you’re ready to attack it with the same focus.
Consider simplifying and streamlining your life. What and who deserves your undivided attention?