Why Being Simple Is the Smartest Move You Can Make (And Why Intelligence Without Wisdom Is Dangerous)

The uncarved block doesn’t ignore complexity. It just refuses to be controlled by it.

Often, being called “simple” has connotations of stupid, basic, not a person who seeks to accomplish much in life.

But what if I told you that’s the exact opposite of the truth?

What if being “simple” is actually the smartest move you can make?

What if simplicity is a sign of great intelligence and wisdom, not a lack of it?

What if the people chasing complexity are the ones wasting their lives?

I’ve spent decades in construction, martial arts, and business. And here’s what I’ve learned:

The smartest people I know live the simplest lives.

Not because they can’t handle complexity. But because they’ve learned that complexity is a trap.

A trap that steals your time, your energy, your peace, and your effectiveness.

And the people who’ve figured out how to cut through the noise, focus on what matters, and let go of everything else?

They’re the ones who win.

Why Taoism and Zen Warn Against the Trap of Intelligence

In Taoism, there’s a concept called “the uncarved block”—pu.​

It represents simplicity. Naturalness. The state of being before you complicate things with overthinking, overanalyzing, and overcomplicating.

It’s not ignorance. It’s wisdom.

Zen Buddhism has a similar teaching. Koans—those paradoxical riddles that make no logical sense—were specifically designed to shut down cognitive thinking.

To force you to stop trying to figure everything out with your intellect and reconnect with wisdom that cannot be achieved through intelligence and “learning.”

Because here’s the problem with intelligence:

It tricks you into thinking you need to understand everything, control everything, optimize everything.

And that’s exhausting.

And ultimately, ineffective.

All too often, “smart” people waste time, energy, and money worrying about stuff completely out of their control.

They obsess over variables they can’t influence. They create elaborate plans for scenarios that will never happen. They analyze themselves into paralysis.

They confuse being prepared with being paranoid.

And the difference between the two is simple:

Being prepared is focusing on what’s in your control. Being paranoid is wasting energy on what’s not.

The Uncarved Block Doesn’t Mean Ignorance

Let me be clear:

Being “the uncarved block” doesn’t mean not being aware of complexity, nuance, and subtlety.

It’s not about being naive. It’s not about ignoring reality.

It’s seeing complexity for what it is and not allowing yourself to be fazed by it.

It’s recognizing that most of what seems complicated is actually just noise. Distraction. Overthinking.

And the wise person cuts through it.

They don’t get lost in the weeds. They don’t overcomplicate what’s simple. They don’t create problems where none exist.

They focus on what matters. And they let go of everything else.

That’s simplicity.

And it’s the hardest thing to achieve.

Why Smart People Struggle With Simplicity

Here’s the irony:

The smarter you are, the harder it is to be simple.

Because intelligence gives you the ability to see all the variables, all the possibilities, all the potential problems.

And that’s both a gift and a curse.

The gift is that you can anticipate challenges. You can plan. You can strategize.

The curse is that you can overthink yourself into inaction.

You see too many options. You analyze too many scenarios. You worry about too many things that might go wrong.

And you end up doing nothing. Or doing the wrong thing because you’re paralyzed by complexity.

I’ve seen this on the jobsite. The smartest guys—the ones who could calculate load-bearing capacity in their heads, who knew every code inside and out—would sometimes be the slowest to act.

Because they were thinking too much.

Meanwhile, the guy with less formal education but more practical wisdom would just get it done.

Not because he was smarter. But because he was simpler.

He focused on what mattered. He ignored what didn’t. He acted.

The Framework: How to Live Simply (Without Being Simplistic)

Here’s how you do it:

Step 1: Identify what’s in your control.

This is the foundation of simplicity.

Most of what you worry about, stress about, and obsess over is outside your control.

The economy. Other people’s opinions. The weather. The past. The future.

You can’t control any of it.

What you can control:

• Your actions
• Your responses
• Your focus
• Your effort
• Your attitude

That’s it. That’s the list.

Everything else?

Let it go.

Step 2: Focus on the essential.

Most of what fills your life isn’t essential. It’s just noise.

Ask yourself: What actually matters?

Not what you think should matter. Not what other people say matters.

What actually moves the needle in your life?

For most people, it’s a short list:

• Health
• Relationships
• Meaningful work
• Financial stability
• Personal growth

Everything else is optional.

And the more you can eliminate the optional, the more energy you have for the essential.

Step 3: Cut through the complexity.

When you’re faced with a complex problem, ask:

What’s the simplest solution?

Not the most elegant. Not the most impressive. Not the one that makes you look smart.

The simplest.

Because simple solutions work. Complex solutions break.

Step 4: Stop trying to optimize everything.

Optimization is a trap.

You can spend endless time and energy trying to find the perfect solution, the perfect system, the perfect approach.

And you’ll never find it. Because it doesn’t exist.

Good enough is good enough. Done is better than perfect.

Stop optimizing. Start executing.

Step 5: Let go of what you can’t control.

This is the hardest step. Because your brain wants to control everything.

But you can’t. And trying to control what you can’t control is the fastest way to stress, anxiety, and burnout.

So let it go.

Not because you don’t care. But because you’re wise enough to know the difference between what you can influence and what you can’t.

Step 6: Practice being the uncarved block.

This is a daily practice. A moment-to-moment practice.

When you feel yourself getting caught up in complexity, in overthinking, in worry—pause.

Ask:

• Am I complicating this?
• Am I creating problems that don’t exist?
• Am I focusing on what I can’t control?

Then return to simplicity. Return to what matters. Return to what’s in your control.

That’s the practice.

What This Looks Like in Practice

Here’s a real example from my life:

As an electrical foreman, I had to manage schedules, budgets, crews, materials, inspections, and a hundred other variables.

The guys who struggled were the ones who tried to control everything. Who created elaborate systems. Who obsessed over every detail.

They burned out. Or they fell behind. Or they made mistakes because they were so focused on the details they missed the big picture.

I took a different approach.

I focused on three things:

1. Safety. Nobody gets hurt.
2. Quality. We do it right the first time.
3. Schedule. We finish on time.

That’s it.

Everything else was secondary. If a decision didn’t impact one of those three things, I didn’t worry about it.

Did I ignore complexity? No. I was aware of all the variables.

But I didn’t let them control me. I didn’t let them distract me from what mattered.

I stayed simple. And it worked.

The Difference Between Prepared and Paranoid

Here’s the distinction:

Being prepared means you’ve thought through the likely scenarios and you have a plan.

You’ve identified the risks. You’ve mitigated what you can. You’ve accepted what you can’t.

Then you move forward.

Being paranoid means you’re obsessing over every possible scenario, no matter how unlikely.

You’re creating contingency plans for contingency plans. You’re worrying about things that will probably never happen.

And you’re paralyzed.

The prepared person focuses on what’s in their control. The paranoid person wastes energy on what’s not.

The prepared person acts. The paranoid person worries.

Why Simplicity Is a Sign of Wisdom

Here’s what I’ve learned:

Anyone can make things complicated. It takes wisdom to make things simple.

Complexity is easy. You just add more. More steps. More systems. More variables.

Simplicity is hard. Because it requires you to cut away everything that doesn’t matter.

And that requires wisdom. The wisdom to know what matters and what doesn’t. The wisdom to let go of what you can’t control. The wisdom to focus on the essential.

That’s why the smartest people I know live the simplest lives.

Not because they can’t handle complexity. But because they’ve learned that complexity is a trap.

And they’ve chosen simplicity instead.

What I’ve Learned From Martial Arts

Martial arts taught me this lesson over and over.

The beginners try to do everything. They overcomplicate. They overthink.

They’re trying to remember a hundred techniques. They’re analyzing every movement. They’re thinking three steps ahead.

And they get submitted. Because they’re in their heads.

The advanced practitioners? They’re simple.

They focus on fundamentals. They don’t try to do everything. They do a few things really well.

And they’re effective.

Not because they know less. But because they’ve learned to cut through the complexity and focus on what works.

That’s wisdom.

​One of my senior instructors in hapkido told me years ago that a master of the art only really "masters" about 3-5 techniques.

But he has learned to apply those few techniques in every conceivable situation so that they'll work for him most of the time.

The Challenge

Here’s what I want you to do this week:

Identify one area of your life where you’re overcomplicating things.

Maybe it’s your work. Maybe it’s your relationships. Maybe it’s your goals.

Then ask: What’s the simplest solution?

Not the most impressive. Not the most elaborate.

The simplest.

Then do that.

And notice what happens.

Notice how much energy you save. Notice how much clearer things become. Notice how much more effective you are.

That’s the power of simplicity.

The Truth About Success and Happiness

Here’s what I’ve learned after decades of construction, martial arts, and life:

Success and happiness don’t come from doing more. They come from doing less—but doing it better.

They don’t come from complexity. They come from simplicity.

They don’t come from trying to control everything. They come from focusing on what you can control and letting go of what you can’t.

Being simple isn’t a sign of stupidity. It’s a sign of wisdom.

It’s seeing complexity for what it is—noise, distraction, overthinking—and refusing to be controlled by it.

It’s being the uncarved block. Natural. Unfazed. Focused on what matters.

That’s the secret to success and happiness.

Not intelligence. Not optimization. Not control.

Simplicity.

So stop overcomplicating your life. Stop trying to control what you can’t. Stop wasting energy on what doesn’t matter.

Focus on the essential. Let go of everything else.

Be the uncarved block.

That’s the smartest move you can make.

What are you ready to simplify today?