Simplexity Numbers 3 and 4 — A New Concept to Get Ahead

Simplexity is a new word that means a simple concept, but one that may be complex to put into practice. Here are two new examples. Scroll down to see a list of earlier simplexities.

Simplexity No 3. Reach for New Things.

Roko Paskov was a College Professor at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, Tennessee. He passed away in April of 2025. Forty years ago, I discovered a quote by him that changed my life: If you want to grow and become vibrant, successful and alive, live all your life on tiptoe stretching and reaching for new things. I carried that quote in my billfold for over a decade.

There are three elements in this: The first is, to grow and become successful, you have to launch out into new territory. This message is as old as people who steered their covered wagons across the US to start a farm in the wild west.

The second is, if you want to feel vibrant and alive, reach for new things, meaning new objectives or goals. Every psychologist will tell you the same thing. To avoid same old, same old; to avoid boredom; to avoid depression, select a new project and get to work on it.

The third element is, the approach involves risk. If you stand on tiptoe, you may fall. If you commit to a new project, it may fail. But this doesn’t mean you’re a failure. The opposite is true – you are a failure if you don’t fail, because that means you haven’t tried anything new.

All of your desires, and dreams, and goals usually lie outside of your own comfort zone. Like the turtle, we only make progress when we stick out our neck.

My first book was called Hiking Toward Heaven. I didn’t know much about book writing, although I had written a hundred scientific reports in my career. But I launched out, and despite a serious Afib caused by several stressors that hit me at the same time, got the book published. The highest compliment, which made me feel vibrant and alive, came from a petroleum engineer who asked me if the book was all true. You see, the book was about an angel who came to earth to teach, and learn from, my grand-daughter. My reply to the engineer was, “This is for you to decide.”

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People was written by Stephen Covey. A marvelous book, in my opinion, and very successful. One brilliant engineer at Amoco, where I worked many years ago, was from India, and he shared that it was his number one book for getting ahead.

The very first habit in the book is labeled by the author as Be Proactive. The meaning is similar to the quote by Paskov above.
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Simplexity No 4. Never Give Up.

Winston Churchill saved England from Nazi Germany in World War II. Later, he was invited to give a university graduation address. After he strode to the podium, he began by saying, “Never, never, never give up.” Then he went and sat down.

I heard that Renoir, the famous painter, painted until he died at the age of eighty-seven, his hands crippled with rheumatoid arthritis. The paintbrush had to be jammed into his contorted fingers. But he never gave up.

I had always wanted a birdbath for my back yard. I found a store in Albuquerque that sold products made in Mexico, and purchased one. My handyman came over to help me install it.

The birdbath, which was made of cement, was very heavy and it fell over. The upper bath part broke off from the stem. After paying $180 for the birdbath, I was distraught. We rushed to Ace Hardware and bought a can of liquid cement that neither of us had experience with. We got the bath part glued on but as we were trying to make the birdbath stand upright, the stem broke in two.

I was so disgusted, I felt like throwing the whole birdbath away. It took every ounce of our combined strength to lift the bath part and spread the glue on the two stem parts and then force them together while keeping the birdbath upright. It was a huge challenge for the two of us. But the glue solidified, and the birdbath stands tall now — five years later.

When I see a dozen cactus sparrows joyfully bathing and splashing in the water in the morning, I am deeply grateful that we never gave up.

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not: unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. [Anonymous].
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The list of simplexities so far:

Simplexity No 1. Keep your Body Moving.

My heart doctor on TV explained to elderly people why it’s important to keep moving your body. As he said this he was touching his toes then arching his back, then swinging his outstretched arms from side to side. The doctor said it increases blood flow that refreshes muscles, and carries essential ingredients to remote parts of the body, including your brain. Nowadays, every doctor tells his patients to move as much as they can. It’s why my present cardio always tells me to keep playing pickleball.

Simplexity No 2. Find Something to Look Forward to Each Day.

The practical side of this means that if you don’t have something to look forward to today, show some initiative, be creative, call up a friend to chat or arrange to have lunch. Or offer to help someone inside your family, or outside it. Visit someone who is ill, or in a nursing home. Arrange something to look forward to, which is the simplest kind of hope.

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I hope you find a nugget in these simplexities. More are coming soon.
I wish you well during the holiday season, and may God bless you.
The Gray Nomad.
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Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, for you will find it after many days. [Ecclesiastes, chapter 11].