Happy Friday! Gems, gems, read all about your weekly gems!

Today's Gems

💎 The Laws of Simplicity by John Maeda

At work, I have started a new project where I am helping simplify an employee experience. Over the years, a reliance on technology has produced a plethora of disparate apps, which cause tremendous cognitive load, confusion, and distractions for the employee, and it is finally time to take away the chaos. It's time to simplify, which led me to discover The Laws of Simplicity, a list by Johan Maeda, a technologist, and designer. The laws are ways for us to think about and approach the concept of simplicity in our work and life.

The first law, "Reduce" is a reminder to not just reduce for the sake of reducing but being intentional and thoughtful in the process. Ask yourself what are you trying to achieve and why? Once you know your answer, you can carefully reduce the noise and the extraneous elements to boost the signal.

Source: The Laws of Simplicity

💎 A Pep Talk From Kindergartners

I love this idea of bringing more positivity and hope into our lives. I know I could use a joyful pep talk throughout the day as my stress levels rise or just to get out of a funk and what better way to tap into feelings of joy than getting a pep talk from a kindergartner?

PepToc Hotline: 707-873-7862 (707-8PEPTOC)

Source: Peptoc

💎 Anger as Fuel

Is anger something to be ashamed of and pushed away or hidden deep within, or can anger guide us to understand ourselves better? As I read Julia Cameron's The Artist Way, I learned how we could look at anger from a different perspective to identify what it could be telling us.

Instead of dealing with anger by hiding it, running away from it, denying it, pushing it way, burying it, medicating it, or drinking it away, we can pause to identify the message it brings, which can lead to self-discovery and growth.

When we have thoughts such as "I could do better than they did!" instead of getting angry and minimizing other people’s achievements, what if we saw the anger as a map to help show us which direction we need to move towards? What is it about the other person's achievement that is bringing up the emotions? Is what they have done something we long to do but have not taken action towards? This moment is an opportunity for self-discovery and personal growth. Instead of giving in to the anger, we can take action and prove to ourselves that we can do better.

Source: The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron

💡Which gem resonated with you the most?

Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading, and have a fantastic weekend.

Cheers,
Rizwan