Simple KISS Rules: Guidance for a weary soul

“What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; and there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). 

It is assumed that this phrase was written by King Solomon, a guy who literally had everything available to him in the world. Yet, despite his success and all the goodies that come with it, he expresses a deep sense of fatigue.  

Solomon was gifted by God with wisdom and discernment. “Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you.” God also gave him a bonus gift of earthly things he did not ask for—riches and honor—so that “no other king shall compare with you, all your days” (1 Kings 3:12-14). Despite all those gifts from God, he eventually chose to let concupiscence, specifically lust, rule him. 

Solomon’s point in this passage was not about technological advancement or human progress but about the unchanging nature of the human heart. He recognized that while the world around us continues to change, human nature remains consistently broken—and I believe he recognized that he was not immune to it.  

Ironically, the trajectory of Solomon’s life mirrors that of many high-profile media figures and business moguls today who, even with fame, fortune, and seemingly limitless access to pleasure and power, continue to search for fulfillment.  

We average people also search for ultimate happiness. The world never stops shouting for our time and attention, telling us our happiness can be found through earthly things. My own mind and soul grow weary from the daily battle against the noise and distractions that appeal to my own lower nature.  

I found a simple way to stay focused and refreshed using the “KISS” method. KISS is an acronym from the 1960s that stands for “Keep It Simple, Stupid.” The term was coined by Kelly Johnson, a Lockheed Skunk Works employee who wanted systems designed so that they could be repaired by a mechanic with average skills under combat conditions with minimal complexity.  

In the high-pressure environment called life, which often feels like a battleground, I realized I needed to design a similar system to Johnson’s for my personal, professional, and spiritual life. Just as the Skunk Works team engineered high-performance systems that were simple enough for any mechanic to repair, these simple rules can help us navigate life, staying focused while working on our personal development, business mastery, and spiritual maturity.  

Here are my Simple KISS Rules: 

Simple KISS Rule #1: Get Over Yourself.  

As newborns, we are completely helpless yet unrelentingly demanding of our parents. Eventually, as we mature, we should switch from a heart occupied with only ourselves to a heart concerned about others. Spiritual maturity opens our hearts, allowing God to dwell there. We need to heed St. John of the Cross, who said, “God does not fit in an occupied heart.” 

Simple KISS Rule #2: Define Happiness. 

The key to finding lasting happiness is first to define it. Father Robert Spitzer defines happiness as the fulfillment of our desire. This is important because every decision we make in life is based on whether that decision will make us happy. So, let me ask you—what do you truly desire? 

Simple KISS Rule #3: Work on Your Barriers to Holiness.  

The Jesuit priests at Walsh Jesuit High School in Ohio taught me that the hungry stomach, physical pain, and spiritual woundedness are barriers to our sanctity. There are temporal solutions to hunger and physical and psychological ailments, but a wounded soul keeps us defensive and untrusting of others, including God. This woundedness can happen by our own hand or be given to us by others throughout our lives.  

Father Scott Traynor of the Diocese of Sioux Falls uses a great metaphor of a minefield (our soul with many wounds). We put up fences to keep ourselves and others away from those wounds, allowing them to fester and making our beautiful soul a wasteland. We need inner healing with the help of a holy “bomb squad” of Jesus and a spiritual director or counselor to dig out and heal those mines or wounds buried deep in our souls. Solomon was given a discerning mind, but his heart and woundedness, weighed down with God’s gifts of wealth and honor, ultimately took him down.  

Simple KISS Rule #4: ACT (Apply – Change – Transfer)

Put these simple rules into practice. Reflect on their positive impact on us and look for opportunities to share them with others. 

As we live out these simple rules and share them through our example, we do more than follow a path—we create one for others. As Pope St. Paul VI wrote in Evangelii Nuntiandi (41), “Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses.” Our authentic witness, grounded in action and humility, becomes a powerful form of servant leadership.