The expression to see the forest for the trees really has to do with simplicity and simplifying your life.

Then, there can be a division between two kinds of people: those who see the details in everything and those who don't so much while they focus on the big picture.

I am a detailed person; as an artist, I see little ways to do all sorts of things. But, I've noticed that can be very overwhelming at times.

Pretty soon, when my life gets bogged down with details, I find myself burnt out, exhausted and overwhelmed. How can I do this every day?

The answer is, I can't. Nobody should or can keep up with so much each and every day. So rather than let the anxiety of the little things stand in my way, when I feel myself losing sight of what matters, I automatically try and tell myself to take one step backward in order to simplify things.

When we are inside that mess, we oftentimes cannot even see that we are stuck in the middle of a forest and cannot even see the point. Why are we there in the first place?

Answer that question for yourself and go back down to basics.

If I am teaching and feel the weight of all the needs and requirements staring me down, I step back and ask myself why I am teaching. And I know the answer is to help kids and to teach them. My goal is to teach them to be kind to one another and each other, above anything else.

Even though my job entails more than that, like raising test scores or teaching math, for example, some days, details get in the way of that. A child gets sick or has a meltdown and the day's math lesson is the furthest thing from my mind.

Rather than get discouraged, I realize the prime importance of why I am there. The children don't know that, but I do, and it's my job to switch gears and deal with what matters first. That makes me better able to see the bigger picture.

Life involves a lot of stepping forward and stepping back to reassess what is most significant. When you learn that and are able to be flexible to the fluctuations that we are all bound to have, we can better see the forest for the trees. Thus, life gets a whole lot easier and more enjoyable.