Life seems to grow more complicated by the day, and yet people's responses to this complexity reveal that common sense and street smarts have virtually disappeared.

Healthcare isn't immune by any means. The more I study the various facets of so-called healthcare reform, the more amazed I become at the amount of confusion and anxiety exhibited by those on the front lines of the industry. The media try hard to make sense of it all, but after I read stories in The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal or the local paper, I take a deep breath and wonder what we as a nation are doing to ourselves.

Just a few months ago I attended a meeting during which a panel of six big-name CEOs tried to define the term "accountable care organization." Each had a different take on it. Now, if knowledgeable people in the industry are confused by what is going on in reform, imagine what ordinary citizens are up against to make sense of all the charges and countercharges, conflicting surveys and cost studies, and dueling editorials.

I keep thinking everyone is focusing on the wrong things. In the end, reform isn't about rules and regulations, but about some pretty simple truths. We have to deliver care of the highest quality. We have to find a way to provide coordinated care across the continuum. We have to reduce the overall cost of care through better use of resources, fewer medical mistakes and evidence-based clinical practices. Simply put, we must dedicate ourselves to making the industry greater every day.

In general, I think we should all stop from time to time to focus on what is really important. Recently while in my study at home I picked up a book that had a profound effect on me years ago. It's a simple book written by an advertising agency executive working in Nashville by the name of H. Jackson Brown, who quite by accident ended up being one of the most successful authors of the early 1990s. His first book, Life's Little Instruction Book, was at the top of the New York Times best-seller list for nearly 20 weeks. How the book came about is a story unto itself. Like many fathers seeing their sons go off to college, Brown wanted to give his son good advice on life. According to the story I read Brown would scribble little notes on pieces of paper and give them to his son from time to time, and his son would keep them. Later the son took those notes to a book publisher in Nashville, which agreed to put together a book.

Basically the book is a treatise on good manners, common sense and street smarts. The advice Brown gave his son was pretty commonplace, but it just made, and makes, sense. In today's world of e-mail, Facebook, Twitter and apps, we seem to have forgotten about how to live in the real world.

Here are a few of the pieces of advice Brown gave his son:

"Compliment three people every day." I'm sure you've seen the face of someone you complimented about appearance or a speech they gave or a report they may have written. Almost everyone responds positively to a compliment.

"Overtip breakfast waitresses." I can't think of anything nicer to do. The waitress that serves me coffee every day in my favorite place has four kids and her husband lost his job nine months ago. It is simple for me to overtip her.

I love this one: "Be the first to say "Hello." Do it every day. If you wear a hat, tip your hat as well.

"Sing in the shower." I do it, and I sing in my car as well. I have always wished I could sing with a big band for just one night!

"Learn three clean jokes," and, I would add, don't be afraid to tell them to your friends.

"Look people in the eye." I can't stand talking to someone who won't look me at me. They may just be shy; they may not care enough to look. Either way, it is extremely important to overcome this habit if you want to succeed in life.

And how about this: "Say 'Thank you' and 'Please' a lot." They have always been, and will always be, the magic words to live by. 

It all seems so simple to be a basic and decent person. But that doesn't mean you can't have fun as well. I like Brown's advice to, "Buy whatever kids are selling on card tables in their front yard." 

"Have a dog," and "Watch a sunrise at least once a year," are two of my very favorite Brown quotes. Someone once said the best things in life are free, and watching a sunrise or full moon costs nothing and is most rewarding.

"Plant flowers every spring," "Learn to play a musical instrument," "Return all the things you borrow" and "Be forgiving of yourself and others" are all must things to do. Too many people go through life living with grudges without realizing they are hurting themselves more than the one they hold the grudge against. It wastes time and energy and doesn't get you anywhere.

"Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated" is really the best advice of all to pass on. It's all about getting along with others and making life a great adventure.

Life's Little Instruction Book is an American classic and contains basic sound advice for people of all ages. It is filled with the hope of a father that the advice he gives his son will make him a success at living. Brown's homilies are as basic as apple pie, but in this day and age, we can use some smart, simple advice.