Simple Life (part 2)

How can we have the simple life, the less life? These are the following suggestions:

1. Doing One Thing At A Time - Avoid multi-tasking. Whenever possible, remind yourself to focus on the Now, and fully immerse yourself in the subtle joys of this moment.

2. Slow down - The key to being effective and productive is to work strategically, not blindly, by understanding why you are doing what you’re doing.

3. Be The Important - The only time we are guaranteed to have is this moment. Since the only time we have is right now, make sure you’re using your right now the way you truly want.

4. Clear the clutter - Clearing the clutter from your home and from your life is easier said than done.

5. Control Your Spending - We spend on what we need, but we forget why we are doing what we’re doing, and the spending becomes a habit.

6. Enjoy What You Have - It is said that in order to live the life you love, you have to love the life you have. No one person has everything they want; but we all have some things worth enjoying. So focus on those things and enjoy them!

7. Be Gracious - Take time to be grateful for what you already have, however much or little you own.

8. Think Simple - We can find so much happiness in the small everything things. They are there if we seek them, and when we seek, we shall find.



“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.“
~ Confucius

Simple Life

The joy and art of having less while enjoying more of life can be summed up, as follows:

• The Zen of Space - There is beauty in space, but we fail to recognize it because we can’t see through the stuff we own. When we open up physical space in our environment, a tremendous feeling of peace can dwell within us. This is the principle behind Japanese style homes. Beauty in small spaces is the appreciation of minimalism, where less truly is more. We need to understand that space is to be enjoyed, not filled.
• Conserved Energy - Fewer belongings means we have fewer possessions to worry about. I once knew a wealthy young man, who had anything he dreamt of. He had so many expensive things, and he was so afraid of losing them. Much of his energy was devoted to protecting his possessions and trophies.
• Free Your Space - When we are reminded of something we own but never use, we can impose self-inflicted guilt for leaving it unused. For example, my mother owns a several exercise machines which are rarely used. Each time she sees them, she forces herself to feel guilty. Her guilt eats away at her inner, mental space. Our outer world is a reflection of our inner world. By cleaning out and simplifying our outer space, our inner space will open up like a flower.
• Appreciation - The less we have, the more attention we can give those things we own and truly need on a regular basis. Appreciation is the seed for abundance; abundance of the mind and the soul. It’s pretty amazing how little we actually need. When we clear our homes and our lives down to the essentials, we are able to better enjoy that which we do have.