What a great month August has been. We've covered topics from how to spend you time to decluttering your home and food/diet. We talked about gossiping, donating, comfort zones, and busyness. Here are the top 3 Topics that people read:
1. The Matrix - If you missed this one, is was Aug. 24, it was about not being fooled by the fake economy advertising, marketing, and culture portrays as real - wake up to their tricks and don't be fooled!
2. Giving Back - this was published Aug. 26, and in light of Hurricane Harvey, if ever there was a time to donate it's now. People need everything. They've lost their homes and along with it, their clothes, beds, appliances, electronics they needed for school/business/work, and so much more.
3. This was a tie between Decluttering your Food (going through your home and getting out all the junk that's making you sick, unhealthy, and tired) and the post on Handling Stress. Who couldn't use that info? or just a refresher?
In the last 30 days I really do find that I am beginning to live a more simple life. I make intentional decisions. I say no to things that would make me ineffective in the prioritized, more important areas. That allows me to say yes, and to focus on what's most important, not just what's urgent. I find that by being single-focused on tasks (instead of my old habits of multi-tasking, which I was very good at), I am doing a better job at those important tasks. I find I'm having better relationships with family, friends, and those in my circle at church and school. I'm becoming a better listener - one of the most important things I can learn to do since I'm studying to be a counselor. I also find in areas that used to be very stressful, my new go-to habit is to let it go if it's not important long-term. So much is out of our control anyway. Being stressed over the car that cut me off, or having to pick up after others who didn't do their job or handle what was their responsibility. I still have that instantaneous moment and may let out a quick huff, but in about 5-10 seconds, it's over. I don't let it affect the next person I talk to or next task I handle. I find coming home to a decluttered house is a source of almost immediate release. I walk in and don't feel like things are closing in on me. The space and neatness of the house reflects my mindset, and in the last month, I'm much more at peace than ever before. I have finally learned to rest, not just sit down with my mind racing or emotions pushing to the surface. I don't get overwhelmed by hardly anything these days.
My hope is that through the posts of the last 2 months of daily challenges, you too will find peace, rest, harmony, your passion, and you will learn to manage and even let go of most stress and anxiety, grow in areas you pursue, and will be able to live a more simple life every single day, regardless of what goes on around you. It's like finding that calm in the eye of a storm. You can't avoid the storms of life but you can learn to rise above them and navigate through them.
For September, I will be handling topics relating to Minimalism and Living Simply, recommending articles, essays, websites, documentaries, YouTube videos, and more on the subject. It will be a busy month for me since we're moving my mom and brother in with us from Florida, finally taking that 11 day trip for our 25th Anniversary, and our son is getting married - yes, all in the same month, and in fact, all in the same 18 days! I will be online during vacation since I have college classes to keep up with, so I will continue to post on here, so keep coming back for information how to improve your life. Just be patient if a miss a few days for flying, the wedding, bad internet connection, etc. I would love to come up with another 30 day challenge for October. If you have ideas on some you'd like to see - please - comment back what you'd like to see!
On one final note, here's our stats here on the blog for the past month:
- Over 1145 views in the last 30 days
- 10 different countries reached: United States, Canada, France, Portugal, Greece, Poland, Ukraine, Germany, Ireland, and the United Kingdom
- People are being reached through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google Plus (although I don't really even know how that one works - how do I find others in that group that I can connect with?)
Have a fantastic rest of the week. Looking forward to hearing how your life became better through the concepts of minimalism and living simply. Please feel free to recommend other sites or people you've found with helpful information on these subjects too. It's not a competition, it's a message most of us minimalists are trying to get out to everyone in a shared space.
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