Living Simply: Joy in living simply

When many people hear the word Minimalism or hear someone talk about living a simplified life, they will often immediately picture someone with unkempt hair, growing their own fruits and vegetables out in the woods somewhere, in a shack that's barely bigger than an outhouse, and nothing inside - like the abandoned shack people stumble upon in movies. Nothing could be further from modern simple living for most people. Here's a way to find JOY in intentional, simplified living:

1.  Don't think about just removing everything from your home or office. Instead, think about what surrounds you that you really love, enjoy, or brings value to your life. What makes it feel like it's truly "your" space? For example, let's say you own 100 movies. Do you find yourself not watching 80% of them? Then get rid of them. Donate, give them away, or throw them out. Do you have a bunch of mismatched dishes and glasses from different sets over the past few decades? Keep what you love and ditch the rest. Too many sheet sets? Keep maybe 1 or 2 per bed, and a spare set for either traveling or unexpected guests. Toss the rest. I had an overgrown collection of baseball stuff from out local MLB team. I kept the pieces I really enjoy and donated the rest.

2.  Check out modern minimalism. Spend some leisure time on Pinterest, YouTube, Netflix documentaries, etc. and see how others are simplifying their life. Even if you never want to be a true "minimalist" you may pick up some ideas or inspiration to create a better, simple life. Figure out what colors, styles, textures, that you love. Figure out what you hate. Make your space reflect who you are.

3.  Seek quality over quantity. Instead of hundreds of pieces of inexpensive, poorly-made items that aren't really bringing value to your life, invest in a few quality pieces, whether it's clothing, furniture, decor, art, etc. so that what you do have is what you love, and it'll last a long time, saving money over the long haul.

It's hard to explain, but once you get a little ways down the road on this journey, you'll discover that you feel less anxiety, have more mental clarity, and you'll begin to really enjoy slowing the pace of your life. Instead of wasting time and money shopping for things you don't need (but are told by advertisers you do), you'll free up both to do more of what you enjoy - getaways, time for friends/family, or just alone time to decompress and recharge. This could turn out to be the best year of your life, a real turning point for the better, if you intentionally make the right decisions in 2018.

Living Simply: No Punishment

I heard someone on a podcast today say that January is "Punishment time in the female kingdom." I think it's not just the female kingdom, I think it often crosses into the male one as well. Think about it. We have 2 major food holidays (or more) at the end of the year, December is when gyms advertise their lowest prices and waive the enrollment fee, then all workout gear goes on sale from Christmas until mid-way through January. Ever go to a gym in January? It's packed, no matter what time you go. Ever see the same gym around March/April? It's much more dead, no matter what time of day you go. This is the time people punish their bodies with wheatgrass shakes, gritty, chalky, protein powders, and restrict themselves to ridiculously low calorie counts. They punish their bodies with extreme measures and the end results:  They made it so hard, so restrictive, that it can't be maintained. What follows is guilt, shame, poor self-esteem, feelings of being a quitter, metabolism gets broken a little more - which is the TRUE culprit of our weight issues. This is NOT a way to live a simple life.
So what would THAT look like?

We talk a lot on here about making daily decisions, intentionally. We recommend baby steps until you're ready to walk, then you can work up to running. What are some "living simply" baby steps?

1.  Stop mixing your carbs & fats, and always center on good protein. America is the worst on this. Our restaurants and typical menus involve mixing fats and carbs, often with little or no protein. Think Macaroni & Cheese. We add a bun to our burgers. We add breading or breadcrumbs to our meatloaf, chicken (before we fry lean chicken breast in heavy oils). French fries are carb loaded and we add them to fatty oil to fry them. Instead of "dieting" where you hate every meal after one or two days, do something you can do forever. Eat what you like, but don't mix carbs & fats. You can have curry chicken in coconut milk with non-starchy veggies, a steak but add salad with a creamy dressing and riced broccoli instead of having a potato or fries with it. Have your meat & cheese sandwiches with mayo on low-carb tortillas or bread instead of regular bread or a big roll. The body can only burn in one direction at a time - carbs for energy or fats for cell growth and stored energy (but too much turns into fatty adipose tissue). You can't exercise enough to overcome poor eating habits.

2.  Add exercise naturally. Take the stairs, park further away, walk your neighborhood (unless you're buried in snow or flooded like parts of New England right now). Once you get into the habit of being active, then add a workout - whether it's at home or in a gym, but don't waste money on a gym if you can do most of the same type of exercises at home. Check online for ideas. Maybe instead of sitting at the movies with your friends eating candy, you could suggest the next outing to be bowling, a nature trail hike, playing sports, or something more active. Exercise is more fun in a group.

3.  Eat out less. There's so many options today even for those who don't know how to cook. There's companies that send you a box full of food already prepped, small sauce and seasoning packets, and step by step instructions. You save time, don't have to make a grocery list, or shop. You could teach yourself to make a few of your favorite dishes, or buy a cookbook that suits your lifestyle and tastes. There's even lots of cookbooks with titles like "10 minutes or less", "3 ingredients", or "one pot meals". Entree aside, think what you'll save in the cost of just drinks, tax, and tipping. You also won't be tempted by suggested selling and photos of desserts everywhere.

4.  Find an accountability partner. This could be a spouse, significant other, family member, friend, coworker, or neighbor. Find someone else who's willing to do things a little simpler, save money, be a little more active, and ask you how you're doing (and what you could improve) on a daily basis. If they live with or near you, that's a bonus. You'll have someone to exercise with sometimes too.

I hope you're inspired to simplify your life, stop the punishment of your body and mind, and don't get caught up in what it seems like everyone around you is doing. They'll most likely not be doing those things 90 days from now, but you will be doing something enjoyable and sustainable for a lifetime. Good luck!

Living Simply: Slow Down

Today I had the "pleasure" of sitting with someone at an appointment that I knew going in was going to take half the day or more. I know we live in a world that hates waiting, hates standing in line, and goes crazy if 60 seconds passes without a text response. So how was I going to handle a 4-6 hour wait? The answer was:  "simply".

I knew I couldn't go anywhere else during that time, and I knew I'd be in a public place so it's not the time to make phone calls. In line with my belief in living simply and intentionally, I planned. I brought a book that I'd been waiting to start. I decided ahead of time that staring at my watch every 15 minutes wasn't going to move things any faster, so I intentionally decided before I left not to look at the time while waiting. What good would that do anyway? It wouldn't change anything externally, and internally it would only drive my crazy. I chose instead to just intentionally let it unfold however it was meant to unfold (although I did pray the night before for things to go smoothly and have the right people in place).

I took the time to "people watch". There were people there from almost every walk of life. Some were young, some were kids, some were very old, all different shades of skin colors and ethnicity. It's so strange when people talk about an entire population in derogatory terms because when you just open your eyes, you see that people are just people (barring the extreme cases, but those shouldn't be how you see the whole group, they are not a correct representation). People are the same. They try to do things to help their family, they come together when trouble hits, they talk about the same types of things, they love their kids, etc.

Once I went from waiting in the lobby to the next waiting area, it was quiet. It was a perfect moment to settle down, clear my head, breathe slowly, and relax. No phone or book distracting me; just watching the few people around us, listening to conversations nearby, not rushing, not looking at the time every few minutes. It was a chance to just de-clutter my mind and slow down.

If you find yourself at an appointment or waiting for something, remember to see it as an opportunity to slow down. It's that break you wouldn't get otherwise in your day. Be intentional about slowing down. Choose to relax instead of sitting there fidgeting being full of anxiety. Life goes by too fast already. Remember to just slow down when presented with the opportunity.

Living Simply: Happy New Year

     Welcome to 2018! You made it through 2017. What will this next year hold for you? What would you like to do better than you did last year? What have you been putting off that you realize that NOW is the time to act? Have you figured out which direction to move as you navigate through the new year? I'm not talking about setting impossible goals or vague "maybe I'd like to..." ideas. Something we can all do to make this year better than last year is to live it intentionally.



     Today, pick a few areas of your life, they can be anything you want to improve, and really consider where you'd like to be this time next year. Maybe for you it's a health goal, something measurable, like to drop a set 20 pounds. It could be that you will choose to park further from the door at work or school to get in extra steps. It could be that you'll start cooking at home instead of eating fast food, maybe once a week to start, and increasing it as time goes on until fast food is a thing of the past. Other health goals could be to get away from sugar, or simple carbs like breads and pasta (not forever, not never, just intentionally deciding that it's for a treat or special occasion instead of your everyday staples).

     Perhaps it's to grow as a person. You could decide to read a certain number of self-help books. You could create a list of the top 10 books you want to read this year and start reserving them at your local library (why pay for them if you don't have to?). Another idea is to take a class in an area you want to know more about:  investing, retirement, real estate, computers, etc.

     Maybe you've decided it's time to move on in your job. There are better opportunities out there if you intentionally pursue them. Will you need more training? Do you have an up-to-date resume? Do you have connections in the field you want to go to? Have you talked to someone who works where you want to work?

     If your thinking you'd like to simplify your life, this blog (among many other stellar ones) have lots of easy inexpensive ideas. Here's an idea that's pretty popular, especially at the beginning of the new month. Play "The Minimalism Game". You get 3 boxes ready and keep them by your door, garage, or hall. On day 1 you find 1 item to "throw out", "donate", or "give away". On day 2 you get rid of 2 items, on day 3 you find 3 items, every day de-cluttering a little at a time, taking barely a few moments. Here's a hint though, for the end of the month's larger numbers, save your books, cds, magazines, DVDs, and other larger groups of things til last. Maybe you don't need quite so many coffee cups, that extra set of dishes, so many utensils, all the stuff in the junk drawer, the clothes you haven't worn in years. Be intentional.

     One last idea for clearing out old clothes:  Turn all hangars around so they're facing the wrong way (with the little hook facing you). For the next month, every time you wear, wash, and put a piece of clothing back in your closet, put it away the RIGHT way, hook facing away from you. At the end of the month, you'll see quickly exactly what you do and don't wear. Whatever you don't, you most likely won't wear anytime soon (with the exception of formal wear, out of season coats, etc). Donate what you don't need.

     I hope these tips help you. Let me know how you're doing with it.