Live Simple: Five Steps Towards A Simple Life....Installment Two

Are you feeling overwhelmed by life? Does it seem that no matter what you do you are always behind? Does it seem that no matter how hard you work you can’t seem to keep your head above the financial waters?

Well, you aren’t alone, so if it is true that misery loves company, rest assured that you have quite a bit of company indeed! As a society we are running constantly, at a faster and faster pace, and seemingly getting nowhere.

Think back to when you were a child. How did you envision your life? Even as a young adult, what did your future look like when you were daydreaming? How has it all worked out for you? Is your life now the way you envisioned it years ago? If not, it might be time to take a look at why and then ask yourself what you need to do to achieve that which long ago seemed possible.

There are many out there, and I was one of them at one time, who are so busy being busy they have no time for the important things in life. Husband and wife are working to stay financially solvent; the kids are basically raising themselves. Family time consists of a quick howdy on the way to the next required activity, and relaxation is something you do two weeks per year during your designated vacation time.

You fear for your job, stress over the high cost of living, and during those rare quiet moments when you can reflect, you face the stark reality that it isn’t going to get any better.

Well, it does not have to be that way. As many people are finding out, there is a solution and there is a way off of the treadmill that is your life. Living Simple is the solution, and it is being embraced by more and more as the only solution in the quest for self-fulfillment and self-wellness.

It is time to step off the treadmill and get on with the business of living and enjoying life. The five steps that follow, and those in other installments of this series, will serve as guideposts on your journey towards re-claiming your life.

We all want to help others! We all want to be there for others when they need us, and we all want to be known as someone who can be counted on. That’s all well and good, but what is the cost to your own personal wellness? Remember, if you are frazzled from taking on too much, you will be no good to anyone else and you will have harmed yourself in the process.

Learn to say NO! Learn that your well-being is vital if you are to simplify your life.

When I was teaching school I was blown away by the number of kids who had activities happening every day after school. There always seemed to be a music lesson to go to or a soccer practice to attend. When do kids just get to be kids? The parents were the same way. They must have sat down in the morning and made lists of all the things that had to be done by day’s end. Had to be done! It was exhausting for me to listen to all that they felt they had to do! I couldn’t conceive of actually doing it all.

Quit taking on so much and learn to enjoy down time! You do not have to be everything for everybody! Nobody will think less of you if you just slow down and enjoy life, and if they do then they are not worth knowing.

Alone time is oh so valuable! We all need it! It is the way that we get in touch with ourselves, a time to refuel our inner systems and just relax. When was the last time you set aside time for you? I know, it sounds crazy, but try it and you just might like it.

Selfish? I would say to you that it is crucial! Life is too hectic and each one of us needs to stop and take a breather. Alone time is the perfect chance to prioritize and to discard the unnecessary. Alone time is the perfect time to breathe in and breathe out, and to embrace living simple.

As mentioned in an earlier article, we all have built-in forgetters. We get busy doing something, and then another something, and we lose sight of other goals. Alone time gives us a chance to step back and re-focus on that which is important.

Sit down at the end of a day, and write down everything you did during that day, including the times involved. Now, do that every day for a week, and then review it all. You might be in for a shock! You will most likely be amazed at the amount of wasted effort that is a part of each day.

Living simple! Now, let’s do some adjusting to that schedule of yours. Do you clean house five times a week? Make it three! How often do you do laundry? How many times do you go to the grocery store? How many times do you run one errand and then hours later run another errand in the same part of town? In other words, how much time is wasted repeating yourself or doing something more often than is necessary?

I have a friend who watered his lawn every night and mowed twice a week. Hello!!!! Stop watering that lawn and you won’t have to mow! I know, green, manicured lawns are so beautiful. Well, I guess we will find out where your priorities are, won’t we? You see, living simple is about changing your lifestyle so that you can take the time to actually enjoy life. It is not about who has the most beautiful lawn in the neighborhood. I will repeat for those who are a bit slow grasping this concept: living simple is about manufacturing time to actually enjoy life.

Are you always in a hurry when you are driving? Are you always in a hurry when you are walking? Are you always in a hurry, period?

It’s like the dog chasing its tail but never catching it! When are we going to learn to slow down and enjoy life? I am always reminded of the song by the Beatles, “Helter Skelter.” That’s what modern life seems to be like and it is nuts! What many are doing is hurrying themselves into an early grave.

Stop and smell the proverbial roses! One of my favorite things to do is go to the park, lie down on the grass, and watch the clouds float by. You have all done it, but you were probably kids the last time you did it. Watch the clouds and then try to figure out what the clouds look like; is that en elephant? Is that a cat? Look, there’s a man with a hat! It is great fun and that sort of thing is missing from the lives of many people today.

This is close to sacrilege in the United States! Get a smaller car? Is this guy nuts? SUV’s rule the road, man; I ain’t going smaller than the Escalade I have right now! I need something with some towing capacity. I need something that will protect my family. I need something with some cargo space. I need something with some serious power. Well, the fact of the matter is, you don’t need any of those things. We are back to wanting vs needing, and in modern society wanting always seems to win out. Maybe that’s why the U.S. economy is in the toilet right now.

You might as well bite the bullet now and go small. Gas prices are never going to return to $2.50 per gallon. The insurance companies are not going to suddenly drop the rates on SUV’s, and your company is not going to suddenly realize what a great employee you are and give you a raise. In tough economic times tough decisions need to be made, and for Americans one of the toughest decisions is getting rid of that big car and going small.

Our family only has one car and that is a Honda Fit. We do not need two cars, nor do we need a big car. We adjust our schedules and we are never wanting for another ride. We have actually been known to walk when we need something, and within three years we are going to own a motor scooter to cut back on gas consumption even more. I am not one to give suggestions that I won’t follow.

It’s all about the bottom line, right? We modern day citizens of the world want to know what’s in it for us; what are the positives? Well, fair question!

How about a longer life?

How about more time with family and friends?

How about peace of mind?

How about more financial freedom?

How about improving society in general?

How about cutting back on stress?

HOW ABOUT ENJOYING LIFE?

Are those enough positives to at least get you thinking about Living Simple?

Have a PIPO day and God bless all of you!

2012 William D. Holland (aka billybuc)