sunnyislandbreezes.com

Leo Babauta of Zen Habits has written Thriving on Less: Simplifying in a Tough Ecomony, as a companion Ebook to his The Power of Less.  I think the timing of this book is very appropriate to the coming new year.  After a recession that has already lasted over a year and is showing no signs of changing any time soon, thoughts of many are turning to downsizing and simplifying our lifestyle.  Leo guides us on the journey to not only making do in tough times, but to thriving.  He has graciously shared this book with the world and I will be posting a chapter weekly.

I’m taking this advice of Leo’s to heart.  I want the serenity that comes with the changes through which Leo guides us.  Join me on this journey as we venture into 2009 with newness of thoughts and lifestyle. 

Chapter 1 –

A Simple Lifestyle

“Reduce the complexity of life by eliminating the needless wants of life, and the labors of life reduce themselves.”

• – Edwin Way Teale

Not too many years ago  

my life was full of clutter. There was the clutter of too many possessions, piled up in every corner of my home and office, bought one at a time on impulsive decisions and stacked up until I realized that I had way too much and that it was way too stressful to have so much clutter. And there was no room to … live. There was the clutter of too many commitments, filling up my schedule until I had no room for the things I really wanted to do, no room to accomplish my goals, no room for my family. These commitments piled up one at a time until again, I realized I had way too much and that I was way too stressed out. There was no room for the life I wanted. There was the clutter of too much to do, too many tasks on my to-do list, too many emails to process each day, too much paperwork piling up in stacks on my desk, too many calls to take and make, too many meetings. It all piles up and you wonder how you’ll ever get it all done and how you ever got so much to do. Then I decided that too much was too much, and that I wanted to simplify. It was a long process (one that continues to this day, to a lesser extent), but over the course of weeks and months, I reduced the amount of clutter, the number of commitments, the amount of things I had to do each day. I simplified my life, and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Today, things are much simpler: my desk and my home are uncluttered and serene, my life is less hectic with room for the things I love, and I am living the life I’ve always wanted. It’s not an incredible secret, or anything that’s terribly difficult to do. Sure, it means making some tough decisions to cut things out in favor of the truly important, but if you don’t cut those things out, you’re still making those decisions by not taking action – you’re deciding to let the unimportant fill your life so you don’t have room for what you love and value. Instead, you need to take a close look at your life and make those tough decisions. You’ll be happy you did.

And here’s something really great about a simple lifestyle: it doesn’t cost a lot of money!

If you reduce the clutter in your home, you can actually make a little money if you sell some of the stuff (donate the rest to charity). And learn not to fill your home up with clutter, and you’ll be spending less on buying possessions as well. If you simplify your schedule to make room for the things you love, you’ll be running around less, you’ll be less stressed, and you’ll have less need for the “de-stressing” activities that many of us undertake after a long day or week of work: shopping, drinking, partying, going out to expensive entertainment, and so on. You can relax and have fun in other ways that don’t cost a lot of money. After simplifying your life, you will realize that a life full of the things you love and value does not cost a lot of money at all. Sure, you’ll still have to spend on the essentials, but beyond that you’ll save tons of money.

Imagine that: a truly great life that costs almost nothing.

Let’s find out how to get there.

Tags: economy, Leo Babauta, simplifying, Zen Habits
Posted in Finance & Fitness Fridays | 7 Comments »