“Purity and simplicity are the two wings with which man soars above the earth and all temporary nature.” – Thomas Kempis
Simplicity brings balance, freedom, and joy. When we begin to live
simply and experience these benefits, we begin to ask the next question,
“Where else in my life can i remove distraction and simply focus on the
essential?”
Based on our personal journey, our conversations, and our
observations, here is a list of the 10 most important things to simplify
in your life today to begin living a more balanced, joyful lifestyle:
- Your Possessions - Too many material possessions
complicate our lives to a greater degree than we ever give them credit.
They drain our bank account, our energy, and our attention. They keep us
from the ones we love and from living a life based on our values. If
you will invest the time to remove nonessential possessions from your
life, you will never regret it. For further reading on this, consider Simplify: 7 Guiding Principles to Help Anyone Declutter Their Home and Life.
- Your Time Commitments – Most of us have filled
our days full from beginning to end with time commitments: work, home,
kid’s activities, community events, religious endeavors, hobbies… the
list goes on. When possible, release yourself from the time commitments
that are not in line with your greatest values.
- Your Goals – Reduce the number of goals you are
intentionally striving for in your life to one or two. By reducing the
number of goals that you are striving to accomplish, you will improve
your focus and your success rate. Make a list of the things that you
want to accomplish in your life and choose the two most important. When
you finish one, add another from your list.
- Your Negative Thoughts – Most negative emotions are
completely useless. Resentment, bitterness, hate, and jealousy have
never improved the quality of life for a single human being. Take
responsibility for your mind. Forgive past hurts and replace negative
thoughts with positive ones.
- Your Debt – If debt is holding you captive, reduce
it. Start today. Do what you’ve got to do to get out from under its
weight. Find the help that you need. Sacrifice luxury today to enjoy
freedom tomorrow.
- Your Words – Use fewer words. Keep your speech plain and honest. Mean what you say. Avoid gossip.
- Your Artificial Ingredients – Avoid trans fats,
refined grain (white bread), high-fructose corn syrup, and too much
sodium. Minimizing these ingredients will improve your energy level in
the short-term and your health in the long-term. Also, as much as
possible, reduce your consumption of over-the-counter medicine – allow
your body to heal itself naturally as opposed to building a dependency
on substances.
- Your Screen Time – Focusing your attention on
television, movies, video games, and technology affects your life more
than you think. Media rearranges your values. It begins to dominate your
life. And it has a profound impact on your attitude and outlook.
Unfortunately, when you live in that world on a consistent basis, you
don’t even notice how it is impacting you. The only way to fully
appreciate its influence in your life is to turn them off.
- Your Connections to the World - Relationships with
others are good, but constant streams of distraction are bad. Learn when
to power off the blackberry, log off facebook, or not read a text.
Focus on the important, not the urgent. A steady flow of distractions
from other people may make us feel important, needed, or wanted, but
feeling important and accomplishing importance are completely different
things.
- Your Multi-Tasking - Research indicates that
multi-tasking increases stress and lowers productivity. while
single-tasking is becoming a lost art, learn it. Handle one task at a
time. Do it well. And when it is complete, move to the next.
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