Simple Living

/ January 8, 2015

Simple Living
simple living, simplicity

Simple living is making a comeback and even hip in some circles. People are choosing voluntary simplicity, barter economies, sharing economies, tiny homes, sustainability and many creative ways of expressing the desire to live simply. This article talks about 10 ways to live simply as well as an opportunity to join a 21 Day Simple Living Challenge. If you want to live more simply, I invite you to read more and consider joining the challenge.

There are endless blogs on simple living, mindful living, minimalism and other related views on living more gently and sustainably. Some address the practical aspects of clearing your physical clutter and possessions so that you can put more focus on the quality of your life. I’ve had friends suggest I start a business that helps people with de-cluttering and organizing (which come easy to me), and considered writing more about simplicity on my blog. But these topics seem well covered and not as dear to my heart as poetry, inspiration and spiritual reflections. Simple living allows more time to write, ponder and enjoy life instead of working so hard simply to make money and own more stuff.

Simplifying our lives can be a gateway to remembering what truly matters.

For me, living simply means having time to relax, savor life, connect with friends and pay attention to spirit. It also means living in a way that is both gentle on the planet and conscious in making quality of life more important than material matters. This simplicity is deeply ingrained for me, developed by frugal parents, my personality and choice. It became a more conscious path in my 30’s when I left my yuppie lifestyle in search of happiness and spirituality. I found that I actually needed very little materially in order to be happy. The quality of my life became much more important than money, having fancy things and consumption. Simple living allows me more time to savor life, dwell in peace, remember what’s important and appreciate simple pleasures like food, friends and nature.

Yes, occasionally I feel the pull of mainstream life and its incessant call for consumption. Recently I’ve let my finances fall apart so that I’m feeling the need to work harder, make money and restore my savings. While knowing that happiness won’t be found in money, it can relieve some financial and emotional pressure.  🙂

Life is often about balance, dancing between opposites. It will be interesting to see how I balance my desire to live simply with my desire to make more money this year!

May you find your happy balance point.

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38 thoughts on “Simple Living”

  2. Here’s to a New Year! 🙂 The goal of ‘simple’ is inspiring and motivating; yet it also requires relaxation and allowing. What a beautiful paradox, and well worth it! I’m going to guess that you’re going to do what’s best for you regardless of how popular it is – in terms of what motivates you. That’s the easier place to start, and it brings you the quick profit you need to keep going – that inner resource – that makes you wake in the morning.

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  3. Great post Brad, and one I resonate with. It would be much too long of a story to share in any detail here in a comment as to why I relate, but lets just say that living simply is a concept that was somewhat “forced” upon me, but one that I now dearly, and wholeheartedly embrace, and my life is all the better for it. 🙂

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  4. Here’s to the joys and adventure of SIMPLE! A beautiful, inspiring and cherished post, my friend. We are indeed so very much on the same page!

    I am sending you big billowing vibes of abundance and wealth, Brad. May this be a most plentiful year for you in mind, body, spirit and finances. Just curious- have you read Marianne Williamson’s Law of Divine Compensation? It’s incredible. I turn to it often, a short but powerful game changer!

    Much love and light, 🙂

    Allison

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  6. I have always been a minimalist at heart. Whenever I come into any living space that has a lot of clutter, my mind begins to race in every direction to process my surroundings – for no apparent reason. Why that happens is irrelevant. The fact of the matter is that it does happen and it detracts from my focus on the truly important things around me – my thoughts, my emotions, the people around me. Simplicity is not always as simple as it seems, but it can be if we remove unnecessary distractions from our life 😉 Great post Brad, thanks for sharing!

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  8. I love your feel lately Brad…and I love the new look on the blog as well 🙂 I have a thing right now for “things” as I am struggling to find space for them. It got me wondering recently about our attachment to things. I really like the peaceful approach you take here…you can feel it come through your words. Here’s to the simple life!! ❤

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    • Thanks Lorrie. I don’t know if you’re tapping into my peace or yours, but let’s pretend it’s me. XD Living simply is peaceful for me and I’d be happy to help you organize and/or purge some things. 🙂

      You win the prize for the first person to mention my new header! It’s a peaceful scene from years ago on the Washington coast, north of Seattle.

      blessings my friend. ❤

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  10. My life choices and hence my economy has simplified my life for me 🙂 hihihihihihii 🙂 But I really don’t mind, and I have found that on those rare occasions when I really buy something new, like a pretty dress for a birthday party or something, it is so exciting and thrilling and I would never feel like that if I bought like 10 dresses in a year 🙂 Yesterday a courier delivered a warm blanket for me that I had ordered around Christmas and I was jumping around in the house wrapped in the blanket cause Ive been cold for a month, and now I could finally feel warm again and it was soooooo lovely!!! 🙂

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  12. Life is actually simple but our minds convolute it into maze of problems and desires. The first step out of the quagmire is to begin taking a minimalist approach, to realise just how little we need and that consumerism doesn’t actually make us happy. The desire for more and more is an illusion that becomes a never ending spiral. When we truly understand the important things then life unfolds for us, a clear and simple path.
    A great post Brad and some very useful links, thanks for sharing them 🙂

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  13. I too am a big fan of keeping things pared back to make way for what’s truly important! 🙂 Less stuff and fewer activities, better organized makes for lots of nice free space in your head too–where it really matters! And I guess meditation is at heart a clutter-clearing activity. Possibly something to write about in the weeks ahead 🙂

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  14. This is such a deep and honest post Brad, as you delve into what is your driving force.. You said it within your last sentence.. About finding the Balance.. Seems to me if you keep following your passions of what makes you the most happiest.. You are following the flow ..
    When we connect to spirit and allow our ‘Simple Living to flow in this way.. We embrace our inner truth…
    I know I pondered long and hard about giving up my day job.. I worried about the material things in life.. Yet once we take that step.. Things have a way of working out..

    Now I could have done with your skills at being organised and outing that which wasn’t needed some years ago.. It would have saved my Hubby loads of time clearing out the garage! LOL.. of things long held and long forgotten… But I was mighty pleased he came across that staple gun! 😉

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  15. There has definitely been much soul searching, and maybe not enough action on the job front. I’m starting a sales job. My passion isn’t really connected, but I feel the need to create income. Maybe I can bring some as well as keep flowing in the direction of my true passions. Yes, organizing is easy for me, decisions not so much! XD
    Glad you’re getting some hubby help to clear the build up.

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  16. The quote to open this post (along with the photo) is perfect… There is so much to be found in the nothingness that is simplicity ~ especially a form of happiness that settles so comfortably with the soul. Cheers to a year (and more) of such simplicity. Cheers Brad, enjoy the weekend!

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  17. Great perspective Randall. I need this reminder often. I get too caught up in chasing jobs, money, happiness, etc. Silence and simplicity are golden. 🙂 I’m due for some nature time, I hope you have a great weekend too.

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  18. “It will be interesting to see how I balance my desire to live simply with my desire to make more money this year!” Well, money gives us options. And the peace it can help bring with the wisdom of self-sufficiency makes for better emotional and spiritual balance. =) So glad for the update along this line, B.

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  21. In today’s word you need money in order to live simply. You need money for everything, or else you may live too simply and end up homeless. You might need less money than you did but you will always need enough. One does need car insurance (if you have a car), money for gas, and the bare necessities of life, none of which are cheap. As long as a person can live simply on his/her own, I’m all for it. It’s only when those who live simply, borrow from those who are not living simply, that I have reservations. Tiny houses, now that they have caught on and are cute, have risen in price…a LOT. If you can build your own, that’s fabulous. I definitely think that consuming less is the way to go. No doubt about it. I do think more and more people are consuming less. 🙂 It’s good to remember that living simply does not mean living in poverty, although, like everything else, I’m sure the definition is different for each of us. Making money doesn’t have all that much to do with living simply. You can work and not consume constantly. If you love what you do, have at it. Money is not the enemy. The more you have, the more simply you can afford to live.

    The photograph is beautiful. I would last maybe a day, in a place like that, before I waked into the lake and never came out, but it’s lovely and I’m happy for those who can live in isolated places like that. 🙂

    Great post. 🙂

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  22. Thanks for such a thoughtful comment. I agree that money is a tool and needed for our current structures. I’m simply wanting people to consider what they really value and need to live comfortably and simply.
    I don’t know if I’d want to live in that isolated setting either, but I sure would enjoy a long vacation out there. 🙂 blessings, Brad

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    • I agree, a vacation would be nice:) It’s so beautiful. I totally agree with you when it comes to consumerism. The media just goes on and on and children are being raised in that environment. Well, all we can do is our best. And, the way we have set things up…you need money to be able to do the good things in life, for yourself and for others. Giving away your things to help people leaves you with nothing left to give away. Always reminds me of Van Gogh…he was so into his religion he gave everything away to others and then had nothing. He was shunned by the religious people (duh!) for being a bum and impoverished and he lived in squalor. Because he gave everything away he could do nothing but preach and watch people starve. (This was before he began painting). If you want to live simply and help the world, you need money, because that’s the way things are set up. If you’re poor, or live simply, you get less. if your rich, or rich and greedy, you get more. Say that 50 times and see if you don’t just fall over. LOL 🙂 If you don’t have money, society thinks your worthless. They don’t even see you and they don’t care. The world today is hungry and greedy and if we don’t do something to stop that…well, who knows where we will end up. Either way, it will be what we allow it to become, just like always. So we need to live simply but make a lot of money so others can live simply and survive at the same time. 🙂

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