The Simplest Things Are Often the Truest...

Henry David Thoreau once said, "As you simply your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness."

I got to thinking about how complicated life can get. When me and Josh first got married, we had tons of opportunities in front of us and there was so much to think about: decorating the house, what credit cards to open and how many, what bank to use, what plasma TV to get...etc. To put it plainly... when we had the money we definitely found more reasons to spend it.

As time went on and the credit card balances went up, it was like a huge slap in the face. What to do now? Move to a smaller place, sell our valuables, get a loan... etc. To put it plainly... the shit hit the fan!!

Recently I've been learning how to live with just the simple things- back to the basics! You never think you could live without your precious Blackberry, your designer shoes, or your HBO channels but I'm learning there are ways around these things!

SIMPLICITY IS KEY! We have simplified our life- we downgraded to basic cable (and still get to watch Family Guy, Simpsons, Seinfeld... simple entertainment!), we sold our plasma and now use our old TV (without HD thank you very much!), we don't have fancy cell phones- just the ones that came free with our plan, we don't get to go shopping every month but we do something fun together every once in a while. We still have the same old raggy comforter set we got 2 years ago and it keeps us warm at night. If I do get to go shopping I don't buy pricey items- no one can tell the damn difference anyway! And our dog Sam doesn't have any new toys but still loves his good ol' squeaky. It's like I've been blinded by thinking I'm so poor and comparing my possessions to what everyone else has. Who says anyone's life is any better?

In the words of Carrie Bradshaw, "I admit it's tempting to wish for the perfect boss - the perfect parent - or the perfect outfit. But maybe the best any of us can do is not quit, play the hand we've been dealt, and accessorize what we've got."

It's amazing how it feels when you can be perfectly happy with what you got. I kept obsessing with what I want and everything I don't have that I forgot about all the amazing and good things that I DO have. We have a roof over our heads, food in our fridge, gas in our car, good jobs, and most of all each other... Isn't that all you really need anyway?

I once told Josh a long time ago when we first started dating that I would love him and be happy with him even if we lived in a cardboard box. I'm not so sure about the box... but you get my point.

I was reading an article on "Ten Ways to Simplify Your Life." Here are a few of them that stood out to me:

Define your values

Determine what your values are and live to those values. We often feel conflicted because how we are living is out of sync with our values. For example, if your number one value is family and your job requires you to work 65 hours a week, is it any wonder that you feel unsettled and unhappy? When you're clear about what is important to you, it will be easier to let go of things that don't fit.

Create priorities

Determine one or two things you want to accomplish within the next year for your career/business, home life, relationships, and self. Work only to those priorities. If your goal is to develop a new income-generating product line, then that is where you should spend significant time focusing your attention.

It's very easy to get distracted from our priorities, because there is so much information out there that attracts our interests. How often do you get diverted to other projects and never finish what you were originally working on? What happens? The year goes by and you did not accomplish any of your objectives. When new ideas do excite us, get an idea notebook and write all of your new ideas down for future projects. One note, if you find yourself working on everything but your stated priorities, it may be time to reexamine what you think you want.

If you are struggling - let it go

If something is a real struggle, or you can't come up with a solution, drop it for a while. Giving yourself a mental break will allow your brain to rest and therefore create new ideas. Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night and had an aha? This happens for two reasons, 1) because you are relaxed, and 2) because you were not trying to direct your brain's thoughts. Giving yourself a mental break from a challenge is a great way to consciously create that aha.

Have fun

Why is it so hard for us to have fun? Make time each week to do something that brings you joy. Do something completely silly. Have fun with yourself. Laugh. Forget all the other stuff for a while and just have fun. You will feel a whole lot better.

HOW TRUE! Hopefully you can take a bit of this and apply it to your life. I highly recommend it :)