This is a very important question and something I have given quite a lot of thought to over the years. Based on my personal experience it is one of the most vital things you can do. The world is spinning out of control around us and screaming at us to get onto the merry-go-round it has waiting for us. And we need to resist this. It is about control and taking back control. If we cannot control our lives, then we cannot direct them in the way we want to go and we will, therefore, suffer endless frustration as a result of this.
How do we do this?
First of all we need to slow down.
The simplicity starts by being able to control our time, and if we are always rushing from one thing to the next, we need to start pushing the delete button on sections of our busy schedules to give us the time to think and just be. In reality, a lot of the things we do every day are unnecessary, and our schedules are full of things that can be not done at all or done later. In most people’s cases though, we do not need to seek to control our time to do more. We need to control our time so that we can do less. In effect, to have time.
One of the causes of our eternal busyness (and I see this a lot on Quora) is that we are always driving ourselves to be something other than we actually are, some ‘better version of myself’ or the like, someone with a long To-Do list and who is flat out listening to TED talks on how they can BEAT THEIR PROCRASTINATION AND ACHIEVE MORE.
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| Simple Life- Best Life |
Is that really who you want to be though? Someone with a long list of ‘achievements’? Do we even know who we are? Are we so busy running from who we are in the supposed direction of who we think we want to become that we can no longer appreciate the simple pleasures of life around us without becoming submerged in guilt (because we really should be getting on with other things?). One is capable though of finding value and purpose in life and yes, even quiet satisfaction within your life without whipping yourself like this.
Clear time in the mornings just to think or meditate or read. Take a nap after lunch. Make time between things to simply sit and enjoy something you like, like a cup of tea for example. Just smell it, savor it, don’t rush drinking it. This is who you really are, so give yourself the time to connect with yourself. You don’t always have to be going somewhere and doing something. Your best thinking and your best ideas can be found in this space.
Secondly, we need to control our possessions. Possessions are not all bad things, but having to much unnecessary stuff creates a cluttered world around us which is not conducive to peace of mind or even being able to appreciate the things we own.
For example, if you have 20 sweaters, do you appreciate them? What if you only had one, your favorite one. What if you only had one coffee mug (but one you really liked?) Just start small here. For example, How many pens and pencils etc. do you have? If you are like me, you probably have a few hundred lying around. For some time though, I have only used one pen. It’s a good one, a slightly expensive black fountain pen which I fill from a bottle of ink which I like. As a result of having only this one writing implement though, I value it and enjoy using it and look after it.
Take a look at your clothes, your cupboards, your books… all the things you own which you actually don’t need or don’t use. Give them to others if possible. This can be remarkably freeing.
Another little thing I do is I also cycle everywhere rather than using a car or Tokyo’s actually a very good public transport system. Cycling however is free, and slow. It gives me time to think and be alone for a while every day and also to reconnect with nature and the things around me. It gives me independence from being one of the herd on the train every day. Small changes you might like to make like this can have a profound impact on your life in the long term.
These are just two easy to do things that you can start doing today which can greatly simplify your life, and give you more clarity and peace of mind.
THANKS FOR READING
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