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Last updated on April 8th, 2022 at 11:09 pm
I don’t know if it’s a result of getting older or because I’ve been lead down a road I didn’t see coming (maybe it’s both) but I’ve come to a point where I want to simplify my life.
I’ve wanted less stuff, more meaning behind the things I do daily, meaningful relationships, and less time wasted doing things that just aren’t all that important.
Over the last year and a half, it’s been a journey of discovery, trials, and failures (lots of failures). I think I’m progressing, but there’s a whole lot more work to be done.
That’s life, right?
Today I’m sharing the lessons I’ve learned as I’ve worked on trying to simplify my life.
1 | Don’t hang on to things that don’t make you happy
Last year I read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. It actually was kind of life-changing.
The whole idea is simple: get rid of the things that don’t make you happy or help you become who you want to be.
As I read through it, I began wondering to myself why I still had clothes hanging in my closet that I didn’t wear because they were uncomfortable. Or why I had books I hated reading from my high school AP English class.
What were these things doing for me?
Nothing.
So I decided to experiment with the KonMari method. I started with my closet, then my books.
My only criteria was if something made me happy (ok, “sparked joy”) or not. Then I kept or tossed it.
Now I own a closet of clothes I like to wear and bookshelf of books I actually enjoy reading.
The lesson went deeper than that though. It changed my whole perspective of how I shop for clothing, books, and household items.
I realized how silly it was to hang on to something because I didn’t know what to do with it…it just takes up space for more important things.
2 | Your journey is not like anyone else’s
I read Joshua Becker’s Clutterfree with Kids to learn about the whole minimalist lifestyle thing, especially when it you’re trying to do it with kids.
There was one thing that struck me more than anything else in that book. Joshua says, “Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of everything that distracts from it. It is a highly personal journey that forces us to identify and articulate our highest values. Because of that, it is always going to be practiced differently by each individual.”
My life and my family’s life doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s. The possessions we own and the values we keep will not look like yours or my neighbor’s, or even my brother’s.
And that’s ok. We are all on different paths.
So there’s no need to go out and buy the latest and greatest stuff or remodel your kitchen so it’s all white or have the Pinterest-perfect lady boss office.
I’m just going to be me and be content with what I have. Because all things considered, I have a lot.
3 | “What’s important right now?”
I hear this question in my head quite often, especially when I’m too focused on social media or some unimportant task.
It’s the product of reading the book Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less.
The main point of this book is to learn how to make the best, most essential decisions to focus on your priorities for what the most important thing in life is. It’s about taking back your time, cutting out the things that don’t take you where you want to go, whether that is specific activities, or certain people.
Most of the book blew my mind, but the question that got me the most was, “What’s important right now?”
It’s become part of my subconscious. And I have to say, it’s been working.
I’ve been turning down the radio to dive deeper into my daughter’s future career choice (a princess), putting down my phone so I can play tea party, and giving myself time to read or just chill.
4 | “The days are long but the years are short.”
In Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project she gives us her “Secrets of Adulthood.” The quote above is one of them.
It’s so easy to get lost in the everyday stuff. It’s easy to stop appreciating the chubby little hands holding your fingers or the mess of crumbs under the kitchen table from a happy family meal. Even just the daily routines become routine.
But everything can change in an instant. Many of us know that from personal experiences.
So, I try to soak up the days by taking parent and me classes or cuddling before naptime.
I make room for the good stuff. Those reports (or Facebook and Instagram) can wait for more 5 minutes.
The days are long, but the years are short.
5 | Give yourself grace
There are days I forget my mantras. Days where I’m a downright failure. I don’t get dinner on the table on time, I let my daughter watch too much TV, I don’t feel good, or I’m just plain tired.
So on those days, I ask others for forgiveness and forgive myself too. Because I’m not perfect and I never will be. But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t stop trying.
Besides, don’t “they” say, “If you’re not failing, you’re not trying hard enough.”
I’ll keep trying to be better each day, but I won’t beat myself up when things aren’t quite what I’d hoped.
Simplify Your Life
Simplifying your life means prioritizing your time, being wise about possessions, and recognizing the things that are most important. These mantras are helping me to make my life a little more simple each day.
What about you? Do you have any mantras that help you simplify your life? Will you adopt any of mine? Go share this post on your favorite place to hang out.
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