Simplify Life

Most of us struggle to simplify life. There is a reason we struggle. We get caught up in the processes of life and make living something it’s not: hard.

We don’t intentionally make living hard. But, we are surrounded by too much information, we expect changes to happen instantly and we put unrealistic expectations on ourselves. That is what makes living hard.

For example, you want to simplify life. You click on over to Google. Type in “how to simplify life” and instantly you have half a million ideas. You click and read, click and read, click and.. your enthusiasm has changed to confusion and indecision. You now have so many ideas you don’t know where to start. You may be overwhelmed with the possibilities and unable to focus, or you just may perceive yourself as incapable of accomplishing “all that”. So you don’t even try.

Another challenge lies in our minds. In this world of “I need it now” we expect results of our actions to be instant. We expect the clutter to disappear, our time to be free and our life to be perfect within weeks. This is an unrealistic expectation. Clutter has a way of creeping back. Time has a way of vanishing and life is so unpredictable, perfection is an illusion.

A simple life does not revolve around unrealistic expectations. Nor will simplicity appear instantly, unless of course you are ready to embrace the simple things.

A breath, a smile, a moment; these are simple things. It is pointless to strive for something you cannot define or recognize. What are your “simple things?”

Simplicity is not eliminating clutter or being more efficient or unplugging your tv, ipod or computer. Those things are part of the process to simplify life. By definition, a process is a series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end. One step leads to the next step and eventually your life is simplified. Yes, it’s really that simple. The process to simplicity will flow if you stay focused on the desired end result (your “simple thing”) and enjoy each step along the way. By that I mean, enjoy today. Enjoy this moment. Enjoy the life you have right now with all its imperfections and chaos. Take time to be grateful for all that you have.

There are countless books, professionals and online resources that provide insights on the multitude of things you can do to simplify. One of my favorite lists is the Living Manifesto: 72 Ideas to Simplify Your Life at zenhabits.net. This list touches all the good stuff. It would be silly for me to create another list, because this list is so solid and insightful. However there is one important item I would add, stop striving for “perfection.”

The trick is to pick one thing and focus. Don’t try to change everything at once and don’t try to be perfect. Just choose one thing and do it differently. I can assure you that tossing instead of piling the majority of your papers will result in a clear countertop. Donating instead of storing half your wardrobe will result in space to breath. Turning off your tv instead of channel surfing will give you more peace of mind.

Once you have made a change and the change is making an impact move on to something else. Just do one thing at a time. It doesn’t matter if the one thing is a big thing or a small thing, any change will result in something new. Just changing your mind and the way you think about something will provide astonishing results. Instead of asking for more, give thanks for all that you have.

One of my favorite quotes, “Thank God for dirty dishes, they have a tale to tell. While other folks go hungry, we're eating very well. With home and health and happiness, we surely shouldn't fuss. For by this stack of evidence, life's been good to us.” This inspires me to keep my home cleaner and less cluttered. Notice I didn’t say perfectly clean and totally uncluttered? This is simplicity at its core.

Don’t worry if you’re not sure about your choice of action. Action is a snowball. Any action will provide more positive results than any reaction under stress. You can always try something different if the results are not what you expected. Just ask yourself, “What is the worst thing that can happen?” then jump in and try.

One thing I did was quit my job. I was a self-proclaimed workaholic. I knew that in order to have the life I really wanted I needed to do something big. I knew that financially it might be a struggle for a long time; after all I was eliminating half of our household income. But I also knew in order to slow down, get healthy and simplify, I needed to elimate the demands of a stressful job. What surprised me most about this step was that everything worked out better than I could have ever expected.

That was one of my first steps. Your first step will be something unique to you and hopefully not as drastic. Listen to yourself, look for the signs and trust that whatever choice you make will be the right one for you and those you love.

Simplicity is a choice. It’s a choice to take on a challenge or say no. It’s a choice to smile and enjoy the moment or scowl and curse the hidden opportunity. It’s a choice to keep something and cherish it or give it away for another to enjoy. It’s a choice turn on the noise or enjoy a quiet moment. Don’t try to be perfect. Don’t over think your options. Don’t expect changes to happen overnight. Just do one thing differently, enjoy each step and simplicity will find you, if you choose.