We currently live in a crazy and complicated world. The more we look for ways to simplify our lives and make things easier, the more complicated and harder it becomes. Most of us do not know what we really want in our lives. We always wait for any random guy to tell us what we want or not. For example, if your friend is working in a multinational company at a much higher package, automatically there arises a craving for more money inside you. If he buys a bike, you want to buy a car. If he possesses “X” number of things, you want to have an “X++” number of things. In such a materialistic and impatient world, the concept of “Simple living” is becoming rare.
It’s quite unfortunate to realize that we know how to follow the dance steps of a random social media influencer, but we fail to listen to the music of our inner soul. We do not have time to enjoy our own lives by making them simpler, rather we like to make them complex by running after things thinking they will make us happier.
What is Simple Living?
Simplicity in your way of living is not just something to enjoy for only a few days, months, or years. Rather simplicity is a way of life. Simple living starts the time when we become more consciously aware of our choices and allow them to affect our daily lives. It can be achieved when we make a consistent effort to reduce and de-clutter our lives, hence restoring the balance to our everyday lives.
In other words, simplicity is about stripping away what is not useful. But it isn’t about removing the things you love. It’s about removing the things that distracted you from the things you love. Simplicity may not always seem easy; however, when we strive to keep things simple, we can begin the process of living less complicated lives. When you live simply, you are neither swayed by the values of others nor by their opinion. You don’t get troubled by unnecessary concerns. Rather, you prefer to live an infinitely simple life; that is the “ZEN” style of living. This style and this simplicity give birth to more clarity, inner peace, and meaningful relationships.
Simple living is about clarity, essentialism, and minimalism. It is the way an individual chooses to enjoy life in its simplest form possible without the comforts often found in high technological materials and wealth. In other words, living in a way that is outwardly simpler and inwardly richer; focusing more on the richness of your inner strengths rather than on the material things that often clutter our life.
Advantages of Living Simply:
1. Living simply refreshes our minds.
Simple living allows de-cluttering our life, that is to clean our physical as well as mental space. And this clearing and cleaning especially of our mind bring greater clarity into our lives.
2. Living simply allows us to set the necessary boundaries required to make our living better.
One of the steps to simplicity is to set boundaries that reduce the amount of time spent on needless activities or unimportant people. It protects you from overcommitting yourself by setting healthy boundaries. For example, when you learn to say “NO” to things that sabotage your time, you create more space for the things you truly want to invest, in that you value more.
3. Living Simply promotes serenity through detachment.
It’s amazing how refreshed and light you feel after a good cry. Crying clears out whatever weight you are carrying in your heart. You feel energized to try again. The same feeling you get when you learn the art of detachment.
Living simply is also about discarding your physical and mental burdens. It allows you to let go of your assumptions, by reducing your possessions and discarding your attachments. The moment you detach, a new abundance starts flowing into your life. Because of this now you have less stuff to manage. And when you own less, you shuttle less.
4. Living Simply makes your decision-making process much easier.
When you live simply, you are less prone to distraction. You are able to focus one hundred percent, in any area of your life without distraction. Moreover, you experience fewer in-decisions by being confident in your choices.
5. Living Simply promotes good health.
Simple Living is beneficial to both your physical and mental health. A 2014 study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found a connection between materialism (valuing possessions and money) – and poor physical health. The team, from Knox College, Illinois, also found an even stronger link between materialism and engagement in risky behaviors that could damage physical health, including drinking alcohol, smoking, and drug use.
While people who prefer simple living tend to be mentally healthy, stable, strong, and resilient.
6. Living Simply makes us happier.
It allows you to appreciate more by finding happiness in the smallest of things. Your small wins, little achievements, optimistic attitude, humble nature are enough to make you as well as others around you happier.
7. Living Simply keeps us close to nature.
The smell of earth after a rain, the lovely welcome by your pet when you return home, the moonlight, the little garden in your balcony area; all these are sufficient to make you realize how important is to live simply.
BOTTOM LINE
Nowadays, many people have lost their footing – they are worried and confused about how to live their lives. That is why they seek out the extraordinary, in an attempt to reset their mental balance. Life can be made much simpler, easier, and happier if we take the time to live it, rather than just running the never-ending rat race.
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