Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.At no cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. I do not endorse any products that I would not personally buy myself.
Why should you even want a simple life?
Well, Ever notice people building big beautiful houses on nice pieces of land….but then run and travel so much that they aren’t even home to enjoy it? Maybe you didn’t notice that. Maybe because you are busy yourself?
The world today is so crazy. Busy is normal. Working for bigger and better and constantly being exhausted is normal.
Stop some time and watch an old black and white show, like Andy Grifith. Pay real close attention. You see how happy those people all seemed to be? I know its a show, but, it makes you wonder, why DO people back then seem so much happier?
Because life was simple. That’s why. They weren’t busy chasing the next best thing. People back then weren’t living life so that they could show it off on Facebook. Those people were just living and making the most out of everything they already had. They weren’t up in stores maxing out credit cards to buy happiness.
A cane pole, a creek, and a brown bag lunch. That is all they needed. A more simple life. But a happier life.
“So like, Where do I sign up for happy?”
Good question. Here are some ideas to get us all on the right path to a more simple, happy life.
Building a life you don’t need to escape from
Its nice to go new places and see new things. and its okay to want that. But what even better is to not NEED that.
Building up your home and land, so that IT is your place to escape to is probably the way to go. It does’t mean you need to have a million dollar home with all of the amenities. It just means that you need to have a few little corners to sit and relax in. A calm place to read a book. A flower garden. Surround yourself with things that you love, and that should be just extravagant stuff. Learn to love simpler things. Foraging, bird watching, gardening, things like that can be theraputic and don’t cost a thing.
Living within your means
Do you have debt? Car payments. House payments. Credit card payments. We are tied to paying on things every month. So much so, that we are prisoners of our own purchases.
We need cars and houses. But, allot of times we end up biting off more than we can chew. The brand new cars and the fancy houses look nice, but we end up in so much debt that it almost makes you regret it.
Living within your means sounds nasty. It’s like, oh so I can’t have nice things? It doesn’t mean that. It just means to cool it a little. Only take on what you can handle and nothing more.
Skip the upgrades. Buy something that you can fix up little by little. Buy things when they are on sale. Thrift shop. Use coupons. Do whatever you can to save money when you can.
No one is going to stop being your friend because you bought the base model, and if they do, then good freaking riddance. If you are making friends based on what you drive or what house you live in, then you are making friends for the wrong reasons anyways.
Find Simple Activities To Do
Concerts, cruises, Zoos visits.
Those things are fun and all, but have you ever sat on the bank and fished while watching the sun go down? Have you ever picked your own strawberries and ate them right off the plant? When was the last time you just took a hike to enjoy nature?
Fun doesn’t have to be something you have to buy or spend money on.
Stop keeping up with the Jonses
Looking over the fence all the time is going to keep you in the running to win….nothing.
Stop looking at what others have and trying to keep up. Its not making you happy. Its putting you in debt.
Comparing yourself and your life to others leaves no room for you to find the things that really make you happy. It makes you work harder for things that you don’t even want.
Break. The. Chain.
Once others see you doing your own thing and not giving a hoot, they may start as well! Dare to be different. Who gives a crap about the Joneses anyway. They can’t take all of it with them when they go. You spend a lifetime collecting things that your family is just going to have to figure out what to do with when you are gone.
Slow Down and Take It All In
Stop to smell the roses. Literally. They smell fantastic.
Don’t do everything on a time crunch. Planning things is nice, but when you are enjoying yourself or in nature, try not to put a limit on that.
Hiking shouldn’t be about how fast you can get through it. Its about enjoying yourself and taking in nature and the scenery. If you are taking a trip somewhere, you shouldn’t have to dread the trip there. Its a chance to look at things you have never seen before. Its an opportunity to see and stop at places you wouldn’t normally.
The vacation spot itself shouldn’t be what makes you happy.
This goes for everything in life really. Sure, not everyone is going to love their job, but it still needs done. Try to find things about it that you do love though, even if it IS just some bomb ass coffee.
Find fun and happiness in simple things.
Be the Person You Need
This isn’t about having your own back. Being the person you need is more like, being yourself and letting others find you where you stand. Its about letting your weird flag fly, so that other weirdos can find you.
If you are someone else while around other people, then that never gives you the chance to find people who you can truly be yourself around, and who will like you for you….and you need that.
Be who you are. Wave that flag.
Find Your peace And Happy
Did you ever do the “100 days of happy” challenge? People were taking pictures of different things in their lives. One new picture, and one reason to be happy every single day.
Seems like most people only made it a week or two. Did they run out of reasons to be happy. Or did they just have a few bad days, and let them ruin it for them?
I am one of those people who sometimes lets bad ruin my sight for the good. I am not saying you can’t have a bad day. Its okay to get down. Just don’t stay there. Find a place you can go, a thing you can do that will bring you peace. Lay under the stars. Take a drive. You have to find simple ways to make yourself happy when you need a pick me up. Its not healthy to drive yourself right to the store to buy things that will fill the hole. Those things are temporary.
Stop the need to be doing something constantly
Busy is a way of life now. Its the new normal. Break away from that. Busy is killing us. The stress of worrying about what has to be done and where you need to be every second is exhausting. Its causing us all anxiety.
Our society seems to base your quality of life off of how busy you are. Playing sports. Taking trips here and there. Constantly doing things that look good in pictures, am I right? Its almost like people aren’t doing it to have fun or so that their kids can have fun. They are doing it for a Facebook post. Why though? If everyone is just going around doing things to impress others, who is happy? The very few people that aren’t doing those things. The people who are doing those things without their phone in their hand. Now, I am not saying that I don’t take some pictures of my kids or that I don’t stop for a photo opp from time to time. BUT I am absolutely not basing the things that I do and the places I go off of how good it will look on Facebook.
Find a more simple life, with less running around. Find your happy where you are.
Disconnect
Have tech free days or set aside time every day to be completely tech free. It’s like a power cycle, for your mind.
We weren’t made to sit still and stare at screens for hours. I am totally guilty of this. But, doesn’t it make you feel kind of blah at the end of the day?
The constant information overload from facebook and the news. Everyone living their “best” lives leaving you feeling inferior. The adds always showing you the next best thing.
You know what doesn’t make you feel like that? Nature. Leave your phone inside, and step out. Take a hike. Go for a walk. Take it all in WITHOUT your phone and without taking pictures every second. Your mind is a pretty good photographer. Leave some memories in your head for only you. Not everything needs to be posted on Facebook. Honestly, people don’t really care anyway. Most people are just trying to show off and one up the next person. Why be part of that? Enjoy your life. Live it for you. Do what you want, and not just what looks good in a Facebook post. Disconnecting alone, can simplify your life.
Take Real Vacations
Try to take a trip for $500 or less.
No. seriously.
Think of going places, to just enjoy being there. Not about the things your do there and the things you will buy and eat. Go to the beach, to enjoy the beach, the sand, the ocean. Do people actually do that anymore? We do! Call me crazy, but When I think about taking a trip to see the mountains or the beach, I want to spend my time seeing those things. You should be able to get simple enjoyment out of the beauty of the sky, the landscape, or the scenery. If you can’t, then you need to slow down and learn. You will never truly be happy by chasing the next new and exciting thing.
Living a simple life is all about living in the moment. Not about creating that moment to live in. Find peace and happiness wherever you are.
Form Real Friendships
See People For Who They Really Are. Not what they have, what they drive or where they live.
The way you see people actually effects the way you see yourself and how happy you can be.
Stop Basing peoples worth off of what job they have, or how much schooling they have.
If you are going to impress me with your vehicle, it better be a food truck.. I AM a car girl. I LOVE cars. Old cars. Race cars. LOVE THEM. -BUT- I am not going to base how much I like you, or what I think of you off of what you drive….unless its a food truck, and then yea, maybe I can be won over with a bit of food.. Food is a way to my heart. I know how much work it can be to cook and clean up after it so anyone who cooks or bakes for others, has to have a good heart.
Find the kind of friends that you can hold deep and meaningful conversations with. Friends who you can invite over last minute that won’t care that your house is a mess. People you can just be with. Start looking into peoples hearts and not their homes.
Learn To Live With Less
You see all the time how organizing your stuff can help you clear your mind. But do you ever find yourself CONSTANTLY organizing?
How much of that are you even using? If you use it, great! But if you are just moving around things that never get used, then why have it? Organizing takes time that you can spend on something that is actually going to make you happy.
Think of it this way. The more junk you have, the more you have to deal with. Every time you pick up an item in the store or even at a yard sale, stop and think to yourself:
How long will this last?
Will this make me happy for a little while, or forever?
Is this something I can USE?
Is this money I could save for something better?
Consumerism is addicting. Buying things is addicting. Its a quick high. It makes you happy for a split second, but leaves your cleaning up and organizing junk later.
Books I recommend for a simple life
- When Less Becomes More: Making Space for Slow, Simple, and Good
- Start Living A Simple Life: Ways To Live A Simpler Life In Todays World
- The Minimalist Way: Minimalism Strategies to Declutter Your Life and Make Room for Joy
- Start Living A Simple Life: Ways To Live A Simpler Life In Todays World
- Simply Living Well: A Guide to Creating a Natural, Low-Waste Home
Leave a Reply