In the midst of our commercial world there is a quiet movement toward minimalism and simplicity. People are realizing that the drive to have more and more stuff, compare and keep up with others and try to cover their emotional pain with shopping sprees is not the answer.
They have frantically pursued shiny objects they thought would make them happy while burying their awareness that this way of life was harming their health, putting them in debt and causing them to stuffocate.
The question is: What is enough?
Most of us feel happiest when our lives are peaceful and focused on what we value most. When we buy things unconsciously our homes fill with stuff we do not use or love that eventually becomes clutter. Living simply is about being more intentional with what we have in our homes, schedules and minds.
7 Meaningful Benefits of Living Simply
You Will Feel More Connected and Aligned with Yourself: As you create a simple life you will connect more deeply with who you are and what you truly want. This will happen naturally as you choose what to keep and what to let go of, but it can also be fun to play with self-awareness tools like identifying your core values or journaling. (You can get a free core values identification exercise here.)
You Will Feel Calmer: Your home will feel more like a sanctuary space when you live a simple, meaningful life. Decluttering your mind and schedule can contribute to this peaceful feeling as well. Letting go of clutter, busyness and mind chatter will relieve stress and help you feel more peaceful and relaxed.
You Will Experience a Sense of Satisfaction: Once you step off the track of wanting, accumulating and keeping up with the Joneses the constant craving for more will go away. In it’s place you will begin to feel satisfied with what you own and what you do. This feeling of enough can bring comfort and peace to all areas of your life.
Your Mind Will Be More Clear and Focused: Studies have shown there is a direct correlation between external clutter and a cluttered mind. As you simplify, your mind will be able to relax and become more effective at doing the job it was meant to do. You will find yourself better able to focus, make decisions and be more productive.
Your Bank Account Will Grow: It’s pretty obvious that when you spend less on things more money will accumulate in your bank account. There is a sense of pride that comes with this and it can also help your future feel more secure.
You Will Have Time to Pursue Meaningful Things: Simplifying creates more space in your schedule as well. This allows you to bring more meaningful things into your days like creativity, self care, personal interests and quality time with people enjoy.
You Will Be Helping the Planet: Consuming less is a way to contribute to the health of our environment. It may feel like a small contribution, but everything counts. It will also be more aligned with your values and something to feel good about.
These benefits of living simply certainly feel better than the short lived thrill of getting the next latest, greatest gadget. They also open the door to creating a life that speaks to your heart and feels aligned with who you are. Keep in mind the craving to buy goes away after awhile, especially as you start experiencing these benefits more and more.
Journaling Prompts:
- What is enough?
- What do I value most in this life? (Values Exercise)
- How can I align more with those things?
- How would it feel to live a simple life?
- What do I want my life to look and feel like?
- How can I make that happen?
Related Posts:
10 Ways to Create a More Meaningful Life
Feeling Called to a Simple Life
Yes, Linda, you are so right. We downsized last January in a move from a 2500SF house into an 1850SF house. Got rid of a lot of furniture ahead of time, boxed up things that weren’t going to have “a good place to live” in our new home, held a heck of a garage sale last summer, and then right afterwards took the equivalent of five carloads of excess “stuff” to the local charity donation center. Now, if something new is acquired, something old is donated or sold to compensate. It’s a good place to be.