12 Changes We Can Make to Have Everyday Simplicity
One of the main reasons we suffer so much is complexity. Our constant effort to make everything complex, although it’s quite simple, is what makes us want to give up, to just escape and leave everything behind.
Simplicity is what we need more of.
The funny thing is that things are so simple in their natural form. But we insist on making them hard, then we can’t handle them and it’s just too much for us.
What we need to do is simplify. And if we make that a daily habit, we’ll have a happier and more peaceful life, full of joy and mindfulness.
Here are some simple changes to make in order to live more simply and thus stop suffering and living with effort:
1. Choose the truth.
Speak directly. Truth is so much simpler than lying to yourself, living in an illusion, not being honest with others.
2. Accept.
Denial is complex. We often deny who we are, the choices we’ve made, the things we want, the reality as it is.
But imagine a world where everyone accepts everything that’s done, said and thought. Wouldn’t that be amazing?
Start by accepting yourself for who you are, with all your good and bad sides, past mistakes, dreams and plans, habits and desires.
Then, once you are okay with that, you can easily change.
3. Speak less.
We speak too much, and don’t really say anything meaningful. At the same time we don’t listen to others, so others don’t listen to us. That’s why communication is so complex these days.
So from now on why not speak less and listen more?
4. Ditch excuses.
We make so many excuses every day. We’re good at finding reasons not to do something even if we want to, not to give new things a try, not to meet new people, not to change.
Living like that is hard. Instead, we should embrace simplicity and just do the things we want to do. Simple as that!
5. Dress simply.
Eliminating accessories can make life easier. Also, we have so many clothes we haven’t worn in years, and others we’re probably not going to wear any more. So get rid of them.
6. Create silence.
Take some quiet time for yourself every now and then. There’s so much noise everywhere around us that we can’t hear our own thoughts.
7. Walk more.
Doing that means you’ll drive less and be more active.
8. Focus.
We are productive not when we have many tasks and are busy all the time, but when we focus on one activity and eliminate everything else.
9. Eat simply.
Variety is an illusion in the kitchen too. All the kinds of food we have today are just too much.
We use too many condiments, eat too much fats, think dessert is a must, eat many times a day, and so on. Stop doing all that.
Eat the basics: fruits and veggies, fish and meat, dairy products, nuts, olive oil, rice, potatoes and legumes.
10. Let go of control.
You can’t control most of the things, even in your life. Accepting that will make everything so much simpler and easier.
We constantly worry about the things we can’t control, fear how they’ll turn out and try so hard to fix them. But the truth is that they don’t need to be fixed. Everything will be fine. Just go with the flow and do the best you can, everything else will fall into place.
11. Remove clutter.
Throw away all the things that you don’t use in your house. Eliminate stuff that only takes up space.
Once you do that you’ll have less belongings to worry about, take care of, clean and fix. And you’ll feel freer.
12. Buy less.
The more you buy, the more you have, the more money you spend and the less satisfaction you get.
So the next time you’re thinking of buying something, give it some time, ask yourself whether you really need it and are going to use it a few weeks from now.
These are just some of the ways to simplify your life. They all consist of eliminating, activities to stop doing, things to get rid of, letting go and so on. It’s easy. And the benefits are priceless – peace, space, freedom, contentment, awareness, happiness.
