Finding Simplicity

How do you find simplicity in this culture of consumption?

For me it meant going against the grain, being super intentional and taking action.
Why did I need to take action? Well, it was for 2 reasons…

1. I was experiencing an information overload!

I was consuming information with almost every spare second of the day. Work emails, personal emails, social media, podcasts, blogs, YouTube, Netflix, text messages. You name it… I consumed it.

It became all too much and important parts of my life began to suffer. Something needed to give.

2. I was contradicting  my values 

I am not a materialistic person…at all! I’ve never cared about having the best looking car or the biggest house. I thrash my clothes and I hate shopping.

BUT for some reason, I caught myself slowly drifting into a mindset of comparison. I started to unconsciously compare myself to others, not in terms of character but in terms of worldly possession and status.

‘Living simply’ is a core value of mine but my actions and thoughts were starting to contradict this.

So I needed to take action! (P.S. When I say ‘I’, I usually mean ‘we’ because my wife is a massive part of this!)

All the of the actions and steps I took started with the same question, “How does this (thing, opportunity, habit)  bring value to my life?”

As a result, I have…

moved to a rural location.
We sold our house and moved out of town to a quaint little place surrounded by paddocks with sheep.  Kangaroos are often seen jumping past and we have the most beautiful view from nearly every window.
Living away from people and car noise has had a huge impact on my sense of clarity. I am outside more and I have a far greater connection world around me and sense of gratitude.

detoxed digitally
I still consume digital content but I am very intentional about what I consume and when I consume it. I have canceled Netflix, I only watch 1 game of football per week and I don’t watch any commercial television.

The content I do consumer is stuff that I believe that will bring value into my life. This is mostly via Podcasts or YouTube. I also make the regular decision to disconnect from all electronic devices for a few days at a time.

started to create.
The space I have created by consuming less has given me more time to create content of my own. My mind far less cluttered and I am active rather than passive more often.

removed debt.
Selling our house, paying off all loans and cutting up our credit cards was a conscious decision to simplify our lives. Financial stress plagues many of us and I was sick of it owning me.

began saying ‘No!’.
To what you might ask? Well, as per the question I mentioned earlier, “To anything that does not bring value to my life?” This has forced me to make some difficult decisions about the things I do and the people I spend time with. Think carefully about your obligations, relationships,

purged.
I found the more I had, the more it weighed me down physically and mentally. The more I had, the more I had to deal with. It sapped my energy that could have been used in more fulfilling ways

I have found cleaning up, organising and purging my possessions needs to be part of my daily routine. Culling, giving away or throwing away is a habit worth developing. There are all kinds of stuff in your life that no longer serves the original purpose for which you brought it into your life in the first place.

Don’t get swept up in this culture of endless consumption! Living simply not only keeps our lives clutter free but simultaneously provides an opportunity for self-reflection about the direction of our lives.