Reflections on My Journey

I started Zen Habits a couple years into my journey into living a simple life, close to 20 years ago. Today I thought I’d share a few reflections that have helped me to simplify and find a life of calmness.

I started reading about simple living in the 1990s, and what appealed to me was how lovely a simple life seemed. Spaciousness, slowness, mindfulness, appreciation, contentment without clutter.

I got serious about it in the mid-2000s, when my life was anything but simple. Not only was I married with six kids(!), but I had a lot of clutter in my life, my schedule was overloaded, and I felt like I couldn’t get on top of anything.

How I Simplified

First, I started to get clear on my essentials — what were the things in my life that were most important (family, writing, reading/learning, exercise) and what possessions did I actually need or care about? Then I started to simplify from there.

Second, I started to take small steps to clear out my life. It didn’t have to be an overnight process. Each step along the way, I tried to learn more about what it’s like to simplify.

Third, I started to stop or slow down my spending and shopping. Getting rid of stuff is useless if you just keep buying more. I do still buy things, but much less often.

Fourth, I began to learn what contentment means to me. This is the big one. If you remove all the extras in life, what are you left with? If you can learn to be content with very little, doing just about anything, then life is easier. Simplicity becomes a really nice thing.

I explored the edges of a simple life as well, become a self-proclaimed minimalist. What’s the difference between minimalism and simplicity? Nothing really – it was just my way of exploring what it’s like to live with as little as possible. I got rid of so much! It was fun.

Later, I let go of minimalism as my focus, and just focused on enjoying a simple life. This life might look like:

• Recognizing when I have urges to buy or overload myself with too much, and letting the urges go.
• Keeping my days simple, without filling them with too much activity or meetings.
• Leaving space between things, so I can enjoy a sense of spaciousness.
• Learning to breathe and meditate if things feel too stressful or chaotic.
• Savoring life, just as it is.

I also keep my work life simple by having a short list of things to do each day, and focusing simply on one at a time. I keep exercise simple, by doing it without too much equipment (I like to run, lift weights, play basketball, go for walks).

Focus on What Matters

Through all of this, I’ve been exploring what really matters. Life is stripped to its essentials, and I get to live a life in alignment with what’s most important to me.

Dive deeper into simplicity with me — check out my Fearless Living Academy, where I’ll be teaching on the theme of simplicity in September!

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