Day 100: Living With Less So There Is More of YOU!

What: Living with less so there is more of YOU!

Why: Do you feel you are making a difference? If not, what is holding you back? Do you feel you are living life to the fullest? Do you say “well one day I will…” What if that day was TODAY? Live the life you have always wanted. Live with less so that you, your family, your friends, your community, and the world can have MORE OF YOU.

How:
You may desire to live a simple life. You can list 10 people who you look up to when it comes to living out the simple life. What if YOU were one of those people? Make yourself part of that list today. Give people an idea of what it means to live a simple life.

Life can sometimes be all about self-sufficiency. Do it yourself. DIY is taking over not only when it comes to crafts and homemade items, but in many other areas as well. Self-checkout lanes. ATMs. Self-service gas stations. Redbox movie rentals. These ideas and ways of life are not negative in and of themselves. The question we need to ask is why? What are they teaching us – that we can do all things ON OUR OWN? That there is no need for interactions with other humans? We tend to put walls up around ourselves. We use the walls in our homes as imaginary “keep out” signs. Homes are getting bigger, yet family sizes are decreasing. We are creating walls around ourselves. Although, is community something we all desire deep down? Though our busy lives tend to get in the way, we all enjoy a real relationship and friendship. What if we put aside our desire for sole self-sufficiency and recognized the gifts and talents we have, to live more in community with others?

Are you on the fast track to getting rich? I can probably safely assume that many of us are not. Though we may think we are or we may dream to be, reality is, we will never be “rich.” With that reality check taken care of, what if you reduced your spending so that you can work less hours? If you worked fewer hours, you would have more time. More time for YOU, more time for family, more time to do the things YOU want to do. All it takes is decreasing spending and decreasing the hours you work. Easier said than done, right? How is your life contributing to the greater good? Life is all about choices. Make the hard choices if need be. They may go against the grain and your friends might start to look at your weird, but they won’t once they see that you are content with the life you have.

Do you dream of having a different life? A better life? What is stopping you from having that life? Finances? Time? Though those examples are often true, what if it was more about your mentality than about the finances or time? More is not always better. Do you dream of having this or that, but realize it is going to take you YEARS and possibly a lifetime to attain that one thing? So instead, you spend your money aimlessly, not knowing exactly what you want in life. So all those dreams of living a different or better life, seem further and further away, as you just become more and more confused. Sounds depressing, doesn’t it? What if you had a grasp on where you are heading in life? What if you stopped setting PHYSICAL goals for yourself (such as a bigger house, bigger boat, bigger truck, bigger bank account), and set CHARACTERISTIC goals instead (such as more joyful, more content, more love, more kindness and more peace?) How would your dreams of a better life change?

Live a life of thankfulness. Living with less almost directly leads to a deeper appreciation for what you have. Thankfulness often blooms out of an attitude of humbleness first. Realizing that all you have is a gift. Walk around your home and be thankful for all that you have. When you realize that what you have is truly a blessing, it calms those fears and desires for wanting more. When you sit down for dinner tonight, be thankful for your family – your friends – your life. We never know what tomorrow is going to bring. Live life to the fullest and live a life of thankfulness.

So now what? Look back at the last 100 days:

How is your life different?
What changes have you made? Are they lasting changes?
What changes still need to be made?
Living a life with less is an ongoing process. 100 days honestly is just the beginning. Every choice effects your life – for the good or bad. Make the choice daily, to live with less and see how it changes your life.

Confession of the Day: Even though I was the one writing these blog, you should know that I walked this same road – decluttering, simplifying, and living with less. AND I AM NOT DONE. Living with less is an ongoing process. I still find things that I can live with less of. I suppose you could see decluttering as a project that is never done – how frustrating, right? Actually I find it needed and refreshing. To know that I have that many items in my house that I can live without, I know I need to continue this process. I have been learning to live with less and simplifying for over 2 years now. I do not want you to get discouraged if after these 100 days, you feel you still have too much. Continue the process. Keep your eyes open. Be aware of what you use and what you do not. What can you do without? Continue the journey. Don’t stop at 100 days – keep the journey going!

I would LOVE to hear your stories about how this journey has effected you. What day most impacted you? What changes have you made? How many trips have you made to a donation center? What have you gotten rid of? Are you living any different? Please comment below – know that YOU are not the only one trying to make a difference or change. Together we can all learn to live with less!