A Guide to Simplifying This Year

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Simplifying can mean a number of things to different people, but one thing I think everyone can agree on is that simplifying means to make something more simple.  Simple can be defined as plain, straightforward, uncomplicated- basic in nature.  So if we're looking to simplify our lives, we should be looking to live a plain, straightforward, uncomplicated, and basic in nature life.  

So how do we get to that basic and plain life?  Is basic and plain a bad thing?  I don't think so.  Time and time again so many have found their lowest point as they searched for more than just a basic and plain life.  So many of the celebrities in our culture today seem to struggle with substance abuse and mental illness.  Why is it?  They have everything the world can offer- why is it that they're still so unhappy?

Perhaps we aren't designed to live in such a way.  Perhaps we can never be completely content with the things of this world because they separate us from remembering our true worth in heaven, and they separate us from knowing God.

When we constantly are on the search for more, we stop trusting God's gifts as enough, and instead try to take over the reigns on the path to our own happiness. If I only had this, then I'd be happy we might tell ourselves.  But greed is a dangerous monster that grows the more it is fed.  Before we know it, it has consumed us too, separating us from what God says is important and pulling us more towards what the world tells us is important.  Once greed has consumed us, it's hard to find a way to tame the monster that has now taken over.  

Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
​Luke 12:15

Our lives are more than what we own.  We are worth more than what we possess.  Living simply can help us to find peace with who we are and contentment with what we have.  It eliminates the stress of keeping up with the trends of this world, it frees us from the monetary stress of always needing to buy the newest thing, and it opens up the door to finding God all around us.

This path has been a journey for me.  I've grown a lot in simplifying my life, and I still have further to go.  There have been some things that have helped me along the way, things that I continue to fall back on when the call of the world seems louder than what I know to be true.  Simplifying is hard- especially because it's so against what our culture tells us to do.  But it can be done, and together, we can work towards a more simple (and sustainable) life.

Strategy #1:  Gain Control of Your Mind

The way that you think about things is incredibly important.  If you constantly tell yourself something, your brain sends signals to make a "pathway" so that when you're prompted with the same thing again, your brain can easily think a similar thought.  I talk about this a lot with my students.  If you are consistently telling yourself, even in your mind, that you are not good at something, your mind will form a pathway so strong that you will believe that to be the honest truth and then come to accept it.  Let's use an example from the classroom:

A child is presented with a math problem in which she gets wrong.  She thinks to herself, "I must not be good at math."  Neurons fire and remember this thought, making a pathway.  At first it's like a dirt road, not very well traveled.  A few days later, she's presented with another problem and again gets it wrong.  Immediately, her brain goes on the path that has been formed before:  "I must not be good at math".  The path becomes a bit more well traveled now.  This will continue until the path has evolved from a dirt road to a major interstate.  Now, whenever she is asked to do a math problem, she will quickly say, "I can't do it- I'm not good at math".  This self-fulfilling prophesy will likely become true, as she has ultimately convinced her mind that she cannot be good at math.

It is really hard to break these major highways once they've been formed.  But it can be done!  Because here's the truth:  Anyone can get better at anything.  Anyone!  Anything!  Yes, I am a teacher and I'm saying that, but it's true.  With time, effort, and by learning a new strategy, anyone can improve in anything.  I'm not saying you'll become the greatest at something, but I am saying that you will get better.  Believing this to be true opens up a world of possibilities and stops you from limiting yourself solely based on thoughts you've had in the past. 

Your mind is extremely powerful, but so is your will.  Persevere and push through those thoughts of greed when they enter your mind.  At first, just notice them.  When you hear yourself say something like, "I sure would like one of those" or you feel that pit of greed in your stomach, just recognize it as existing.  Once you start to notice them, stop or redirect the thought.  "I sure would like one of those" can change into, "That would be really neat to try, but it's not something I need" or "I sure would like one of those; maybe a friend of mine would let me borrow his for a bit so I can see if it's something I really should invest in."  Thinking things through and redirecting can make a huge difference in your thought process and can stop you from making impulsive decisions to spend.

Strategy #2:  Give Thanks

I have a whole post dedicated to how to cultivate a heart of gratitude on the homestead, but I'll sum it up quickly here.  Giving thanks for what you already have can help foster a contentment with your life as it is.  When you're content with what you have, you're less likely to go out and seek more to make your life better.  Give thanks at the end of each day for things in your life that you are grateful for.  It will make you feel really good too.

Strategy #3:  Remove Things

Sometimes simply decluttering some of your possessions can just feel so good.  Go through your house and give yourself permission to get rid of things you don't really use or care about.  If it doesn't bring you joy, ask yourself why you're keeping it.  Is it because someone you love gave it to you?  Because it's nice?  You are not obligated to keep anything in your home, regardless of who gave it to you.  If it doesn't bring you joy and happiness or it isn't useful, then it might be time to say goodbye.

One quick trick to see if you'll miss something is to hide it away for a month.  Just one.  If you didn't think about it or miss it within that month it was hidden, it's probably not something you really need to have.  Another trick with clothes is the hanger trick.  Simply turn all of your clothes hangers backwards on the rack.  When you wear something, turn it the right way.  After a season, look at the things you didn't wear.  Odds are if you didn't wear it while it was in season, you're probably not ever going to wear it and it would probably make someone else happy.

Strategy #4:  Go Outside!

Go outside and just "be".  Just take in the beauty of everything.  Notice the birds.  Notice the way the ice shines on the trees.  Notice the shape of the landscape.  Just notice.  Don't let your thoughts go anywhere else but this place.  Then, thank God for the beauty of this Earth and the privilege to live here.  Because truly:  we are very lucky.

Strategy #5:  Be Content

Choose your thoughts, your friends, and your activities wisely.  We've talked about how thoughts can control who you are already.  Don't let your mind tell you that what you have isn't good enough.

Similarly, don't surround yourself with people who are going to push you to "keep up with the Jones's".  If you need to buy fancy things in order to fit in with the friends you have, then perhaps the friendship should be evaluated.  Are you friends because of the items you own or because of who you are as people?

It comes back to gratitude- recognize that you are happy and thankful in the moment.  Try to add the phrase, "Thank you, Lord" to your day at least 5 times.  Find times to say it to yourself.  Perhaps it's as you gaze into the face of your little one.  Or when you sit down to eat.  Some people find it easier to remember things if they wear a bracelet or rubberband around their wrist.  When you see the bracelet or rubberband, find something to say thank you for.  Soon it will be a habit that will help you remember how content you are with the life you have right now.

Strategy #6:  Get Creative

Rather than adding something new to your life, think about how you can repurpose something that you already have to fill the need.  So much of what we buy is unnecessary.  Take a jar opener, for example.  The other day D and I were just talking about this!  We brought up a jar of pickles from the basement and were going to open it.  D said that they make fancy openers to open canned lids.  However, a butter knife works just fine for me.  There are lots of gadgets like that out there.  Be ingenuitive and think about how you can make what you need with what you already have.  

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As you start today, I hope you've found some inspiration on ways to simplify.  I'm not perfect, there are still a lot of things in my own life that I need to simplify too.  It's a journey we can take together, encouraging each other along the way.  

What strategies do you have for simplifying?  Have you simplified anything recently and felt really good about it?  Please share with us!

Other Posts to Read...

• Tips to Developing a Heart of Gratitude on the Homestead
• Simple Living:  The Beauty of Slowing Down
• A Simple Life
• Berry Picking:  How It's More Than Just Berries
• The Simple Joys of Daily Living
• 
  

Thank you so much for reading.  If this resonates with you, please share.

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