Everyone talks about doing more of this and less of that and while we mean what we say when we talk about these ideas they turn more into ‘if I could I would’ than actual plans to move towards achieving these goals.
The key in moving these ideas and plans forward is to identify what it is that you really want, think about where you are at and then to identify where you want to be. This is what Megan and myself have been talking about for the past few weeks.
We have been talking about our journeys towards simple, sustainable and meaningful lives but where does this fit into our lives and where are we heading?
Simple
It sounds straight forward doesn’t it? I want to lead a simple life. However this is far from easy to achieve.
We all have commitments and obligations which take us away from what we would necessarily like to be doing. This is a part of the world and unfortunately there are few of us that have the luxury of solely doing what we want.
This is not however what leading a simple life means.
While we are still at the start of our journey and have much to learn, we want to spend our time doing what is important and fulfilling to us, and want you to do the same. This is different for every person but the steps towards this are the same.
Have you identified what is important to you?
We have and now we are starting our journey towards our goals. This, for us is starting with decluttering our lives. By identifying what is important to us we can focus on these things and everything else can take a back bench.
Focus on what makes you happy and start making choices and decisions that lead you there.
We have also began to declutter our lives by donating or disposing of physical items in our lives. When was the last time you looked around your house and thought every item I own I use regularly? I haven’t.
Are there items in house collecting dust? Maybe it’s time to find them a new home. Doing this also creates more space, less to clean and simplifies your living.
Does your house have too many things distracting you in your own house or is it a peaceful place that you go home to and relax in?
By physically organising yourself and your belongings, you are determining what is important to you and putting it center stage.
This is what living simply is about for us, identifying what is important and what is taking up time in our lives and then moving towards what makes us happy.
Sustainable
Sustainability is a very over used word at the moment and is at the top of many debates around the world.
While we do agree that the sustainability of the planet should not be ignored, when we talk about living a sustainable life we mean closer to home, we mean each of us individually living sustainably.
Do you consider the life you lead to be sustainable?
Do you think about the impact of your decisions or do you live your life impulsively and whimsically?
Living sustainably does not just mean the environment.
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- Are living within your means?
- Are you financially sustainable or do you constantly blow your budget and max out the credit cards?
- Do you maintain sustainable relationships in your life?
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Both Megan and myself are working towards sustainable lifestyles. We are trying to incorporate sustainable aspects in all categories of our lives.
By defining if physical items are wants or needs when we want to purchase things. This is not meaning we are going without, just becoming more conscious about what we are buying, where we are buying and why we are buying items.
Do you shop locally or support local business?
Do you recycle? With a little research in your area you can usually find a better place for items than the bin and you will feel better about having helped to recycle.
We are also starting a veggie patch of our own which we hope to grow and expand.
Working towards a sustainable lifestyle is not an overnight decision and will take time to get used to as it involves changing habits and your thought processes.
We look forward to sharing with you our journey and all the bumps along the way as we journey towards a more sustainable lifestyle.
Meaningful
Leading a meaningful life involves identifying what you value and cherish in your life and working towards this. People who lead happy and fulfilled undertake activities that are important to them and have a sense of direction and self-awareness. Once again this will be different for every person.
By working towards simplifying our lives we have determined what is important to us and decided to focus on putting our energy into these activities making our lives more meaningful to us.
If you live and organise your life around what is important to you, you will as a by-product start to lead a meaningful life however big or small you dream.
No one wants life to pass them by and when you start to do things important to you start to live and what you do has meaning. Do you get out of bed in the morning and feel excited about what you are going to do for the day?
Next week we will be talking about taking the first steps towards a simple, sustainable and meaningful life and how we have started our journeys.
What are your thoughts on how you could begin a simple, sustainable, meaningful life today?