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TOP 10 STEPS TO SIMPLICITY!
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By Patty Kreamer
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Excerpted from The Power of
Simplicity
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1. Be
on the look out for hearing and saying these
statements:
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I am so busy.
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I
never have any time for myself.
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I
am always running late.
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I
never make dinner…I make reservations.
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I
can’t remember the last time my family ate together…
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I
didn’t have a chance to…
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I
am always so tired.
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I
wish I had time to…
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My
office is so messy I can’t get any work done.
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My
house is a disaster area.
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I
never have company…it’s too embarrassing!
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I
never stop running all day but I get so little done.
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Our
family never gets together…we’re all so busy.
2. Recognize
that simplicity is a
journey, not an event.
Simplicity is a
choice. A decision. The bottom line is
that only
you are responsible
for what you bring into your life. Period.
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3. Know
that CLUTTER CAN:
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Make you feel tired
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Affect your body weight
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Keep you living in the past
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Make you put your life on hold
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Induce a feeling of shame and guilt
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Be the main cause of procrastination
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Add unnecessary confusion in your life
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Affect how people treat and/or respect you
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Induce or enhance the chances of depression
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Cause disharmony among family, friends, or coworkers
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4.
Use the NEED VS. WANT” Filter.
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Do I NEED or WANT this item?
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If I NEED this item:
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Where will this live when I get it back to my home
or office?
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If there is no room for it, the second question to
ask is:
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What will I get rid of in order to make room?
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If I WANT this item:
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Can I live without this item?
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Can I wait a week to make the purchase?
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Do I really want to spend my money on this item?
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5. Live
by the ONE IN – ONE OUT Rule.
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This is really simple: When you buy something new,
get rid of something old.
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6.
Identify how you make decisions…EMOTIONALLY or
LOGICALLY.
Emotion might
bring guilt, fear, stress, and several other
feelings into play. Logic, however,
dismisses feelings and goes to the thinking
side of decision-making.
Looking at your stuff, it’s easier to
feel
what it means to you than it is to
think
about what it is doing to you.
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7.
Remember what IMPULSE stands for:
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I
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Must
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Purchase
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Until
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Logic
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Surpasses
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Emotion
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8.
Learn to use THE POWER OF THE PAUSE.
The investment of just a few minutes or seconds in a
“pause” BEFORE anything new enters your life can
make a monumental difference. The period of
time before you decide to bring something new into
your life can be the crucial “make or break point”
in attaining simplicity. You have to make a
conscious decision whether or not you have both
physical and emotional room for it.
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9.
Take Inventory.
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Literally taking an inventory of what you have in
your life will be a productive step for you.
Since clutter is what you no longer see, many times
you don’t even know what you have!
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10. Recognize that
only you can make the choice to live your life on
purpose.
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Simplicity is not easy, but you now have the
essentials to successfully begin the process and
achieve it. Remember that simplicity is not an
event. It is a lifestyle, a choice, YOUR
choice, a journey, and an ongoing path.
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