What Does It Mean To Simplify Life?

Everyone has a different point of view when it comes to simplifying life. When one talks about simplicity images of a happy organized life or even a dull boring one may come to mind. The following definitions are often associated with simplifying life:

Simplify – to make less complex or complicated; make plainer or easier: to simplify a problem.
Minimalism : a style or technique (as in music, literature, or design) that is characterized by extreme spareness and simplicity.
Simple Living : reducing one’s possessions or increasing self-sufficiency, being satisfied with what you need rather than want.

I do like the idea of a minimalist lifestyle but right now that isn’t the main goal. We don’t have tons of stuff but I also don’t think we will be taking on a 100 thing challenge just yet, although it does sound like fun to me! It is not for everyone though.

Then, when I think of living so simple that technology is not included I cringe. In fact technology is helping me simplify many things, but it can also be a hindrance in some ways. It is a nice thought to disconnect for a few days, not forever!  However, to make life less complex, easier – that, I can live with.

As our house sits on the market we think about what simplifying life would mean to us…

Getting rid of the excess. As I look through cabinets and closets the chance of moving is always in the back of my mind. I am taking mental note of things we could part with in order to downsize. We all have that “in case we need it” stuff that just takes up space. I’ve been decluttering some of those items already. I look forward to keeping only the things we love and use.

Freedom to give and save. We would like to be able to put more money in savings and have the freedom to give more to causes we are passionate about. As well as being more mindful of things we buy because we won’t have the space we have now. I would rather my children learn to give more freely than to receive, and appreciate the things that they love most.

Living in the NOW. We spend a lot of time, energy and resources on a home that is simply to big for us. Life is too short and we don’t want to look back and think of missed opportunities just because we were wrapped up in something made out of brick and mortar. Yes it is our home but there is so much more to see outside of these walls. Now I think it would be really cool to just hop in an RV and travel the states indefinitely, but that is one of those things that falls on the “not for everyone” list.

Making healthier choices. Besides a smaller house we are looking for a larger yard and look forward to something a little more than container gardening. It would be amazing to have the whole family working on a garden together and reaping the benefits from it’s harvest.

Being kinder to the environment. Along with the larger yard I hope to be able to implement more “green” into our lives like using a rain barrel, compost bin and being more intentional about our waste. We recycle quite a bit now, but could do so much better.

So these are some of the things we have been considering lately. And of course there is one other huge benefit to simplifying life that I didn’t mention above… Less Stress! That is something I am definitely looking forward to!

What does your version of a simplified life look like?