When the benefits of a simple life outweigh the life we find ourselves living, it's time for a change. Did you know two-thirds of Americans say they are likely to seek help for stress? Did you know fifty-four percent of Americans are concerned about the level of stress in their everyday lives? While it's true stress affects everyone, and not all stress is bad, we do have the power to control the stress in our lives. Three years ago, my son moved to China. His life in the states had become too burdensome. He was experiencing physical side effects, and he needed a change. Not just a change of scenery, but a change of lifestyle. His life as an educator had left him overburdened, over-stressed and desperate for a simpler, more adventurous life. Although it took me quite a few Continue Reading
7 Creative Ways to Maximize and Simplify Your Time
Hopefully, we're already experiencing the rewards of our choice to simplify different areas of our life. We've spent the past 5 weeks creating order out of chaos, distinguishing what we love and what we can do without for the sake of simplicity. We've sifted through drawers, cabinets, closets, shelves, technology and beyond to eliminate the excess and create more white space to enjoy the life we've been given. But what about our schedules? What about our 43,800 minutes each month that we get to choose how to live? “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” ~Steve Jobs It's impossible and unnecessary to account for every second in our day, and that's not the spirit behind this quote or behind simplifying our time. The truth is, we give up a lot of Continue Reading
Braving Unmet Expectations & Finding Hope – Made for Brave Sisterhood
He left when I was twelve. War, PTSD, and alcoholism left my father a broken man, unable to cope with the responsibilities of family. I visited him summers and weekends, but we never regained the daddy-daughter relationship that my heart yearned for. I so wanted him to acknowledge me, listen to me, and show an interest in my life, but he was overwhelmed trying to survive his own. Then I had my first child. Something about holding my baby and feeling a love so intense I couldn’t breathe caused me to question how my own father could resist loving me. After conversations with my older sister and a couple of visits to Al-Anon, I began to realize that I needed to let go of the expectation that he would be able to show me love in the way I desired. So, instead, I determined to show Him Continue Reading
The Simple Life Project: A 30 Day Action Plan & Formula for Success
We are 5 weeks into our Simple Life Series, and I'm so excited about this week's project! I don't know about you, but I've tried several different systems for simplifying, and each one leaves me either overwhelmed from the enormity of tasks or bored because the system just doesn't work for me. Creating a simple life shouldn't be difficult, time-consuming or overwhelming. Instead, I believe the process should create momentum and satisfaction. It doesn't work for me to go room by room, piling all of my stuff in one place and sorting through it meticulously. Not only is this method a bit overwhelming, but it also makes progress difficult to measure. I don't like clutter, so creating a huge pile of clutter to sift through creates more anxiety and frustration. I prefer the way of Continue Reading