When I posted my first article here on Liv Simpl, I soon received this comment:

“Sounds ideal but not sure on how to realistically get to the point of saying you are “simple living”. I totally get the concept and agree that it probably helps people see and focus on what’s important but life itself doesn’t seem simple.”

I respectfully disagree. Most times, it’s not life that complicates things–it’s us. I think it’s human nature to make things more complicated than they really are. The word “complication” is really just another way of saying “clutter.” So how do you get rid of this clutter?

Try doing these five things:

1. Stop choosing ______ over your dreams.
2. Don’t take on more than you can handle.
3. Learn to say no.
4. Do what you want to do and what you have to do.
5. Reject materialism and status symbols.

Stop choosing ______ over your dreams.

When you do this you’re essentially cluttering your life with things you don’t really want in the first place. I call it noise. But it’s noise of the soul-killing variety.

Don’t take on more than you can handle.

I see this all the time. People sign up for something they really don’t have the time or expertise to accomplish. As a result, they end up frustrated and unhappy. If you don’t have time for something, or it’s not a priority, do everyone a favor and say so. Which leads me to…

Learn to say no.

My rule on yes or no questions is that, well, they’re yes or no questions. If you ask me one you’ve got a 50/50 chance that I’ll say yes. And, yes, I won’t feel bad about saying no. Yet, so many people struggle with saying no. Is this you? If so, I’d bet money on the chance that you’re also overworked and stressed. Sound fun? No? How about this instead. Next time someone asks you a yes or no question, remember they have given you permission to answer honestly. Simple.

Do what you want to do and what you have to do.

Everything else is just a distraction. Regardless of what anyone else says you really can create the life you want. This is one way to walk the path of simplicity. But sometimes you do what you have to do. Ideally, you should still–somewhere deep down–want to do what you have to do–like taking care of your family, for example. The point is: if you’re doing something you don’t want to do, then you’ve just added more clutter and complication into your life.

Reject materialism and status symbols

My partner and I live a very simple lifestyle. We rent, have modest furnishings, cook our own meals (mostly), live car(e)-free and check books out from the library. Why am I saying all this? Because experience has taught me that materialism is the quickest route to clutter and, usually, debt. While some people may think we’re missing out, that’s not the case. We’ve simply made a choice to reject materialism in favor of freedom. Status symbols often come with a price that, frankly, I’m not willing to pay. So ask yourself: Do you really need that car? Is your decision to own a house making your life simpler or more complicated? Are all of those shoes really necessary?

We all have to make choices in life and we have to take ownership of the consequences of those decisions. I believe that once you begin to make the choices you really want to make, life becomes simpler…and better.

What do you think? Are there any other ways that you think you’ve allowed life to become too complicated?