As I get older, my desire for a simpler life grows. Many things seemed a matter of urgency when I was younger, but as with any toy, they have lost their shine. These days I try my best to filter my life and keeping it simple is a top priority. I am still ambitious. I still want the good life, but if I have to miss out on a few things along the way, so be it. I am so overselling my soul to achieve. A lot of things don’t add much value to my happiness and I can do without them. In my quest for a simpler life, I am discovering there are a few things that are important to me. Here are 4 things I believe will help us live a simpler life.
A calm spirit. The ability to remain calm under pressure is a gift. As I get older, I am actively working towards this. Losing ourselves in the chaos of life is easy being calm takes effort. A calm spirit enables me to have better control over difficult circumstances and protects me against making rash decisions. As I strive for a calmer demeanor, I also realize I have to guard my peace. When my peace is disturbed, I automatically go into attack mode, and then things begin to fall apart. The person or circumstance that is able to disturb my peace has control over me and my emotions. When my spirit is calm, the world does not appear to be such a scary place and living is more enjoyable. On your quest for abundant living, put calmness in your spirit as a top priority.
A sense of humour. Life is too short to not laugh as often as you can. Sometimes it is even necessary to laugh at yourself. A great sense of humour is golden; it goes a long way in easing life’s daily pressures. With all the ugliness in life, there is still much to bring a smile to our faces and laughter to our souls. In case you can’t find anything to laugh about, practice laughing at yourself. A great sense of humour eases the stress of life and reminds us hope is still alive. Laughter is contagious and a spark of humour in difficult situations puts the vilest of sinners at ease. I’m growing in my attitude to not take life so seriously that I forget to laugh. Laughter is still good medicine and we all must agree we need even a bit of laughter in our lives.
A forgiving heart. A simple life needs a forgiving heart. I believe the person who has the capacity to forgive from a genuine place adds years to their life. The world is already full of unforgiving and revengeful people. I don’t need to be added to the numbers. I am not saying forgiveness is a simple thing because it is hard, but is possible. A heart drenched in bitterness and hate will soon self-destruct, but forgiveness is rewarding. Though forgiveness is hard, I would choose it every time because life is too short to allow hate and resentment to have the best of me.
An attitude of gratitude. The longer I’m alive, the more reasons I find to give thanks every day. I may not have everything I want. I’m sure I have everything I need. I can find all the excuses to complain, but what good would it do? Complaining and dissatisfaction do nothing to change our circumstances, so why waste time and energy doing it? I will choose gratitude every time because lessens the blows of life’s trials. As I grow, I realize that I have the choice of viewing life from a different perspective, so choose to have a glass-half-full attitude. As I focus on gratitude, I conclude I cannot run out of things to be thankful no matter how I try. GRATITUDE IS A MUST. A simple life is a noble life. Overthinking, overreacting to, and constantly complaining about life are a waste of time and energy. Stop often and take time to express your gratitude.
The next time you feel like life is running away from you, change direction and embrace simplicity. There is serenity, ease, and clarity to be found in taking life one step at a time. Free yourself of all your excess baggage and pare down your life to only those things that are important. A simpler life is the key to tranquility and abundance.
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