Learning to be Happy with Less

A lot of people are writing books and blog posts about downsizing and simplifying your life. Sounds like a good idea, right? Before you can downsize and simplify your life, you need to learn to be happy with less.

There is really no step by step check list that will teach you to be happy with less. Like all self improvement, being happy with less, is something you just have to sort out for yourself.

If you want to learn to be happy with less, you are going to have to do a little soul searching. A good way to start, is to unplug yourself from the media, and your daily routines for a little while. Take a three day weekend, and unplug your TV, stay away from your computer, the radio, the newspaper, turn off your smart-phone, etc...

Spend some time taking long nature walks, and sitting quietly in your back yard, all the while thinking about all the clutter in your life. Do you really need all those material goods complicating your life, and sucking money out of your pocket? Many of the things we've accumulated through the years have an on going cost associated with them. Extra cars, boats, rv's, way more lawn tractor than our property needs, swimming pools, extensive cable or satellite TV packages, etc...

How often do you really use all that stuff anyway? If you aren't using it on a regular basis, you can be sure, it's more trouble than it's worth! All these things require time and/or money to maintain. You need to go to work to get money, and going to work means less leisure time. Your leisure time needs to get divided between actual leisure activities, and maintaining your goods and property. See where this is going?

It's really just a question of figuring out what you get enjoyment from in life. The answer is different for all of us, that's why it's important to unplug from the media when trying to discover what really makes you happy. We are constantly being marketed to, and it's an advertiser's job to make us think we need what they are selling.

I'm not suggesting that you whittle your possessions down to what you can fit in a milk crate, and living in a one room shack. But you may be able to work less, and retire earlier if you stop wasting resources and effort on all those things that aren't really bring you much happiness anyway.

The bottom line is to think about what you really want from life, focus on it, and enjoy the hell out of yourself. Stop wasting time and resources, and start living!

Author: Claudine B. Jansen