Showing posts with label For better life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label For better life. Show all posts








Stress is inevitable, yet it is vital for surviving. It keeps you safe and gives you the energy you need to face the upcoming challenges. However, stress becomes a problem when there’s too much of it, when it last for too long or when it comes too often.

Below is a list of things you can do to relieve your stress and make your life a lot easier:



1. Awareness: 

The first step to relieving your stress is to recognize it and be aware of it and its source. Keep in mind that even when most of it comes from within you, the good news is that you’re in the best position to do something about it. You have more control over yourself than you realize.



2. Have more realistic expectations: 

A computer that glitches or a delayed airline departure can be stressful, but that’s only when you expect perfection. Try to see things differently, for instance, technology isn’t perfect, especially a new one, so it’s only reasonable to expect it to bug. When you lower your expectations, you’ll have less chance to stress about things that malfunction.



3. Give yourself permission to take a break: 

We often push ourselves way too hard that having a break will make us feel guilty. A parent who started to take some time for himself on the weekend, instead of spending it with his family, showed up positive results. He became less stressed out and more available for his family. A needed break isn’t a waste of time, so give yourself permission to take a break every now and then.



4. Consider changing something: 

Always ask yourself, are you happy where you are? If you’re not, you might want to consider changing something. If you’re experiencing much pressure from work consider cutting down or changing it if necessary. Remember that what matters most is to be happy, it’s your way to succeed in life and it’s a success itself.



5. Add the word “Enough” to your work-life balance vocabulary: 

Our workday is getting longer. The thing about working for longer hours is that it becomes not only unproductive but counterproductive when you’re tired and under much pressure and stress, you start to make mistakes. You need to start asking yourself “how much work is enough?”, “how much success is enough?” “how much money is enough?”, then set boundaries for yourself, like “no work at home”, or “no work on weekends and vacations”.



6. Learn how to say “No”: 

When you start to say “No” to the extra work or the extra responsibilities, you start feeling more in control of your life. You start having more time and energy for yourself. Saying “No” isn’t counterproductive, it’s about acknowledging the fact that we can’t do everything nor keeping everyone happy, and there’s nothing wrong about that. When you’re exhausted, overloaded and out of time, having more important priorities or if it’s not your responsibility or your area of expertise, that’s when you need to say “No”, and let someone else do it.



7. Get enough sleep: 

Adults need about 8 hours of sleep every night, if you’re getting less, then you have a sleep debt, that means that you’ll need to repay those hours you didn’t get, or else you’ll be sleep deprived. The damage is more than you realize, you might fall asleep while driving, make mistakes on the job and cause injuries or financial loss. In general, your intellectual and memory are impaired. So make sure you get enough sleep before starting your day.



8. Cut down on caffeine: 

Caffeine stimulates adrenaline release, makes you too alert and blocks relaxing chemicals in your body. That much of energy isn’t always needed and it messes up your sleep quality if you had any at all. What people forget about caffeine, is that it’s a drug, you become addicted to having your dose of caffeine. The good news is that there are always alternatives. A cup of water in the morning is scientifically proven to wake you faster than a coffee can.



9. You live in a house, not a museum: 

Keeping the house clean is important, but you shouldn’t spend the whole day cleaning nor should you clean it all by yourself. House chores are to be shared fairly, especially if both parents work outside. At the same time, you should let some things go; beds don’t have to be made every morning, toys don’t have to be picked up each time your kids are done playing.









10. Consider downsizing: 

Objects can consume not only space but much of our time as well while buying, restoring, cleaning them…, which can be a considerable source of stress. Consider having fewer objects and limiting yourself by living in a smaller house. 



11. Learn the art of “doing it now”: 

Procrastination is a common behavior that can cause us a considerable amount of stress. People procrastinate for different reasons; dreading an unpleasant task, lack of confidence, fear of failure… IT turns out that, most often, dreading doing the task consumes more energy and time than doing the task itself. So to avoid procrastination, try to make the job look less intimidating, you can break it down into small tasks. Always consider the relief and reward of getting the job done.



12. Don’t start early on the worrying: 

If some of the worrying is inevitable, a lot more can be delayed. Some people start worrying in advance, thinking that if they worried now they might prevent the event from happening, or they might have a better reaction to face it. When facing an upcoming challenge, the right reaction is not to worry but to be concerned about it. Now there’s a huge difference between being “worried” and “concerned”. While the first is emotional and problem-oriented, the latter is intellectual and solution-oriented. Ask yourself the following:

What’s the worst thing that can happen?

How likely is it to happen?

What can I do to prevent it from happening or to prepare for it?

And then leave it to that.



13. Getting a closure on unfinished tasks: 

We can easily get overwhelmed by multiple unresolved tasks. “They take up space in our heads and weight us down emotionally. There are three things to do about those tasks, you either pursue them, keep them on hold for now or let them go for good. Remember that holiday you promised your mom and never found the time for but still comes into your thoughts every now and then, take it now. Always wanted to move to another place, but never took action on it? Maybe you should decide that your current place is fine for now. Needed some answers from your ex, but he’s not willing to talk about it? Maybe you need to leave it to that and let it go for good.



14. Reframe the way you look at things: 

Things aren’t always what they seem. It all depends on the way you review it. A canceled vacation can be an unfortunate thing, but you also see it as a way to save the money. Always see the good side about everything.



15. Be careful about what you say to yourself: 

Some self-talk can trigger stress like no other event. When you’re about to say “No” to someone, don’t consider it as “adamantly refusing”, rather consider it as “graciously declining”. Sometimes you need to take it easy. It’s okay to “relax”, don’t see it as “laziness” and beat yourself about it.



16. It’s not always about you: 

We often jump to conclusions about why people reacted that way, like not returning our greetings. Most of the time our conclusions aren’t right. Instead of thinking the worst of it, try to come up with excuses, he might be going through a hard time, maybe he didn’t hear you, maybe he has been preoccupied with other thoughts, or maybe he’s rude and it’s his way with everyone else… 



17. Cope with difficult people: 

Some people might give us a hard time and add to our stress. Obviously, avoiding them would be a great strategy to deal with them. However, you might not be able to avoid them, as when you have to work with them. Get to know them better, sometimes knowing someone can lessen the feelings of tension. Try to put yourself in their place, that way you’ll find it easier to understand the way they are and to accept them.



18. Stop letting others control you: 

You don’t have to put up with others’ behavior and controlling ways. You need to object and stop giving others permission to use you or control you. This can be done gently because taking control back doesn’t mean to have the power over those people but to be independent. For example, if your spouse can get abusive sometimes and get you into arguments, you don’t have to aim for control over the relationship, you simply have to stand up and say “I’m not getting into this argument” and watch him have his temper tantrum. You’ll see that he’ll calm down in no time.



19. Make healthy choices: 

There are many ways people use to cope with stress. Some choose to eat their favorite food, some light up a cigarette, some indulge themselves in work, some go out for a run… those ways, even though they aim for the same finality; keeping the stress away, not all of them are healthy, and while it’s fine for you to distract yourself from stress, it’s quite important to choose wisely and make healthy choices.



20. Breathe deeply: 

One of the best relaxation techniques is breathing. “When you breathe as if you are relaxed, you become relaxed”. Focus on breathing deeply and watch as your tummy rise when you inhale and fall as you exhale.



21. Share your problem: 

They say, a problem shared is a problem halved. It’s quite important to have social support in our lives in general. For that don’t wait till you’re up the twist to run out to someone to tell him about your day, keep up a healthy social life.



“Stress is a fact of life, but it needn’t be a way of life”.


















Because one should live smart, there are many hacks you can use to make your life way much easier. Below is a list of hacks I’ve learned from crumbly that’ll make a difference in your life:

Health:


1- Apart from meditation, running is one of the best ways to reduce your stress.

2- It’s been proven that eating a banana in the morning help relieve depression, irritation and anger.

3- A glass of water in the morning can wake you faster than coffee.

4- A good way to relieve stress, depression and anxiety is to get your hair and nails done.

5- Feeling depressed? Try drinking water, you might be chronically dehydrated.

6- Other effective treatments for depression are exercise and spending time with pets.

7- When feeling depressed, do some cleaning. Straightening out the physical aspects of your life can also bring clarity to the mental ones.

8- If you want to lose weight, don’t eat 4 hours before bed. It makes a huge difference.

9- Your phone emits a radiation that's 1000 times stronger when the battery is low. Avoid answering it when this is the case.

10- The reason why the cords for chargers are so short, is because using your phone while it's charging can damage the battery.

11- 11 Stress Relieving Foods - Bananas - Pasta - Almonds - Grapes - Green Tea - Oatmeal - Chocolate - Watermelon - Orange Juice - Corn Flakes - Tuna.








Life:

1- If you have to justify it to yourself and hide it from others, it might be a bad idea.

2- When you pee in the shower, you actually save about 1,157 gallons of water a year.

3- If you assume that everything always works out in the end, each time you face a challenge, it usually does.

4- When you can’t make a decision about something, flip a coin. That way, you'll realize what you really want when it is in the air.

5- 2 things you should spend more on; a bed and shoes. If you're not in one, you're in the other.

6- When bringing up children, remember this: the tighter the leash, the further the run when it breaks free.

7- If you want to improve the quality of your relationships, apply the following rule “Admit it when you're wrong and shut up when you're right”.

8- You can buy fun, but you can't buy happiness. Don't get the two confused.

9- Success isn't the way to happiness. Happiness is the way to success. If you love what you are doing, you'll be successful.

10- Behavioral scientists say that we need 21 days to make or break a habit. So, if you can go 21 days without something, you won't need it anymore.

11- It’s been proven that surrounding yourself with positive people increases your life expectancy.

12- Learn to appreciate your grandparents. You'll regret the time you didn't spend with them when they pass away.

13- Never loan someone more than you can afford to give away.

14- If you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room!

15- Watching the news too much has been proven to depress you and give you an unrealistic view of the world.

16- Smiling, even in a bad mood, will immediately improve your mood. Using these muscles is enough to trigger happy chemicals in the brain.

17- Take pride in everything you do, from flipping burgers to building rockets. It will always show in the quality of your work.

18- Don't ever lie to your doctor, regardless of how embarrassed you are about something. It could save your life!

19- We only need 2 close friends in whom we can trust and dedicate ourselves. Having too many friends might lead to depression and stress!

20- Always go out in public dressed like you're about to meet the love of your life.

21- If you can't afford two of it, you can't afford it.

22- Everyone talks about leaving the planet a better place for our kids. But we should also leave better kids for the planet.

23- The Two-Minute Rule: If you see something that needs doing, and it can be completed within two minutes, do it immediately.

24- Keep a piece of paper and pencil by your bed. People mostly get their best ideas at night.

25- Get a puppy before you decide to have children!

26- If you're having trouble making an important decision, sleep on it. Every big decision deserves at least 24 hours of consideration.

27- Whenever you are planning to start something new, Google search for “Things I wish I knew when I started XYZ.” You will have a complete insight of it.









Relationships:


1- If you have a crush on someone, tell them. That way, you'll either get them, or you'll be set free.

2- When you’re going to dinner and a movie, go to the movie first and then dinner. This way you’ll have something to talk about at dinner.

3- If you're friendzoned, ask her to set you up with one of her friends. That way, she'll either feel jealous and admit her feelings or fix you up on a date.

4- Keep the toilet seat lid down. It creates more problems in married lives than you can imagine.

5- When she starts talking about her problems, don't jump up to give her advice. Just listen.

6- While arguing, hold hands. It’s hard to stay angry while holding hands.

7- Have some common interests between you. You’ll have much more to talk about when you read, watch and listen to the same books, TV shows, movies, music…

8- Keep you love before your ego if you want a lasting relationship. If it isn’t important don’t argue over it.

9- Learn to be happy on your own before increasing your happiness with your partner. If a person who won’t make himself happy, no one else will.

10- Couples who laugh together for 10 minutes a day have a 75% higher chance of having a lasting relationship.

11- Anonymously, send flowers to your wife or girlfriend. If she comes home without them, she could be cheating on you.

12- When on a date, one of the best way to judge a person's character is to see how they treat the waiter.

13- When wearing a new cologne, use a small amount of it. That way, if she likes it, she'll get closer to you to smell it. If she doesn't, it won’t be overpowering.

15- Make note of what your partner does for you when you're sick. It's probably the same things that comfort them the most when they don't feel well.

16- To judge a partner’s character; look at the level of respect a boy treats his mother, or a girl treats her father. This is the level of respect in which they will treat you in a few years.

17- The best marriage will start as a friendship. Marrying someone you consider a close friend reduces the divorce rate by nearly 80%.









Money savers :

1- To save money, think of money as "hours of work" instead of just dollars.

2- When shopping, the cheapest items will be on the top and bottom shelves; not eye level.

3- Never go to the grocery store hungry. You'll end up buying many things you don't actually need.

4- When shopping online, Google the promo codes before making a purchase. You can get anything, from free shipping to 25% off.

5- Candles will burn longer and drip less if they are placed in the freezer for a few hours before using.

6- Ran out of shaving cream? Use olive oil for similar results.

7- Call any pizza place and ask if they have any orders that people didn't pick up. They will let you have them at a discount price.

8- Learn to prefer quality over quantity. A good pair of jeans will last longer than a cheaper one.








Daily life solutions :


1- Put things back where you looked for them first, not where you found them.

2- On Blahtherapy.com and 7cups.com you can find a stranger listener to whom you can vent your problems and secrets.

3- If you can’t decide what to get someone for their birthday. Have them make three guesses of "what you got them." And there you have three things he or she wants.

4- Thinking about sex can temporarily relieve the urge to pee in the case of an emergency.

5- It’s been proven that you’re more likely to remember something you have written in blue ink than something you have written in black ink.

6- To make small shoes fit perfectly, put on three pairs of socks, put the shoes on, and blow dry for 10 minutes.

6- Tie a small piece of bright-colored fabric to your luggage. That way you’ll spot your bag in no time at the airport.

7- It’s been proven that sleeping in a cold room is more likely to cause bad dreams.

8- One of the best ways to cure hiccups is to TRY to hiccup. If it doesn’t work try holding your breath and swallowing three times.

9- To fall asleep easier, read a book. Reading before bed tires your eyes which tricks your brain into feeling tired and thus you fall asleep easier.

10- Eating an orange before working out, keeps you hydrated, and prevents your muscles from getting sore.

11- Cuddling enhances the release of oxytocin which helps wounds heal faster.

12- If you have painful gas, try laying on your back then lift your left knee to your chest. You'll fart right away.

13- If you brush your teeth and still have bad breath, brush your tongue. It’s where bad breath starts.

14- If you need a boost of motivation, take a shower. It will increase your productivity.

15- To suppress laughter at inappropriate times, exhale as much air as possible and hold.

16- When you’re about to face a situation that would make you nervous like public speaking, chew a gum. If you’re 'eating' something, your brain reasons 'I would not be eating if it were a danger. So, I'm not in danger'.

17- If you want to quit smoking, buy the cheapest and most disgusting cigarettes you can and smoke it. this will help your willpower.

18- Another solution to help you quit smoking; go to a sauna 3 days in a row. sweating out the nicotine and will make it easier for you to quit.

19- If you’re going to send your resume, send it as a PDF file and not a word file. it's much professional looking.

20- Have a professional-sounding email address. Nothing turns off an employer faster than "yoloswag540@bromail.com on your resume.

21- After a job interview, if you’re asked "Do you have any questions?" always ask "Yes, is there anything about my application that concerns you?”.

22- When you’re well hydrated, you’re body has less effort to do at night which means you can get less sleep.

23- Before going to bed, stretch for 5 minutes. Your muscles will be more relaxed and it'll be easier to fall asleep.

24- Safety tip: if you have to park in a city at night, park in front of a bank. They're lit up and have cameras everywhere.

25- Women will be more receptive to you if you compliment their abilities and skills more than their appearances.

26- When proofreading, read out loud to yourself. Your mouth will catch errors your mind might glance over.

27- If someone presses all of the buttons on an elevator, you can avoid stopping on each floor by pressing each button again twice.

28- When you accidentally text the wrong person, immediately put your phone on airplane mode and once it fails to deliver, delete the message.

29- It’s been proven that smelling rubbing alcohol can relieve nausea almost instantly.

30- Take an empty tissue box and attach it to a full tissue box with elastic bands. Put your used tissues in the empty box and throw it away when it's full.

31- To prevent premature email sent, fill the email address at the end of typing message. This way, you'll never accidentally click and send a premature email.

32- If you bought new jeans and they turn your hands blue, you can wash them with a tablespoon of salt to set the dye.

33- Holding a baby? Raise your eyebrows, don't furrow them. Babies are observant of faces, so they'll be less likely to cry.

34- Before frying, sprinkle a little salt in your pan which will help keep the oil from splattering.

35- If you peel a banana from the bottom, you won't have to pick the little "stringy things" off of it.

36- Put dry tea bags in your smelly shoes or gym bags, it will absorb the unpleasant odor.





37- Don't know whether to write "affect" or "effect"? Use "impact" instead.

38- If chewing gum got stuck in your hair, don't panic and find ice cubes. By clamping the gum between two ice cubes for a minute will freeze the gum and make that structure more rigid to be scraped away.

39- Got a pimple before something important? Use an ice cube to shrink it!

40- Roll your clothes before placing them in the suitcase. This will give you extra space to store other things as well.

41- Suspect someone’s giving you the wrong phone number? Read it back to them incorrectly, if they correct you, it’s legit.

42- Taking a quick nap after learning something new can solidify that memory in your brain

43- Think of being with someone you like/love the moment before you get your picture taken... perfect natural smiles every time.

44- Take note of your body's sleeping position in the morning. This is probably your most comfortable sleeping position. Knowing this can help you get to sleep quicker!

45- Smile before answering the phone. It will make you sound happier and lead to a better conversation.

46- Dial the French button when calling customer support. They always speak good English and you won't have to wait.

47- If your phone battery is really low and you need it for later don't turn it off. Instead, put it on airplane mode. Turning it off and on will waste more battery life.















Our home is a living space, not a storage space. – Francine Jay

Happiness doesn’t come as a result of having more, but rather from the result of appreciating what we already have. Below are touching confessions from people who found happiness in simplifying their lives to inspire you:



1
- When I added up the amount of time spent purging the stuff, not to mention the buying, I realized I had been wasting the most precious gift I had been given… my life.






2
- We’ve learned the importance of what is referred to as the “one thing in, one thing out” rule.

3
- I would imagine the gone, and a sense of freedom and weightlessness would come over me.

4
- I can’t help but wonder, how many priceless memories never would have been made if we’d kept our television.







5
- What we have isn’t as important to us as who we have in our lives.





6
- I learned a very big lesson. Use it or give it to someone who can.






7
- I began to realize that I already had my dream home. One that enabled me to have freedom from loads of debt while still meeting all of my family’s needs. I didn’t need a certain zip code or amount of square footage to make me happy.

8
- Memories are not made of things but of relationships. Lives are not connected by objects but by stories about those things. Appreciating family heirloom can be a wonderful thing, but allowing possessions to possess us is not.





9
- The reasons people hold on so tightly to stuff they don’t use it because they think they might need it someday, or because it reminds them of a person or a time from their past. Maybe it gives them a sense of security, of safety in a world that sometimes feels too large, too impersonal, too lonely. Jimmy and I have learned that most stuff can be easily and cheaply replaced if you need it, and is quickly forgotten when out of sight. And those forever memories are carried with us in our hearts, not our attics, and are all we really need. How often do you actually dig Aunt Helen’s teapot or Grandpa Jack’s old Derby out of the attic and thing about the departed? More often it’s an old song, the smell of fresh-dried lavender, the taste of rhubarb pie catching you unaware, that triggers memories and brings those loved ones back to you for a brief moment.

10
- It occurred to me that none of us truly owns our possessions. Every item you have must be cared for, kept clean and, sometimes, insured. Rather than “owning” possessions, after a time, they “own” us.





11
- When I look back at all those years I was paying storage fees, I think about how I could have used that money to help put some of my grandchildren through college. As I write this, I wonder what took me so long?

12
- As I emptied the walls, I was overcome with an unexpected sensation. The rooms suddenly felt brighter, cleaner, sunnier, larger.





13
- The “one bag rule” has been so successful that today I refuse to go anywhere with more than one bag, be it a weeklong trip or a day at the mall. Teaching myself that I didn’t need as much stuff made me stronger, braver, calmer, more adventurous and so much happier.





14
- I calculate that the TV is on in our house for about fifteen hours a day! That’s 105 hours a week, 450 hours a month, 5400 a year! Gone are the days of reading, sewing, painting, taking walks, or sitting on the swing in the garden talking to old friends on the phone. All are put off until the next commercial or the end of the show.
It’s time to take my life back. I’m taking the plunge and disconnecting from TV.

15
- Spending less time in virtual reality strengthened our family bonds. Now we spend more time updating the status of our relationship with each other than any of our social media accounts. Who knew unplugging could lead to feeling so plugged in?

16
- We sometimes count our blessings in things. The truth is one of the greatest blessings we have is our own ability to look beyond ourselves.

17
- Learning to live without the items that we thought were essential helped us to realize that they weren’t essential at all.





18
- It occurred to me that I had bought so many things that were supposed to make life easier and better, but they’d done just the opposite.





19
- I never knew we could be more content with so much less stuff and less space. Our ancestors may have lived with less stuff and in one-room homes from necessity, but today we are choosing this life every day because it allows us to focus on each other. Sure, there are moments where I feel like I might explode from the intensity of sound and proximity. Yes, there are times I fire up the van and squeal away to a coffee shop to just hear my own thoughts! Yet, I now feel such depth of joy and connection in my life.

20
- I realized that I didn’t need or even care about all the luxuries afforded to me back home. The size of my house, the labels on my wardrobe, inclusion in a social scene. What did that really matter? What did that prove about my worth? Absolutely nothing. And that knowledge was absolutely freeing.

21
- We have realized how little we really need to be happy. We have learned how the most important moments in life aren’t when we get new gifts or things, but when we live happy moments with our family and friends. We know that experiences are the best treasures.

22
- I kept the things I most loved and became very creative with how I used them. Several years later, I still live fairly simply and far more thoughtfully. Do I have a use for it and a place for it? And do I really love it, or would someone else love it even more?

23
- You don’t need entertainment, a fancy cake or even a piñata to make a birthday memorable. You just need to share it with someone special.





24
- Here’s my mantra: Release the stuff, unleash the magic.





25
- Here’s what I learned:
1- Stuff does not bring happiness.
2- Before I buy anything, I re-evaluate the cost and need.
3- Nothing will change until my heart wants it to change.
4- We are all on this earth to help one another and we all have to do our part.
5- When we pour out our lives for others, we are the ones who experience the happiness and feel fulfilled.





26
- From that moment on, I have asked myself this question: “Can you without this?” If my answer is yes, or if I have to think about it for a moment, I don’t buy it. My closet today is one-tenth the size it used to be and nowhere near filled. It brings me tremendous joy when I see how simple life can be just by looking in my closet. I love my clothes and I wear each and every piece. No longer do I look around at my life and think, “What a waste.” Rather, I think, “What a blessing to be so free from the chains of STUFF.”

27
- As I reduced my possessions, giving them away to the people who really needed them, the amount of pleasure I got from life increased. I no longer took hours to get ready, hunting for missing items or trying to salvage an ill-matched outfit. The constant hum of anxiety, which I’d dragged around with me since my twenties, began to abate and in its place, I found freedom.

28
- I spent three years in Nigeria, teaching underprivileged school children, and in return I learnt the most valuable lessons of all: possessions will not make you happy but people might; experiences are worth more than the world’s most amazing dress; what you lose in clutter, you’ll gain in joy; don’t choose trappings, choose life.

29
- How do you know when you have enough? I struggled with that question until I remembered the quote from John D. Rockefeller. He was once asked, “How much money is enough?” he answered, “Just a little bit more.” I decided I didn’t want to be someone who spent her life chasing “just a little bit more.”

30
- I’ve learned to appreciate the worth of all my experiences. I’ve also learned to be content with what I have. Others may have more, but I have enough… and enough is just right for me.






31
- During my five years without credit cards and a limited, irregular cash flow, I developed some of the traits of people who survived the Great Depression. Forget about shopping for trendy new outfits. I now wanted to wear my clothes until they fell apart. Who was treating everyone to dinner now? It certainly wasn’t me. My gifts became more thoughtful and less expensive. One Christmas I made everyone brownies and these were received with much more enthusiasm than my usual store-bought offerings. When I was finally free to resume using credit cards, I didn’t. for big purchases, I used my debit card and anything under $200 was strictly cash. If I didn’t have the cash, the purchase could, and did, wait.

32
- When I was younger, I loved to “try on” new things: new activities, new foods, new people… to see what suited me. Now that I’m older, I finally know myself. These days I’m simplifying my life; with fewer hobbies and commitments, I need less stuff. I can get rid of the dance shoes, athletic gear, and business suits that were part of my old lifestyle, as well as the home furnishings, beauty products, and even people in my life who are no longer right for me. And when it comes to jewelry, I’ve come to realize that I’m not the diamond tennis bracelet type. I had to lose all those sparkling things to find my own sparkle. As I’m paring down my lifestyle and possessions, I’m homing in on the essence of me.

33
- We make less money, live in a much smaller house, and have a lot less stuff, but we are so much happier. Our lives are not focused on taking care of the house, making more money and acquiring more stuff, but building lasting relationships and making more memories. Life is focused now on what we are putting into our hearts and not what we are putting into our closets.






34- Two years later, I feel differently about the fire. Despite the loss of valued mementoes, the fire did burn away a lot of needless clutter from my home and my life. I discovered that life is much easier with fewer items and less “stuff” to clutter the journey. I didn’t replace many of the things that I thought were necessities before the fire. My newly built home is cleaner and has more open space, as do I.

35- We’ve been very happy in our new home, half the size of our old one. We have half as much stuff as we did before. We don’t miss it, and we have not lost the happy memories of our old home. Those came with us, and they were the only things we never had to box up or unpack.

36- By taking control of my closet, life became a little easier. I decided never again to own more than twenty pairs of shoes. I’ve kept to my rule though there are occasions when I find myself gazing at a snappy pair of shoes marked down to nearly nothing. But there’s truth in numbers. My twenty-pair rule shapes the parameters of my shopping. I can’t add new shoes without subtracting old ones. This formula helps me think a lot harder before succumbing to temptation and making a purchase.






Aim for a life where there is:
Less TV, more reading
Less junk food, more real food
Less clutter, more space
Less consuming, more creating
Less worrying, more smiling


Before buying something new, ask yourself:
- Will I use it?
- Do I want to store it?
- Do I want to clean or maintain it?
- Would I rather with the money buy something else?






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