Quest For The Simple Life: The Four Cornerstones
What is your definition of the simple life? Does something immediately come to mind or does it take a while to develop the idea and put it into words? Is it attainable or is it some always in the distance, always just out of reach, idealized notion that you occasionally catch a glimmer of but never see clearly or in its entirety?
To me, the simple life is a harmonious, zen-like state in which one’s general flow of activities work towards a peaceful existence. To do this successfully, it helps to get to know yourself and what your life goals are. It may sound silly to say this, but with all of the modern distractions and our perpetually hyperstimulated, dopamine-addicted culture, learning who you actually are can be quite a daunting task.
Here are four of the cornerstones of a simple life:
Minimize / eliminate clutter and excessive belongings. When we’re surrounded by chaos our inner self responds accordingly. Life is difficult enough without creating a more stressful environment.
Avoid excessive busyness. Don’t try to be everything to everyone. Don’t over-schedule / over-commit. In the end, we sometimes feel like we’ve been punched into submission and stretched out like toffee. Learn to say no.
Avoid perpetual hyperstimulation. In fact, strive for periods of non stimulation and complete inactivity. Easier said than done sometimes, but we have to step away from the roller coaster to regain our balance
Put down the shovel and stop digging. When things are out of balance, we sometimes have a tendency to struggle and splash around more rather than to simply put our feet on the ground and stand up to get our heads above the water. If you are paddling down a river and you hear banjos playing, you should absolutely paddle faster and sort it out later. Otherwise, calm down and give standing a try.
While the principles are solid, not everyone’s simple life is going to look exactly the same. Some might find solace in a minimalist lifestyle. Others may be stressed out by the same minimalism. My simple life involves living in the country. Others may be put off by the critters or the increased distance to grocery stores, hospitals, etc. My simple life involves hunting, gathering and raising my own food. Others are content to go to the grocery store and could care less about how their food got there or what went into it. Different paths to the same goal with very different appearances.
I long for the simple life. Sometimes, like so many other people, I create my own barriers to achieving it. I am taking this opportunity to step back and re-evaluate. Going forward, I am going to take a more mindful approach to the four cornerstones. Instead of trying to fill every minute of every day and every day of every week with tasks, I’m going to spend some time chilling the hell out and remembering how to be still. Instead of struggling against circumstances, I’m going to learn how to relax and ride the current. Instead of allowing myself to be hyperstimulated I’m going to be deliberate about making time to withdraw into the quiet. Instead of accumulating possessions, I’m going to clean out my closet. And garage. And driveway. And…
Which of the four cornerstones is your biggest barrier to achieving the simple life?
What can you do to break through and conquer it?
