On my mind

I stumbled across this article by Dean Anderson on SparkPeople today, and it covers so many things that I'm thinking about and trying to address this year that rather than try and say it all myself I thought I'd just post it instead. It's a nice introduction not only to voluntary simplicity (without freaking you out) but a reminder of why we tend to overindulge in the first place.

Some highlights that really resonated with me (italics are his, bolds are mine):

"Voluntary simplicity is less about doing without certain things, and more about having just enough. It’s about living a full life by intentionally designing your life so that you don' t have to sacrifice anything important or waste your time, energy or material resources on things you don't really need or cherish. It’s also about integrating basic ethical concerns such as fair distribution of labor and resources and the well-being of the natural world into your personal choices. "

"The first step towards constructing a voluntarily simple life is to gradually begin paring your life down to basic essentials—the things, activities and relationships that you truly need or genuinely cherish... Here’s a short list that many people focus on while trying to move towards voluntary simplicity:

• Limiting material possessions to what is needed and/or cherished
• Meaningful work, whether paid or volunteer
• Quality time with friends and family
• Joyful and pleasurable leisure activities
• A conscious and comfortable relationship with money, charting a course between deprivation and excessive accumulation
• Connection to community, but not necessarily in formal organizations
• Sustainable spending and consumption practices, such as recycling and supporting local, community-based businesses with fair labor and environmental practices
• A healthy lifestyle, including exercise, adequate sleep, and nutritious food
• Practices that foster personal growth, an inner life, or spirituality, such as yoga, meditation, prayer, religious ceremonies, journaling, and/or spiritual reading
• A connection to nature, such as spending time outdoors regularly
• Aesthetic beauty in personal environment"

"The practice of voluntary simplicity helps you reduce the influence and power of unhelpful cultural biases and habits, and gives you room to develop better alternatives for yourself and others. The better you become at simplifying your life and letting go of what’s not important and what you can’t control, the better you'll be able to fully experience what you are doing in the moment, and take what it offers you without being distracted by worries about what happened earlier or what might happen next"

Good stuff, good stuff.