Race Carve
Race Carve What is it about the Census that's obsessed with Race? 10 questions. 1 is one's name and another is their phone number. That leaves 8 questions the government wants to know about you. ...
Race Carve
Simplifying Life - 10 Steps to
Perhaps you woke up one morning to realize the old joke is true:
"Even if you finish the rat race in first, you're still a rat."
Or maybe, the thought crept in more slowly, wedging itself into
your consciousness while sitting in the five o'clock traffic jam
as you commute home. However it appeared, you now realize it's
time for a change to a simpler way of life.
But how do you start? These 10 steps will provide you with
guidance to propel you along the path.
1. The 1st step may be the easiest for many people because by
the time you're reading this it may already have been
accomplished. That is making up your heart and mind that it's
time to simplify, even better if the decision has moved to the
level of being committed. If not, don't worry. It's quite
possible to test the waters of simple living before diving in.
2. A helpful realization to tag on to the decision to simplify
is to realize that it's a process most easily and simply
accomplished slowly and mindfully. Bringing the "rat race
mentality" of drive, determination and "get the job done no
matter what" can be self defeating. So, ease up and enjoy the
ride.
3. The next step may be a little more difficult, but it can be
accomplished by everyone, even those who consider themselves the
exception. Carve out a little space and time for self
reflection. Maybe it's 1 night a week, or a few lunch breaks
where you take your bag lunch to a quiet park bench, or a
weekend when you tell everyone you're going away and then you
don't. Or you go somewhere quiet and serene with only one agenda
-- to be with yourself. It's fine to take your family as long as
they agree to participate in the purpose of the trip, which is
steps 4, 5 and 6.
4. In the carved out space and time begin to examine what's
truly important to you. What gives you joy, satisfaction,
fulfillment, what makes you laugh or cry movingly. Look beyond
just the momentary surface level stuff and see what provides
deeper moments of meaning. Remember back to your childhood
years. Were there moments with your family that, while they may
have appeared routine in the moment, you now remember fondly?
5. While examining what brings joy and satisfaction to your
life, also spend some time examining your values. As you do,
notice whether your current life is consistent with those
values. If not, where have they been compromised, and how might
a simpler, less complex life allow for a renewal of those values.
6. Last of all look at your life to see where it's primarily
being shaped by a particular lifestyle, as in the "keeping up
with the Jones mentality" and where it's being shaped by your
values. One useful way to do this is to draw a line down the
middle of a page of paper. On one side write "Lifestyle-based
Life," on the other write "Value-based Life." Then, looking at
your life write down whatever fits under the two headings.
For example, does the car or cars you own represent your values
or your lifestyle, how about where you live -- the home and
neighborhood, how about your job, how much or little you're
involved in the community, etc? By the way, there's nothing
wrong with lifestyle. It's just not a very good way to shape a
life if you're interested in joy and satisfaction. There are
also no right answers. Each person must look and make the call
for themselves.
7. By this time in the process you'll probably see some areas
that could benefit from simplification since it appears that a
"value-based life" and a simple life go hand-in-hand. If you're
into making lists, you might want to list what possible actions
you could take towards that aim, then prioritize them. Or just
pick two or three activities that would be fun, engaging and
would move you further down the simplicity path.
8. Simplifying your finances is often one of the most strategic
steps to take for people who have identified that much of their
life energy has been devoted more to lifestyle building than
value building. A very powerful and effective process for
financial transformation is outlined in the bestseller, "Your
Money or Your Life" (YMORL), by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin. I
highly recommend this book for a more thorough look at this area
of life.
In the meantime, here are a few steps to get you started:
a. Find out where your money goes. Most people don't have a good
handle on where all their money goes. The simplest way to
determine this is to keep track for a few weeks or months where
every cent is spent. This one step can be very revealing because
once you realize that you're spending $5 a day on Cappuccino
which equates to $150 a month or $1800 a year, you realize that
it might be possible to streamline your budget starting here.
b. Start to measure your spending against how much fulfillment
and satisfaction you're receiving. If you think of money as
something that you exchange your life energy for, you're
spending naturally becomes more conscious.
c. Determine how much money you're exchanging your life energy
for in your job or career. Again, most people don't realize or
take into account how much it costs them to work, so they often
have an inflated view of how much money they make. To figure
this out, take your base amount of pay and subtract all the
expenditures that are directly related to work. In other words,
if you weren't working would you be eating your lunches out each
day? How about the cost of that 30 minute commute (also factor
in the commute time as hours worked)? How much do you spend on
business attire? Factor all of this to determine how much you're
really taking home. People often realize from this exercise that
instead of making $20/hr at work, their actual income is only
$8-10. Suddenly, the $5 Cappuccino is costing them 30 minutes of
their life energy. It can be a revealing experience going
through this process.
9. Many people realize from step 8 that one big area of their
life that could be simplified and would have an accumulative
effect elsewhere is to eliminate their debt. Debt-free living is
a great way to live life. I call it living a life paid in full.
Much of the lifestyle we've come to expect and take for granted
in this country comes with an incredibly high price tag,
especially when we're "buying now and paying later." Besides
YMORL another beneficial resource on debt elimination is the
"Financial Independence Network Limited" (FINL). FINL provides
simple and effective methods to eliminate all debt within 5-7
years for most people while also providing the inspiration and
encouragement to keep you on track.
10. The last step is patience and persistence. Remember, it's
taken most people years, perhaps even generations to develop the
complex lives they live. It's unrealistic to think it can be all
turned around at once. Besides, it's the journey that we're here
for, not the destination. Enjoy the ride!
©2005 Brad Swift of Life On Purpose Institute, Inc. This article
can be reprinted freely online, as long as the entire article
and this resource box are included
About the Author
Dr. Brad Swift founded Life On Purpose Institute in 1996 with
the vision of creating a World On Purpose by assisting people
like yourself to clarify their life purpose & live true to it.
Determine how on or off purpose your life is with the fun &
insightful Self Test at:
http://lifeonpurpose.com/_forms/self-test.php?source=ezart
Inspire yourself with a fr.ee subscription to Purposeful
Pondering Ezine: http://lifeonpurpose.com/