Anytime I write about the lovely in your life, you respond. You comment and email from the heart with your gratitude for the lovely you have, grief for the lovely you’ve lost, and hope for the lovely you still search for.

I love less, there is no surprise there. But when it comes to joy, beauty, and lovely, I want more, more, more! I want more, and I want to give you more of it too.

When I wrote Redefine Your Lovely Life and read your comments, I had an idea. Today, after months and days with creativity, lots of collaboration, laughter and a few tears, that idea is ready to share.

Because the idea is about finding the lovely, I had to partner someone bursting with lovely. Tammy Strobel, my friend and the beautiful author behind Rowdy Kittens and I got together and talked about all the things that make our lives lovely. Things like…

• lovely people
• lovely recipes
• lovely quotes
• lovely books
• lovely lessons
• lovely connections

…and lots of other lovely things.

As we simplify our lives, we begin to notice what is most important, and lovely is always on the top that list.

I’m excited to introduce you to…

This brand new project is not a blog, but a resource for you to cultivate joy, beauty and gratitude. Enjoy it, share it, ask us questions and let us know how it helps you find the lovely.

Your Lovely Life is free for your enjoyment. There won’t be any advertising on the site, no crazy pop ups or anything else to interrupt the lovely.  We will be switching up the content every few weeks and introducing you to new lovely people, recipes, books and quotes. You can sign up to hear when new content is added to the site, but it isn’t necessary to access the site.

Tammy and I will be offering a series of lovely lessons, 21 day guided self study courses that will help you bring even more lovely into your life. We are offering these courses at a very low price of $21. There are no bonuses, lengthy sales pages or sign early promotions. We want to make this easy and available to everyone.

You won’t buy this course because of some snazzy sales page. You’ll buy it because you know it will be lovely and full of meaningful, valuable lessons and that’s what you’re looking for.

Tammy and I are so excited to work with you. We hope you will submit lovely ideas, try our lovely recipes, check out our new Pinterest page, and jump into our lovely lessons. Right now is the right time to cultivate the joy, the beauty, and the lovely in your life.

It’s your life. Choose lovely.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to Be More with Less & connect with me on twitter or G+. If you are interested in working with me, please learn more here.

Here are 2 remarkable stories of real people donating, selling and trading in their clutter for a better life.

Stevie Allen

I recently participated in The Clutterfat Challenge, where I agreed to go through all of my “stuff” over a 30 day period and attempt to get rid of what wasn’t needed or wanted anymore.

The goal was to dump 50% of my stuff. I, being special, hoped for considerably less. Why am I so special? Why didn’t think I had that much stuff? Because I’ve worked as a professional organizer for over two decades, because I just went through two major purges of clutter in the last 14 months, and because I like to think I keep a pretty sparse home anyway.

Pride goeth before the fall.
I counted all of my stuff to begin the challenge. I came up with 8748 items, but I guestimated the contents of my file drawers due to the overwhelming amount of stuff. I figured purging the file drawers would take the most out of my house, but I had no idea as to what awaited me during this thirty day challenge.

I began this journey according to the directions, downloaded the three page worksheet, and walking into the bathroom to begin counting every object in there. I opened the first drawer and realized I wanted to get rid of about half the stuff in that drawer right now! No — I can’t! I have to count them.

To say I was angry, depressed, overwhelmed, and maybe even a bit furious during the two days it took me to count all the stuff in my house doesn’t quite describe the emotion I felt. It was horrible. But it was a huge learning experience.

The final statistics

• My beginning total: 8748
• My ending total: 3841
• I got rid of 4907 items.
• Percentage of stuff exited from my house: 56%.

A breakdown of where my stuff was:

• Place where the most items were eliminated: my desk at 3580 less items, 71% less stuff.
• Place that surprised me the most: kitchen at 621 less items, 43% less stuff.
• Place that was the most fun: my closets and drawers — 321 less items, 60% less.
• Place with the least clutterfat: the living room.
• The hardest part: counting.

I’ve learned so much from this experience. The biggest benefit has been less clutter in my head. With less stuff, I don’t have to take care of so much. There is much less to clean! I also really appreciate my new view. My entire house is pleasant to look at, with very few exceptions that need more work. I love the look of wood floors and off-white painted woodwork with sunlight streaming in.

And now I appreciate the stuff I do have.

Read more from Stevie at leftlemon.com.

Katrina

A real life challenge came when I lost my dad unexpectedly when I was 24 (I’m now 26). I was his only child and he was single. I had a year left in school and was completing two degrees, music and landscape architecture which are rigorous degree programs.

With my dad’s death came everyone’s opinion of what I should do with all the ‘stuff’ and advice about how to live my life. It was pretty overwhelming hearing these opinions. I had my own clutter problems, and now had all of my dad’s things to make decisions about. I didn’t even know where to begin, what to think, or how to handle anything.

Almost every weekend I would go over to my dad’s house and begin sorting through things. Old papers were the easiest to begin with since I figured my dad probably didn’t even want them.

It became tougher as time went on and I began looking through more and more things. It was hard seeing all these things that reminded me of my dad and what was happening. Even how things were left sitting was sentimental. It was also tough because I was beginning to change the house that had pretty much been the same since I was 4 years old.

The stress of finishing school and deciding what to do with all the stuff really impacted my happiness and I began to resent all the people who were pushing me to do this and that. Inside I wanted all the stuff just to magically go away so I could live my life and be happy.

My dad  had a lot of stuff, but so did I.

I have always had a lot of hobbies from gardening to sewing, and have had the tendency to collect things I might use in my hobbies. I also like clothes and vintage things which means I enjoy going to the mall, garage sales, and thrift stores. However, I  began to get tired of always dealing with stuff that’s in the way and wondering why I purchased ‘this thing’ in the first place. I also get bad feelings when I have something that cost quite a bit of money but I don’t want it anymore.

After graduating from school, I made a commitment to declutter. I started with a garage sale and then started donating things, selling through consignment shops and listed items on Craigslist. I sold my first car my dad had bought me when I was 16 (which was sentimental!), five televisions, a couch, two dining room tables, desk, two bedroom suites, a doghouse & kennel, and much much more.

I got rid of so much, but still had way too much. I didn’t understand my attachment to stuff and was still putting too much importance on stuff. My wake up call was the end of a 2 1/2 year relationship with a man that I loved. The last straw was when I got really mad at him for breaking a Christmas ornament that I thought (at the time) was sentimental.

That’s when I decided that stuff was not as important to me as other people’s feelings and my relationships. What was important was happiness between people and being able to walk around my house easily. That’s when I took on the “Be More with Less” mantra “People over stuff”. The post made me cry and cry and realize how all this ‘stuff’ turned me into a monster.

That’s when I created my own clutter challenge at the beginning of December 2011. My challenge was to declutter my house, my email inbox, and my mind.

The steps I took

• If I saw something I wanted to buy, I just sat on the thought and let it pass
• I unsubscribed from shopping emails and websites
• I sold mismatched kitchen items
• I deculttered my mind by learning to meditate

When I joined the Clutterfat Challenge in January, I was ready to take my decluttering to the next level

So little by little I began again… Going through closets, drawers, and every room to find what else I had been holding onto. I even got my mom in on the challenge. It was important for me to do something with the items I wanted to get rid of right away. That meant dropping off stuff at the Goodwill at midnight, and even taking a whole day going around town donating various things to different charities.

I donated my father’s dress suits to a rehabilitation center which was hard for me because the memories of him wearing the suits and us going to church were still fresh, but at the same time, it felt the best. I remembered the Zen Habits thought of ‘people are not things and the memories are inside of me’. I began listing more items on Craigslist, in my Etsy shop, taking more items to consignment shops, and found more items to throw away and give away.

It has been a really exciting process and I have learned that I need to do things my own way so that I feel good about my choices. Happiness is within myself and I always have to live with myself. I feel like all the circumstances and the clutter has prevented me from being happy and doing what I really wanted to do.

So much has changed from my original plan of moving in with my boyfriend in another state and going to graduate school. It is a bitter feeling that circumstances involving clutter have been a factor in those change of plans. However, my plans now are to continue decluttering and to move to another city/state where I want to renovate a mid century modern home, (find a job), buy an Airstream to travel out West, and grow my blog.

I am really proud of much I’ve decluttered my home and my mind. I now feel confident in what I want and love that I continue to move closer and closer to my goals.

Read more from Katrina at Exscapes.

These 2 people have completely different lives, but they do have a 3 things in common.

• They both made the choice to change.
• They both took action.
• They are both happier on the other side of stuff.

For more inspiration to shed your stuff, see today’s post on Zen Habits featuring more stories about real people kicking clutter to the curb.

Leo and I wrote the Clutterfree book to help you understand the emotion behind holding onto clutter and to give you the motivation and momentum to let it go and live without it forever. Read the book and share your challenges and success in the Clutterfree Forum.

Please use the comment section for questions and feedback for Stevie and Katrina.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to Be More with Less & connect with me on twitter or G+. If you are interested in working with me, please learn more here.

I want to change one world. One world at a time. Maybe starting with mine or yours.

We often feel powerless when considering all of the problems in the world, so this mini-mission only requires you to think about one. Change One World. One person, one life, one problem, one world.

They key to changing one world is to solve a problem, or lend support during the problem solving time. I am sure you have a bunch of immediate ideas, but here are a few ways to get started.

How to change one world

• Ask the question. “How can I help?”.
• Contribute financially. If you know a financial contribution will help someone, give it. Don’t loan money, but give freely if it’s available to you.
• Praise progress. If you see that someone is struggling to move forward, help them to celebrate the small steps.
• Send a care package. Put together a few items and send them off with a simple “I love you.”
• Remove conditions. Offer to help without condition or expectation of pay back.
• Remove judgement. If a sandwich or cup of coffee will brighten someone’s day, give it to them. It’s not up to you to decide if they deserve it. Give freely.
• Share your story. Your personal experience and view of the world will inspire someone else to take action.
• Send a note. A small note or email to say thank you, I’m sorry, I love you will go a long way.
• Vote with your dollars. Spend money with people doing good business.
• Help yourself. It’s second nature to put everyone else first. Remember that in order to give your best, you have to be your best. Take care of you.
• Make connections. Maybe you can’t help but know someone who can. Make the introduction.
• Ask for help. Be vulnerable and let someone help you. You will change their world, and they might change yours.
• Shift your spending. If you drop a few dollars every day on coffee or lunch, shift those dollars for a month or more to really make a difference.
• Live Lean. Choose less. The less you need, the more you have to give.
• Give suggestions. Think about what you would do in a certain situation and offer that advice.
• Give silence. If you sense suggestions will fall on deaf ears, offer friendship, solidarity and silence.
• Be honest. Say things like “I know how you feel.” and “You are not alone” when they are true. Say “I don’t know” when you don’t know.

Take on this mini-mission and change one world. Just one. Chances are, another one will follow. Thank you for all that you do. Feel free to share more ways to change one world, your story or ways that others are helping in the comment section.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to Be More with Less & connect with me on twitter or G+. If you are interested in working with me, please learn more here.

Sanskrit Name: Baddha Utthita Parsvakonasana 

English Translation: Bound Extended Side Angle Pose
image from Fit Sugar

I wasn’t even close. My arms were reaching but felt miles apart. Why couldn’t I have a miraculous flexibility break through and at least let my fingers graze each other. Intellectually, I knew I was just where I was supposed to be, but emotionally, I wanted more.

From there my mind traveled to all the other places where I didn’t quite make the cut. The places that weren’t easy to get to. The places that kicked me out time and time again.

• Handstands
• Veganism
• Book Proposals
• Permanent Weight Loss

and then I thought of all the places where I’ve found immediate gratification in my past

• brownies
• email
• wine
• sleeping in
• celebrity gossip
• Facebook
• reality TV
• shopping

Then my eyes softened and I started to smile. The tears vanished when I realized that immediate gratification is for sissies (and I’m no sissy).

Good work takes time. It took…

• More than 4 years to build the Golden Gate Bridge
• Noah more than 50 years to build the ark.
• Jesssica Watson 210 days to sail around the world when she was 16 years old.
• 15 years for James Cameron to bring Avatar to theaters.
• Michelangelo more than 4 years to paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling.

Designs date back to AD 200, but the first modern printing press came in 1439.  The light bulb was invented by Thomas Edison in 1879, but the idea started as early as 1802 by Humphry Davy at the Royal Institution of Great Britain.

One of my favorite yoga teachers told me it took him years of yoga practice to touch his toes and when he finally did, his life wasn’t any better or worse than it was before. The joy isn’t always at the finish line. Beauty is not always found in completion. La Sagrada Familia is the most famous sight in Barcelona. Designed by Antoni Gaudi, the Roman Catholic basilica is unfinished. The architect began the job in 1883.  Gaudi died in 1926 and work has continued on the building to this day.

image credit

I don’t think wine or email is bad or wrong, but pay attention to the reason you gravitate to the things that feel good for a moment. The easy things. The distracting things. When you do go there, pay attention to how you feel moments or days later.

I am not a sissy. I will do the work.

Maybe my hands will never touch in Bound Extended Side Angle Pose, but I will still reach. I will still do the work.

What do you want to do that feels out of reach? 

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to Be More with Less & connect with me on twitter or G+.

Big Honcho Media recently sent me a copy of Enjoy Every Sandwich. This book was written by Lee Lipsenthal about appreciating life and accepting death. I often write about fighting for health, so beginning a book about someone who wasn’t fighting stirred up some feelings.

Naturally, I wanted Lee to fight and as I got to know Lee and his family through this book, I wanted him to fight and win and live.

I can’t describe the book any better than this moving video, so I encourage you to watch it.

I learned or was reminded of the following while reading Enjoy Every Sandwich: Living Each Day as If It Were Your Last

• Meditation is important. I am currently incorporating a daily meditation practice through Zen Habits Premium Membership
• Disease can be (but is not always) reversed through yoga, social support, exercise and a vegetarian diet.
• If you look for joy, you will find joy. If you look for trouble, that’s what you’ll find.
• Love is powerful enough to diminish fear.
• Gratitude. Gratitude. Gratitude.
• We will all die so it’s time to start living each day regardless of circumstance.

Dr. Lee Lipsenthal worked with Dr. Dean Ornish at the famed Preventive Medicine Research Institute. As medical director of the Institute, he helped thousands of patients to overcome their fear of pain and death and to embrace living life with joy every day. In his own life, happily married and the proud father of two remarkable children, Lee was similarly committed to living life fully and gratefully each day.

The power of these beliefs was tested in July 2009, when Lee was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. As Lee and his wife, Kathy, navigated his illness and treatment over the past two years, Lee discovered that he did not fear death. Instead of fearing the future, he took the time to practice gratitude, connect with his loved ones, and make every attempt to live a full life with each breath.

Enter to win one of 3 copies of  Enjoy Every Sandwich: Living Each Day as If It Were Your Last and read Lee’s lasting gift to his family, his friends, his colleagues and to readers. Add a comment below about something you are grateful for today and I’ll choose 3 random winners Friday at 7pm EST.

Lee died on Tuesday, September 20.  It is an honor to spread Lee’s message by sharing this special book.

My big takeaway from this book is that I will continue to be open to change and possiblity. I will continue to fight for health with a strong will and a soft heart.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to Be More with Less & connect with me on twitter.

Common questions we aren’t asking enough:

• Why am I in debt?
• Why am I unhappy?
• Why can’t I get along with …?
• Why I am working a job that makes me miserable?
• Why don’t I exercise regularly?
• Why am I tired?
• Why am I fat?
• Why did I settle?
• Why don’t they like my idea?
• Why do I put up with that?
• What has to change?

There are others. We all have questions, but asking them rocks the boat, makes us uncomfortable. Asking the question admits things aren’t all kittens and rainbows. Sometimes we feel guilty asking the question. Shouldn’t we be happy already? Do we deserve to be happy when there is so much suffering? Isn’t this enough?

Once the question is asked out loud, then comes accountability, action, outcomes we can’t predict. Yikes. Sounds easier to sit in front of the TV and worry about that handsome doctor’s problems instead.

I get that you don’t have time to sit around and ponder the meaning of life all day long. Good. Don’t do that. But ask 1 soul shaking question. Say it out loud, put it on paper and be open to the answers.

How to ask the Soul Shaking Question

1. Make a soul shaking appointment. Clear a little time on your calendar. (not while you are waiting for another appointment or eating lunch). This is important and deserves your full attention.

2. Prepare intentionally. Create space and time to honor your commitment. You scheduled a block of time. Now clean a table top or small area to work. Have a pen and notepad or sheet of paper ready. Turn off your phone and other distractions.

3. Clear your head. Before you sit down, go for a walk or do a simple meditation. Quiet your mind, release your anxiety and be ready to do the work.

4. Go there. Sit down alone and write down your soul shaking question or questions. It’s best to start with one, but be prepared for others to follow. Begin to answer your questions. If you notice you are going to the easy answer first, keep going. That might be part of the problem solving but it’s not the answer. Keep going. Go there.

5. Listen to the answers. You said the answers out loud and wrote them on paper. Don’t dismiss them. Listen to them.

6. Respond to the answers. Things aren’t about to get easier. In fact, things might get ugly before they get pretty. Your response will demonstrate your power. Your response will demonstrate your strength and commitment. Your character and soul will shine through your response.

7. Lower your expectations. You’ve asked the soul shaking question. You answered, listened and responded. Why aren’t things better now? They are. Just a tiny bit. You’ve made a choice. It may have taken you years to ask the question so don’t expect a resolution over night. It will take time. It will take help. It will take all that you have. Give it.

These soul shaking questions and answers will scare you. They will taunt you. They will make you shake your head in denial. And then, when you’re ready, the soul shaking answers will inform your next move and change your life.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to Be More with Less & connect with me on twitter.

The first weekly note goes out this week. It’s free. Learn more here if you’re interested.

What about your inner clutter? The emotional baggage? The what ifs and if onlys? The why mes? What can you do about that voice inside your head that never lets you fully move forward.

Let’s face it, stress kills. Stress causes or exacerbates disease. Stress makes us sad and anxious.

One of the greatest causes of stress is inner clutter. It’s hashing through things that have already passed or have yet to happen. The worry and angst that you put yourself through will kill you. If it doesn’t literally kill you, it will kill the person you want to be. The person you deserve to be. The person we deserve to know. The person you are.

The most obvious forms of inner clutter include guilt, regret, judgement, overwhelmedness, bitterness, fear and worry. There are others, but most come back to a form of these. They may be a part of life, but they don’t have to be an ongoing part of life. You can release yourself from this inner clutter.

How to Kill Inner Clutter

Responsibility
Isolate your inner clutter and take responsibility. If you live with daily guilt, ask why? Is there something you can do right now to apologize or fix what you’ve done? If you identify that you haven’t done anything wrong, perhaps guilt is not yours to feel after all. Will a note or call of apology change the past. No, but it can change the present. Accept responsibility for your fear and anxiety and admit that it’s been holding you back. Only then can you begin to work on a solution. If you are angry, sad, scattered or worried for no identifiable reason, accept that too, and ask for help.

Gentleness
You can accept responsibility, even for something you’ve been holding onto for years without the harsh words and critique that you think you deserve. You served your time. Remind yourself that you cannot change the past and revel in the idea that today you will change. Today you will do the right thing. Praise your progress.

Awareness
When you are short tempered, or angry about something silly, pay attention. There is something behind that needless arguement or harsh word. What is it? It’s tempting to put the blame somewhere else but if you can be aware of your actions, you can begin to take responsibility.

Do it Anyway
Your feelings and emotions can stop you in your tracks. They’ll tell you that you aren’t good enough. They will tell you not to bother. They will tell you that it’s too hard and really scary. So what? Do it anyway. You can quiet your mind with action and purpose.

Let Go
You failed. You disapointed. You hurt someone. You can’t fix it. If that is the case, it’s time to recognize your mistakes and let them go. Holding onto the pain isn’t making anything better. Instead, it’s getting in the way of your lovely life. If you woke up today, you have an incredible opportunity to live a brand new day. Take it. Run with it. Make the very most of it.

Engage
We are a society of multi-taskers, but we can only really think one thought at a time. Find something you are amazingly interested in. Learn a new skill. Make new friends. Help people. Jump in and give it your energy and focus. Dismiss your past transgressions, not through denial but through purposeful attention to something meaningful. When you are thoughtfully engaged in something that matters, you don’t have time to judge and assume. You won’t have the energy to torment yourself for the things you did or didn’t do.

It’s time to stop thinking you can make up for what you did wrong by punishing yourself. It’s time to stop punishing others for what you think they might have done wrong. They are punishing themselves. Don’t ignore bad behavior. Don’t forget misguided actions but forgive them, let them go, and start living. If you need help, seek it.

You don’t need to be reminded that this life is a short one. It is short, but it is also glorious, lovely, deep and moving.

So go on, move and be moved.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to Be More with Less & connect with me on twitter.

I’ve started a new weekly note. It’s free. Learn more here if you’re interested.

That said, if you don’t engage with purpose, all of those amazing benefits will turn to distraction, frustration and a black hole of mindless reacting. It is also easy to start measuring your self worth in terms of subscribers, followers, friends and word count. All of those things are meaningless.

Follow these rules for a more enjoyable, efficient, honest digital experience.

Twitter
This is my favorite tool to connect with people for business and pleasure.

• Don’t follow everyone that follows you or you will spend all of your Twitter time reacting.
• Instead of asking for retweets, share something that people feel compelled to share.
• Set a time limit when you go to twitter.
• Share something helpful.
• Ask questions and answer questions.
• Have a conversation. With people.
• Don’t watch for updates or for people to mention you.
• When 20 minutes are up, sign out.

Facebook
I have a personal Facebook account with fewer than 50 friends. My close friends and family are on this list and no one else. For a while I connected with more people, but knew there was a problem when I was looking at a “friend’s” vacation pictures who I hadn’t talked to in more than 20 years, while my vacation pictures were still on an SD card.

• don’t answer the question “what’s on your mind”. Somethings are better left unsaid.
• set a time limit. 20 minutes is usually enough.
• thoughtfully engage.
• Have conversations. With people.

Skype.
This is an awesome tool to chat via video or audio. It’s free for Skype to Skype calls and very inexpensive to use as a phone line to call land lines or mobile phones.

• Don’t assume that because someone is “on Skype” they want to talk.
• Send a text chat through Skype and ask “is this a good time?” Even better, set an appointment. That shows you value your time and theirs.
• Set your status to “away” or “invisible” if you are on another call or otherwise engaged.

Unsubscribes
If you currently receive an email when someone unsubscribes from your mailing list, or twitter feed, or facebook page, stop that. Pay attention to the overall trend of the numbers, but not the individual unsubscribes. When you are following someone that isn’t adding value to your life or digital experience, unfollow.

Notifications
Unless you are transporting organs for transplants, you don’t need immediate notifications about anything. You can find what you need to know on your own time. When it matters. If it matters. Notifications are distractions.

• Turn off notifications. All of them.
• Your phone shouldn’t remind you that you have email.
• The first thing you see when you open your computer doesn’t have to be an announcement of who is on or off Skype.
• You don’t need an email to tell you who subscribed and who unsubscribed from anything.
• Birds don’t need to chirp when someone mentions you on Twitter.

Blog Reading
There is some amazing information being written and recorded and shared, but you don’t need to consume all of it.

• Instead of scanning 30 blog posts a day, thoughtfully read 5 a week.
• Engage, comment, or share something special that you read instead of catching up or keeping up with 100′s of posts in your blog reader.
• Most reading material is not time sensitive. Set aside an hour each week to read your favorite blogs, instead of squeezing them in between tasks.

Email
If you’ve ever spent a work day sending and receiving email and wondering why nothing got done, these rules will help.

• Follow my 5 rules for email sanity.
• Don’t check email first thing in the morning. Do the things that mean most to you first, instead of reacting to what is important to everyone else.
• Limit email engagement to a few times a day instead of checking every few minutes to see if you have mail.

These are the rules I follow. They aren’t the rules. Make them your own and modify them to work better for you. The point is that you are thoughtfully engaging. Understand that everytime you tweet, or post or hit publish, you are asking for someone’s attention. If you value people, and their attention, you’ll begin to share meaningful information and to share less.

Always keep in mind that followers, readers, friends, and stangers who email you are people. Clients, prospects and leads are people. Treat them like people.  If you want to develop personal friendships online, think of other people when you share information. If you want to be successful in business, think less about strategy and more about people.

Last, but not least, please don’t follow any of these rules in your car. The most important thing you can do when you’re driving is drive. Turn your phone off when you get in your car. (unless you transport organs for transplants)

If you scanned through this post and missed most of the rules above, just follow these  3 rules of engagement:
Be kind. Solve problems. Make someone smile.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to Be More with Less & connect with me on twitter.

I’ve started a new weekly note. It’s free. Learn more here if you’re interested.

Everything I own fits in a suitcase, except my surfboards. I love country music and the freedom that comes from owning very few things. My name is Chase Miller and I am a minimalist teenager.

My journey of minimalism began 3 years ago at the beginning of summer. I had just finished school for the year and decided it was time to clean out and re access what I owned. I was sick of seeing my closet full of stuff I didn’t use and clothes I didn’t wear. I made a goal of selling or donating everything that I didn’t use or that wasn’t important to me.

The biggest motivation for me came from reading the various Minimalist blogs. The writers had something I wanted; being content and happy with what you have. You could tell through their articles that they were truly enjoying life with less; not because they had to, but because they wanted to.

It wasn’t that my room was packed full of stuff. In fact I was already the cleanest person in my family; but my way of looking at life changed. I didn’t want to be tied down by what I owned or always be focused on having the latest or greatest. There is something freeing about knowing you could easily pack up and move if needed; that you could travel the world and not worry about your possessions.

It took time to change my way of thinking and downsize what I own. I will be the first to admit that it did not happen overnight, but over time I started to realize how little I needed.

This was my action plan:

• Clean Sweep – I took everything out of my room and only put back things I used on a regular basis. Everything else got donated or sold on Craigslist.
• Simplified my Clothing – got rid of clothes with big logos because I didn’t want to be a walking advertisement. I then bought solid colored T-Shirts and basic jeans, which make up a large majority of my wardrobe.
• Daily Choice – Everyday I make a choice to focus on what I have, rather than what I want and in reality don’t need.

I think the biggest misconception about minimalism is that you essentially live with nothing; from your most treasured possessions to your clothes, everything goes. It’s the complete opposite, its merely being content with less. I am the only minimalist in my family. While they have been very supportive, they tend to hang on to stuff for longer. Personally I don’t mind as I realize minimalism is a personal choice and not for everyone.

Minimalism hasn’t affected my relationships with friends, as I don’t really talk about it. However, many people do notice and make comments about how clean my car is. My parents love the fact that I am a minimalist because they never have to ask me to clean my room or anything of that nature.

How I am different than the average teenager:

• I buy clothes without emblems or logos because I do not feel the need to be a walking advertisement
• Traveling is easier because I usually just bring a carry on with everything I need for the week
• I am not going to a high cost university even though I was accepted because I have decided against taking out student loans. Instead, I plan to take advantage of the great community colleges that are in the surrounding areas.
• I have more money to spend on important items or experiences because I am not constantly buying unneeded things.

Minimalism shapes your future by helping you focus on the right things in life. I think the biggest thing for me is spending time on things that are important; things like traveling, spending time with friends and capturing life through photography.

If you are a teenager considering becoming a minimalist, I would suggest giving it a shot as it will become much harder if you wait until you are an adult. And if you don’t like it, you can always refill your life with useless things.

Chase Miller is a High School student from Orange County, CA. He loves to surf, travel, tweet and catalog life through photography.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to Be More with Less & share on twitter.

I’ve started a new weekly note. It’s free. Learn more here if you’re interested.

Wonder is defined as:

to think or speculate curiously or to be filled with admiration, amazement, or awe; marvel

To be wonder-full is a combination of both. Be curiously amazed or think through things with admiration or awe. Marvel in your questions and your answers.

10 ways to be wonder-full

try something new
It can be a challenge to break out of a comfortable routine and try something new, but adding a new experience to your life teaches you about what you like and don’t like, and informs future decision making. You may even uncover a passion you didn’t know existed.

be childlike
Jump in puddles. Ask why (over and over again). Roll around laughing. Remind yourself that life can be important without being too serious.

do something scary
Push your limits and question fear. Something scary doesn’t have to be jumping out of a plane. It could be thinking about a new business, going to a yoga class for the first time or talking to someone you’ve never met before.

meet people
Be open to the fact that everyone has something to offer. Different backgrounds, cultures and life experiences gives each of us a unique point of reference and frame of mind. One way is not right or wrong or better or worse. It’s just different. Learn from those differences by asking questions and learning about other people.

daydream
Let your mind wander with wonder. What would happen if…? Wouldn’t it be crazy if I did…? I wonder if I could collaborate with… and then…? Put your day dreams on paper and develop one. Don’t shut yourself down or unprioritize because you are busy. These day dreams are important and can be life changing.

learn
Take a class or course. Read blogs and books. Enjoy discovering and dig for treasure as you learn about something that you didn’t know before. Then, if you love what you’ve learned, teach it to someone else.

grow something
My sister gave me a “year of seeds” with 12 packets of flower seeds, instructions, and a little pot for each. I planted Impatiens about 10 days ago, and have been watching this little pot every day. I’ve seen 3 seeds sprout and one has grown about 2 inches tall and formed tiny leaves. I know that other people have grown things before, but to grow one thing and learn from it every day nothing short of awe-inspiring. Noticing beauty, resilience, and power in this little plant is wonder-full.

journal
a journal doesn’t have to be a record of your life or a diary of your day. It could, but it could also just be a place to empty your head, capture ideas, and wonder about what what you wrote and what you’ll write tomorrow. Some of the best ideas and questions come from writing about the everyday stuff.

visit the ocean
The ocean is bigger than all of your problems and no matter what, the water comes in and the water goes out. Salt, sand and water is just the beginning of an ocean experience. When you really get curious, and dig into wonder-fullness, you can start to think about the world below the waves. Life in the ocean flows without knowledge of time, money or stuff.

read
Opening a book is a commitment to learn about a new point of view, or experience. Reading is entertainment, inspiration and information all in one. I love to read and recently started a book list. Instead of a stack of books that I have to get through, I read one at a time. When I’m finished, I start a new one. Some take longer than others to finish depending on other projects and commitments, but I always look forward to coming back to a good book. It’s where I get lost, and where I get found.

There are so many ways to be wonder-full, but sometimes a full schedule, busy day or time of worry closes us off. Take small steps, be wonder-full one at a time and revel, marvel and be in awe of all that the world has to offer and all that you have to give back.

How will you be wonder-full today?

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to Be More with Less & share on twitter.

I’ve started a new weekly note. It’s free. Learn more here if you’re interested.