And although there are situations in life where there is time needed to overcome such strong emotions, there are also many situations where we can easily turn it into an ocean of calmness.

It’s all a matter of perception.

I used to be overwhelmed by the big trucks on the freeway. Whenever I was driving my car and trucks were passing by I felt the sweat on the palm of my hands and I would firmly hold on to the steering wheel as if that monstrous truck would push me off the road any moment soon. It was a major obstacle and a big part of why I didn’t like to drive.

I decided to change my perception and how silly as it may sound it really worked…

The next time I’d be on the road again and trucks were driving in front of me and next to me I’d see them as cute little trucks heading peacefully toward their destination.

I would really say to myself “What a cute little truck” or “what a nice and cool friendly looking truck”

By saying it, I would literally feel my perception changing. The anxiety and tension in my body would instantly disappear and that heavily weight feeling would turn into lightness,
calmness and coolness. It was an important lesson I had learned.

And I was back in the driver seat.

So, in what situation would you want to change your perception?

“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” – Wayne Dyer

Feel free to leave a comment. I appreciate it.

It means my mind was also in a hurry and desperate for a quick solution for every task or obstacle ahead of me. I would then contemplate about issues for days without coming up with a decent answer.

And these thoughts would occupy my mind during the day so I’d spent my days in my own virtual world and not being present in the outside world, missing every beautiful opportunity or intention that the world had in store for me that day.

I hear you say… That’s all very nice but you do need that solution at the end of the day. Well I found something miraculous happened every time I would meditate or when I’d go for a run.

Sometimes during mediation I speak out a mantra in my mind and I contemplate on it. And other times I just literally stop thinking. I empty my mind and surrender to complete silence. I do this also when I’m running. When I run I just enjoy the sky in the distance without thinking about it or anything else.

Every time a thought comes a long I gently let it go and return to silence… emptying the mind. A thought comes in and I let it go. Get back to silence and peace.. A thought appears and again I say goodbye to it. I continue like this. The more I practice this the longer silence stays with me and thoughts will keep away.

And then suddenly the solution came in. The solution to the problem or the puzzle. Whatever happened to trouble me.

And you know why?

Because of the silence. The silence makes room for the solution.

If you’re mind is busy and in a hurry there is no room for inspiration. There is only room for the knowledge you already contain.

But in order to come to a solution you need inspiration. And you can only get inspiration if there is room. And you create room if there is silence.

Try it. Silence your mind and inspiration will flow.

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If you practice and apply each single one these actions every day and every moment, it’ll change everything.

If you fail, don’t worry, just get back on your feet and try again. You’ll be amazed.

Try it and see how it improves your life instantly! (Write down the “Simple Life Manifesto” and keep it in your back pocket to remind yourself during the day)

Have a great one!

- Be useful

- Be sincere

- Be respectful

- Listen

- Be patient

- Observe

- Àppreciate

- Follow your passion

- Leave out the unnecessary

- Enjoy outdoors as well as indoors

- Relax and rest

- Be grateful

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I reevaluate regularly on how I’m doing with simplifying. I ask my self questions like: What else is there to simplify?
Am I still living a simple life or am I unconsciously falling back into old nasty and too busy habits?

What I can do to make things more easier? I like small changes that make big differences.

How can I do things more efficiently? What is effective and what is not?

What is most important to me and am I still making it as important as it should be?

What can I eliminate to make room for the best things in life?

Here are some ways for you to reevaluate your simplifying journey.

Reevaluate:
Your possessions.
What more can you get rid of to declutter and make room for a clear and nice space. A decluttered room results in decluttered thinking.

Your digital world.
Is your computer loaded with useless data, unnecessary apps or music you don’t even listen to? Are you reading to many blogs, following and catching up with too many people on Facebook or Twitter?

Reorganize and eliminate. Stick to the essentials.

Distractions
Are you having trouble focusing on what is most important to you? Are you getting distracted by everything but your main goal. Write down the things that keep you from reaching your goal over and over again. Get rid of those distractions one by one. Get back on track!

Your most important things
I know it’s hard to say no to everything great that comes along the way. But think twice before you step into another great adventure. Is this new adventure that crossed your path worth the effort? Do you want to spent all or a lot of your time on it? What about the things that are most important to you? Will they still be a priority? Will they not suffer from this? Think carefully and choose wisely.

There are only so much hours in a day and we all know time is running fast when you do too much. Limit yourself.

It’s often better to keep things simple and do less.

“The unexamined life is not worth living.” ~ Socrates

Sometimes we need to get back on our feet and regain control of our lives.

Here are a few ideas to inspire yourself to do great things.

I’ve learned to hold on to each and everyone of them.

I like spontaneity but I also like results to live the life I want to lead.

And above all I like simple ways to achieve those results.

Read on and achieve your own success!

1 – Go the Opposite way. If you do what others do, you get what others get so go the opposite way. Be unique.

2 – Take small steps. Take one small step everyday towards your goal. If you start out doing too much your perseverance won’t last.

3 – Stop thinking and start doing.

4 – Stop listening to others and start listening to your heart.

5 – Never quit. Success people aren’t successful because they are the best but because they have perseverance.

6 – Read about successful people.

7 – Learn from criticism and then continue your way.

8 – Ignore naysayers and disbelievers.

9 – Fuel your inspiration and motivation. Talk to people who believe in you. Find ways to stay passionate and excited.

10 – First things first. Always work on your goal first, eliminate distractions and then start doing everything else.

11 – Focus on the journey and not on the destination. If you are truly passionate about the journey then your destination will be reached but won’t be that important anymore. If it’s all about the journey success is already achieved.

12 – Create an audience or community in real life or online.

13 – Think, breath and live the lifestyle that is necessary to achieve your goal.

14 – Write down specifically what you want, how you want it, why you want it and which steps you need to take in order to get it.

15 – Believe in yourself no matter what.

16 – Celebrate small achievements. Be proud of yourself. Do something you enjoy. You deserved it.

17 – Don’t be to hard on yourself. Keep the fun alive. Take breaks regularly overwork yourself. Take walks outside alone to step back and refresh your mind once in a while. This is the moment when brilliant ideas come to mind.

18 – Be bold, be bold, be bold. It’s okay to be afraid but do it anyway.

Let others achieve their success as well and share it on Stumbleupon.

I appreciate your comments.

Thanks,
Klaus

But in the early days I sometimes could upset myself if things didn’t go as well or fast as I wanted them to.

I’d be too focused on what I hadn’t accomplish yet, too focused on my dream goals instead of enjoying the moment and the things I had already achieved. It was a roller coaster of ups and downs that I created in my mind.

I have learned to change my way of thinking over the years and realized a lot of great things because of it.

Nowadays I am living and fully enjoying my dream while looking forward to the next one that comes along. Yes I said come along. I am not waiting to arrive anymore.

It’s all about learning to be mindful of your thoughts, taking control of your thoughts, deciding what to think and what not to think, deciding what to do and what not to do.

Here’s the key to endlessly enjoy the pursuit of your dreams:

- Lose the goal.
It’s okay to dream about your destination and to feel what it would taste likes to reach your goal. Nothing wrong with that. But once you’ve done that… let it go!

The pursuit of your dreams can drag your spirit up and down if you are too much focused on your goal. Let go your thought of the goal whenever it tries to drag you down and whenever you feel you might not make it.

A goal or dream can take quite some time to achieve and what do you do and feel in the meantime? You enjoy your path.

- Pursue the path
A goal becomes a long tough road and even an impossible one if you don’t fully enjoy your path. It sounds so obvious, but do you really think about what it is you enjoy about your path?

I mean, what if it takes more than a decade to achieve your dream goal? What if your goal doesn’t turn out what you expect of it? What if your dreams and aspirations change along the way? What if your destination doesn’t ultimately fulfill you with the desired happiness?

Well you better be sure you love what you do right now. You better not waste any of your precious time.

You need start thinking in terms of pursuing your path more than pursuing your dreams.

Ask yourself what you would want to do every single moment, why you would enjoy it and why it would fulfill you.

What is it that gets you excited on the short term that you still be wanting to do on the long term?

Think about really small accomplishments. You might want to learn something new, get a little smarter, fitter or more musical. What is it that you love about the moment? What motivates you?

What makes you want to do what you do now over and over again? Is it fun?

Well then let’s make it fun, easy and doable. Make it feel good about yourself. Be inspired and inspire others. Create coolness and sincereness, be absurd or romantic, make it embraceable and worthwhile.

Learn the love the here and now of what you do and pursuit your dreams along the way.

Share it with your friends.
Thanks,
Klaus

I eliminate in business and in my personal life. Eliminating in business results in better quality and it means I have a hell of a lot more fun.

Eliminating in personal life means I have more time to do what I love and more time to spend with family and friends.

Elimination is not about being lazy, elimination is about being efficient. It is about doing things that are truly important and not doing work for the sake of work.

Don’t fool yourself that you are doing the best you can by being as busy as possible.

On the contrary you are most productive if you are efficient and effective.

You can achieve more by doing less. You can achieve even more by doing nothing.

Let’s look at some of the eliminating steps that can change your life:

Phone calls
Stop answering every single phone call. Don’t let a beautiful, creative or productive moment being ruined. You are not obligated to pick up the phone. Don’t let others rule your life.

Let your answering machine do the work for you. Give people the chance to leave a message or let them send you an email. If it’s important you can call back. If people have something important to tell you they will leave you a message, if they don’t it’s probably not that important.

TV
Watching TV is precious time being wasted. Use this time to have a good conversation with your partner or with a good friend. Play with your children or work on your passion and make a change in your life.

News
Stop reading the newspaper. It will save you time and money. Reading news doesn’t add anything to your productivity or overall happiness. News is a business like everything else. The people who are making the news have to bring something new to the table every single day to make a living.

Half of the news is speculation and creating doom-scenarios that won’t make you any smarter or wiser. If there is real important news you will hear it from your friends, family or people down the street.

Eliminate junk mail
Put a no junk mail sticker on your letterbox. Save your mind from being polluted, save time reading junk, save time decluttering, save your money and save the invoirment.

Eliminate email
Keep your inbox as empty as possible. Eliminate subscriptions you don’t read anyway. Use Gmail to block spam. Send less email, so you will receive less email. Eliminate as much as possible. Quit being unnecessary repetitive.

Declutter Gmail with the Minimalist Gmail plugin. Minimalist Gmail makes a Zero Inbox truly zero leaving you with the cleanest possible slate.

Eliminate unnecessary tasks
Whatever task is unnecessary or less important eliminate it. Only focus on things that are truly important. Every task you eliminate will gain you more time to do things you love and to do it better. It’s not about quantity, it’s about quality.

Eliminate repetitive tasks
Try to think of a way to eliminate repetitive tasks. Is there a way to outsource them or not do them at all? Can you change the behavior of a task so it doesn’t have to be repetitive? Can you eliminate certain elements of that task?

Try to go about it one step at a time. If you eliminate one thing, you’ll see an opening to eliminate something else. It’s a creative process that increases your efficiency beyond your wildest dreams.

Declutter
Declutter your home and office. Get rid of stuff you don’t need or don’t use. Don’t organize but simplify. Get rid of paper. Become paperless. Create a minimalist look in your home and office.

Downsize and reduce. The less stuff you have, the less stuff you have to replace, maintain, clean, move and worry about. A decluttered space gives you peace of mind and increases your creativity.

Learn to say no
Be gentle, be kind, but say no if you think no.
Explain briefly but in a friendly and sincere way why you can’t meet someone expectations. Think up a great line that could be used in many scenarios.

Saying no is not a bad thing. Many people associate saying no with being impolite and negative, but the opposite is true. If you say yes, but you mean no, you are lying to yourself and the person in front of you, you are wasting your time and his or hers.

Learning to say no is a skill that has to be practiced. Once you get the hang of it, it will be a lifesaver in many cases. The more you practice it, the better you’ll feel about it. Saying no equals productivity and simplicity. Don’t try to make life more complicated than it already is.

Summary
Think about what you can eliminate in your business and personal life.

Let your imagination run wild.

Think outside the box.

Be as creative as you can be.

Eliminate in small steps.

One step at a time.

Clear out the unnecessary.

Be less dependent.

Be more efficient and more effective.

Quality over quantity.

Less over more.

and sometimes nothing is even better.

Have fun!

“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak” – Hans Hofmann

The first day with a watchless wrist I immediately became aware of how much of a control freak I was.

I wanted to know the time every second of the day (figuratively speaking).

Sometimes I really needed to know the time, but often I tried to look at it… just because. I was trying to be in control of my time. It seemed I wanted to manage every part of the day. I even became restless not knowing the time. I realized I had become a slave of time.

After a few days without wearing a watch I felt more at ease and relaxed. After a few weeks it felt like I released a burden of my shoulder. It was truly liberating.

Nowadays I live life much more according to me not knowing the time instead of living my life around a time schedule.

You can do it too. I can really recommend it. Try it and you’ll feel liberated.

Here are the benefits:

- You won’t have to worry about repairing or buying a (new) watch.
- No more dead batteries.
- You will become less stressed out.
- You will soon stop hurrying and running.
- Things will happen as they come and not how you try to force them.
- Life gets easier.
- Life becomes more spontaneous.
- Life gets more exciting.
- You will be less time consumed.
- You will feel free, liberated and zen-like.
- Life won’t rush you by.
- You’ll start noticing, appreciating and enjoying your surroundings.
- You’ll become more aware of what is important and what is not.

How to do it:

- Try it and hold on for a few weeks.
- Try to make less commitments and obligations.
- Don’t plan too much ahead or better not at all.
- Do less
- Do things slowly
- Be more spontaneous.
- Be in the moment. Try not to think ahead too much.
- Quit going to the gym. Free yourself from time schedules. Start running, walking, bicycling or swimming outside on your own terms.
- Wake up earlier so you don’t need to rush and worry so much about the time.
- If you do really need the know the time ask people who are passing by. As you progress you feel less needed to do so.
- Try to create a life where you’ll become less dependent on time and on other peoples schedules.

Oh! Do not attack me with your watch. A watch is always too fast or too slow. I cannot be dictated to by a watch. – Jane Austen ~ Mansfield Park

I have learned what is most important and most valuable. I have found pleasure in the little things and have found time to do great things.

Every time I think of a new way to simplify something in my life I discover that everyone and everything else benefits from it as well.

As I simplify one thing, I create more time for other things. I can focus more on quality, I find different possibilities and learn new insights.

Simplifying has changed the way I see, think and approach everything in my life.

The most important thing is that it has made me a happier and more content person.

Here’s a list of 41 simplifying ways that will contribute to your happiness.

Don’t just read through the list and keep on living your busy life.

Think thoroughly about each and every simplifying action and what you can do with it. Which ones can make an immediate change in your situation right now.
Act on it. Set yourself free.

Choose to simplify. Make a significant change in your life.

Here’s how to do it:

1 – Simplify tasks. Make a passion out of simplifying everything. You’ll learn to love it.
2 – Declutter your home and downsize your wardrobe.
3 – Let go of control. Stop being a perfectionist. Aim for completion instead of perfection.
4 – Wear comfortable easy wear clothing. Feel light.
5 – Buy less and spend less. Enjoy what you already have.
6 – Recycle and repair. (instead of throwing away and buying new)
7 – Start your own vegetable plot. Enjoy real and fresh food.
8 – Use less energy. Reduce your electric bill and be kind to the environment.
9 – Do less. Enjoy not buying busy. Enjoy stresslessness.
10 – Use basic transportation. Walking or Bicycling.
11 – Eliminate unnecessary tasks. Do what is important and leave out the rest. Dare to eliminate!
12 – Eat and drink healthier. Learn to love and appreciate healthy foods.
13 – Watch less TV.
14 – Have real and enjoyable conversations with your partner.
15 – Pay of debts and save money to create a safety net.
16 – Make less use of your mobile phone or turn it off more often.
17 – Judge less and avoid gossip:

“He who experiences the unity of life sees his own Self in all beings, and all beings in his own Self, and looks on everything with an impartial eye.” – Buddha

18 – Ask, listen more, and talk less.
19 – Give away what you don’t need or what you don’t use.
20 – Spend time with your family. Really listen to their stories.
21 – Start running, working out and walking outside. Quit going to the gym.
22 – Focus on what is most important in your life.
23 – Stop answering every single phone call. If it’s really important people will leave a message on your answering machine or send you an email.
24 – Watch and read less news. If it is really important people will let you know about it.
25 – Set time limits to be more focused, more productive and less distracted.
26 – Replace a bad habit for a good habit that you will enjoy even more.
27 – Work less.
28 – Take one day rest a week. Turn off all your electronic devices and enjoy real life.
29 – Read a book.
30 – Make less commitments and reduce obligations.
31 – Write down your dream goals, things you would love to do or accomplish.
32 – Learn to say no ( Be polite, but clear )
33 – Take time to do nothing else but listening to your favorite music.
34 – Declutter and simplify your computer. Delete and organize your files.
35 – Appreciate quality not quantity.
36 – Try to automate or outsource repeating tasks in your life. Let other people do what they can do better.
37 – Have a tea break and concentrate on the taste and sensations of the present moment.
38 – Have fun. Create fun. Make everything you are doing fun and enjoyable.
39 – Create a 100 things challenge. List all of your personal possessions and reduce them to a 100 things.
40 – Wake up earlier and spend this time doing what you really love. Realize your dream goal.
41 – Go outside and really, really take the time to enjoy nature. Feel connected and you will find inspiration for the things in your life.

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Keeping an open mind is one of the most difficult things to practice.

It means you are open to everyone and everything that comes your way, allowing yourself to embrace different possibilities, opportunities, people, views, suggestions and interests.

You need to be unprejudiced, without stubbornness and flexible at all times.

I try to practice this in every situation and it makes life a hell of a lot easier and less complicated. Better yet it is fun to practice. Trying to understand someone’s point of view, even when you disagree or don’t like the person very much, can change and free your mind in a way you would have never expected.

I don’t claim to master this skill, but I do see great improvement and it makes me feel powerful having the ability to change my way of thinking and not to get stuck in a mindset that makes me frustrated, angry or helpless.

Keeping an open mind is one of the best tools I use in simplifying my life.
It doesn’t mean I believe or accept everything, but I do listen, observe, feel and try to comprehend every situation on my path. It has given me, saved me and helped me many times. Try it yourself.

Here are a several ways to keep an open mind and how to benefit:

- Comprehension
Try to understand, sympathize and make sense of someone else’s story, opinion or response. Learn to see things from his or her point of view. Keep in mind the history, education, childhood, upbringing and life circumstances of the other person. What would you say or think and how would you react if you were in the other persons shoe.

You don’t always need an answer or a solution, but it will help you to find peace with yourself and the other person.

- Black or white
There are times you might be convinced that you are 100 percent right and someone else is not. Keep an open mind that you might be wrong after all even if you think you are not. You might have overlooked something, you might not know all the details and life is not always black or white.

- Interpretation
How do you come across to people? You might be positive that you are right, gentle, sincere, clear and tactful, but it that doesn’t always mean that that is true or that people perceive or interpretate it like that. Listen to people.

- Information
Be open to all information. Be interested in new, old, odd, unobvious insights. Read different books, magazines and blogs. Don’t limit yourself. Learn to love to learn new things. Don’t base your opinion on someone else’s judgement.

Be blank, open, unprejudiced to everything you read. At the same time you don’t need to be naive or believe everything. Just be interested, observe different angles, learn from it and leave it open for discussion. Never think you know, because you don’t. The moment you think you know something for sure you are limiting yourself.

Start today and practice the examples above in the following situations:

- Standing in line of the supermarket
- In traffic
- In waiting rooms
- Calling a help desk
- At the doctor’s
- talking with colleagues.
- When you are impatient.

- Challenges
Try new ways of challenging yourself. Be open to other possibilities and opportunities. Step out of your comfort zone. Discover and try different. Expand your horizon. You will never know what beautiful things are hidden around the corner that can change and upgrade your life.

- Relationships
We are all different human beings even if we think we have met our soul mates. In a relationship disagreements are inevitable, but the key is how you go about it.

There is no use in letting your ego speak in the middle of a (verbal) fight. It simply doesn’t work. Be calm and don’t be tempted to argue. Sometimes silence is golden. Save healthy discussion for a time when you are both in quiet and peaceful waters.

Always consider the emotional state of being of your partner. Maybe you want to talk about stuff but your partner might be in another zone worrying or thinking about issues, family, children, friends, work or tasks. You both might be in another zone. Give each other room to breath.

Consider your partner might be tired, frustrated, stressed out, helpless, hopeless or scared.

Keep an open mind especially when you are tired or stressed out yourself.

Be patient.

Don’t expect.

Be lighthearted and easygoing.

Discover the beauty and power of keeping an open mind. It will change and make life easier and more interesting!

“We all operate in two contrasting modes, which might be called open and closed. The open mode is more relaxed, more receptive, more exploratory, more democratic, more playful and more humorous. The closed mode is the tighter, more rigid, more hierarchical, more tunnel-visioned. Most people, unfortunately spend most of their time in the closed mode.” ~ John Cleese

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