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15 Illuminating Quotes on the Art of Simple Living

Marquita Herald — Thu, 31 May 2012 18:03:24 +0000

Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful. ~John Maeda

What do you think of when you hear the term simple living? How about extreme frugality … or maybe monks living the austere life in a mountainside monastery?

Okay, so I’m exaggerating … but I’ll bet one of your first thoughts was it means having to give up all your stuff.

It is true that for many people minimizing possessions and living a more frugal lifestyle are key elements, but I have a little different interpretation that I’d like to share with you.

Try thinking of simple living as clearing out the cluttered spaces of your life so that those things that are your dreams and goals are ensured a place. It means living intentionally and not getting caught up in the infamous tyranny of the urgent but learning to keep your eyes focused on your highest life priorities.

It means making the time to figure out what those priorities are!

Since we all have different priorities, simple living will naturally look different for each one of us. Yes, we all have the same basic priorities…food, water, shelter, clothing; but beyond those, our priorities are very different, and that’s okay.

If you choose to, you can learn to live in such a way that, whatever your priorities, they are always adequately provided for. It may mean making changes, even sacrificing some of those items and commitments in the middle so that the ones on top have more space to survive and grow.

Simplifying your life doesn’t have to mean boring or dull. In fact quite the opposite, it means embracing a life full of satisfaction, joy and more memorable moments.

Following are 15 illuminating quotes to inspire you to simplify your life …

A simple life is not seeing how little we can get by with—that’s poverty—but how efficiently we can put first things first. When you’re clear about your purpose and your priorities, you can painlessly discard whatever does not support these, whether it’s clutter in your cabinets or commitments on your calendar. ~Victoria Moran
To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter … to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring … these are some of the rewards of the simple life. ~John Burroughs
Simplicity, clarity, singleness: These are the attributes that give our lives power, vividness and joy as they are also the marks of great art. ~Richard Holloway
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, now that’s creativity. ~Charles Mingus
Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. ~Confucius
Life is simply a collection of little lives, each lived one day at a time. Each day should be spent finding beauty in flowers and poetry and talking to animals … a day spent with dreaming and sunsets and refreshing breezes cannot be bettered. ~Nicholas Sparks
Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify. ~Henry David Thoreau
In the West we have a tendency to be profit-oriented, where everything is measured according to the results and we get caught up in being more and more active to generate results. In the East — especially in India — I find that people are more content to just be, to just sit around under a banyan tree for half a day chatting to each other. We Westerners would probably call that wasting time. But there is value to it. Being with someone, listening without a clock and without anticipation of results, teaches us about love. The success of love is in the loving — it is not in the result of loving. ~Mother Teresa
I do believe in simplicity. It is astonishing as well as sad, how many trivial affairs even the wisest thinks he must attend to in a day; how singular an affair he thinks he must omit. When the mathematician would solve a difficult problem, he first frees the equation of all encumbrances and reduces it to its simplest terms. So simplify the problem of life, distinguish the necessary and the real. Probe the earth to see where your main roots run. ~Henry David Thoreau
The greatest step towards a life of simplicity is to learn to let go. ~Steve Maraboli
People who pride themselves on their “complexity” and deride others for being “simplistic” should realize that the truth is often not very complicated. What gets complex is evading the truth. ~Thomas Sowell
Simplicity is ultimately a matter of focus. ~Ann Voskamp
I am not a genius, I am just curious. I ask many questions. And when the answer is simple, then God is answering. ~Albert Einstein
Things are never as complicated as they seem. It is only our arrogance that prompts us to find unnecessarily complicated answers to simple problems. ~Muhammad Yunua
Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. ~Robert Brault

If you have a favorite simple living quote, or an experience you’d like to share please consider contributing to the conversation by leaving a comment below.

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The Power of Humor to Beat Stress and Negativity

Marquita Herald — Tue, 29 May 2012 20:56:42 +0000

The ability to laugh easily and frequently is a tremendous resource for overcoming problems and unhooking yourself from stress.

Humor doesn’t typically come to mind when you’re faced with a stressful situation or crisis, but it can become one of your most important allies when it comes to beating the depression, anger and rigidity of thinking that often accompanies upsets and all forms of adversity.

When you “become the problem” by focusing only on the negative and take yourself too seriously, it can be hard to find solutions, but humor can help you see yourself and any situation with a more flexible mindset so that you don’t become stalled or locked into a pessimistic frame of mind.

In addition, research on the positive effects of humor and laughter on health points to a long list of benefits including boosting your immune system, reducing stress, relaxing muscles, lowering blood pressure, increasing tolerance for pain, and hastening the healing process. And it appears you can add problem solving to the list as well.

Researchers at Northwestern University have found that people who’d just watched a comedy video were better at solving a word puzzle than subjects who’d watched clips from a horror film or a lecture on physics. It seems a part of the brain activated by laughter and lightheartedness is especially well suited to helping us find clever solutions to our problems.

Laughter gives us distance. It allows us to step back from an event, deal with it and then move on. ~Bob Newhart

With so much power to heal and renew, the ability to laugh easily and frequently is clearly a tremendous resource for overcoming problems, enhancing your relationships, and supporting both physical and emotional health. In addition humor is a powerful and effective way to heal resentments, disagreements, and hurts. Laughter unites people during difficult times.

Laughter is the shortest distance between two people. ~Victor Borge

Best of all, this priceless medicine is fun, free, easy to use, and you can learn to laugh at any stage of life, and under even the most trying circumstances.

But there is a caveat …

If you want to have access to your sense of humor on your high stress day or during times of adversity, you first need to intentionally strive for it to become a part of your everyday style of relating to the world.

Simple Steps to Cultivate a Humor Mindset

Smile: Smiling is the beginning of laughter. Like laughter, it’s contagious. Pioneers in “laugh therapy,” find it’s possible to laugh without even experiencing a funny event. The same holds for smiling. When you look at someone or see something even mildly pleasing, practice smiling.
Count your blessings: Literally make a list, consider keeping a gratitude journal. The simple act of considering the good things in your life will distance you from negative thoughts that are a barrier to humor and laughter. When you’re in a state of sadness, you have further to travel to get to humor and laughter.
Learn to laugh at yourself: Share your embarrassing moments. The best way to take yourself less seriously is to talk about times when you took yourself too seriously.
Attempt to laugh at situations rather than bemoan them: Look for the humor in a bad situation, and uncover the irony and absurdity of life. This will help improve your mood and the mood of those around you.
Surround yourself with reminders to lighten up: Keep a toy on your desk or in your car. Put up a funny poster in your office. Choose a computer screen saver that makes you laugh. Frame photos of you and your family or friends having fun.
Keep things in perspective: Many things in life are beyond your control—particularly the behavior of other people. While you might think taking the weight of the world on your shoulders is admirable, in the long run it’s unrealistic, unproductive, unhealthy, and even egotistical.
Pay attention to children and emulate them: Kids are the experts on playing, taking life lightly, and laughing.

I have seen what a laugh can do. It can transform almost unbearable tears into something bearable, even hopeful. ~Bob Hope

More than just a respite from sadness and pain, laughter gives you the courage and strength to find new sources of meaning and hope. Even in the most difficult of times, a laugh or even a simple smile can go a long way toward making you feel better. And laughter really is contagious … just hearing laughter primes your brain and readies you to smile and join in the fun.

For your self care assignment today I want you to find something that makes you laugh … want to really boost the effects of your humor mindset? Share your laughter with others …

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Ready or Not, Change is Inevitable

Marquita Herald — Fri, 25 May 2012 16:43:06 +0000

People will suffer almost anything as long as it means they don’t have to change. ~ Deepak Chopra

Change may be unavoidable but it is our choice whether to meet change with acceptance and grace, or with protest and resistance. The problem is we hate having to adapt to new things.

We hate having to introduce new rules, having to bring in a new system of thinking and new procedures. We become comfortable with a thing and we settle into it and we don’t want it to change and we will do almost anything to keep ourselves in that position.

Then life throws unexpected change at us and we suddenly feel out of balance and more vulnerable to experiencing feelings of anxiety, sadness, even depression.

While some people may be crushed by abrupt changes, others are able to quickly adapt and thrive and utilize significant life change as an opportunity to branch out in new directions, viewing each new instance for what it is: a fresh start.

How to Embrace Change

Reframing

If you view change as a threat, you will experience fear and anxiety and most likely be resistant to the change you are about to undergo. On the other hand, if you can reframe your thinking and embrace change and look for the benefit in it, you can turn whatever obstacles you may face into opportunities for growth, and a much more exciting and fulfilling life journey!

It’s not what happens to you, it’s what you do about it.

~W. Mitchell

Accept that change is part of life.

This may sound simplistic, but while we tend to think in terms of major life events, most change is subtle and happens over a period of time so it takes some practice to simply notice things and people that are changing around you and not subconsciously deny or avoid it.

Gradually expand your comfort zone.

It’s incredibly empowering when you can muster the courage to push though that barrier. It’s actually easier than you might think to identify an area you need to expand – it’s that thing that makes you uncomfortable at the very thought of doing it. Learning to intentionally expand your comfort zone is like building a muscle that becomes stronger each time you exercise it.

Become consciously aware of your relationship to change.

Assessing how you deal with change, what stresses you out about it, what allows you to navigate it most effectively and what kind of support you need as you move through the change process are all important elements of embracing change. It’s rarely the circumstances themselves that cause us stress or difficulty; it’s our relationship to them. By altering our relationship to change, we can become much more peaceful and successful in dealing with it, especially when change is imposed and beyond your control.

Don’t waste time on ‘could-a, would-a, should-a, or if only I’d-a’ thinking.

Whatever the reason for the change in your life, don’t waste time stewing over how you could have prevented it, or done things better in the past. Choose to view change as your opportunity to write a better life story!

Forget about perfection.

There are times when we just try too hard to get it right in our quest for perfection. As a member of the human race, there is little if any true perfection and you’ll be chasing the near unachievable. Simply try to be better than most others by putting in the extra effort without getting bogged down in pursuit of making things perfect.

Get rid of the negativity in your life.

If there are there things (or people) in your life that are dragging you down now is the time to get rid of them. This can be tough but it is absolutely necessary. A successful transition is not achieved by dragging into your new reality the same things or people that may have contributed to past failures or unhappiness.

Ultimately, it is always up to you to decide if a change is for the better or for the worse. However, if you give yourself time to adjust to the transition, … to let go of what was, celebrate the good and forgive the bad … you may not only find transition far easier and less stressful, but a wonderful opportunity to revisit hopes and dreams you once had but perhaps had forgotten.

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Balance Function with Intention to Clear Clutter, Save Time and Reduce Stress

Marquita Herald — Tue, 22 May 2012 16:29:11 +0000

Definition of clutter: Anything you own, possess, or do that does not ENHANCE your life on a regular basis.

Most of us have a little clutter here or there and well yes, some of us have more than a little, but the point is that while reducing stress, increasing productivity and saving time and money are some of the best motivators I know for clearing the clutter, getting and staying organized; there’s another good reason that’s more important than just effectively organizing your stuff.

It’s about intentionally creating your haven … an environment that functions and at the same time is uniquely suited to you and reflects your passions and the life you really want for yourself.

When most people say “I don’t have time” they really mean “that isn’t a priority for me”. I’ve found that 99% of the time, if you want to achieve something you will MAKE the time, dropping other things off your list if necessary. ~Author Unknown but likely a frustrated time management consultant!

Why we avoid clearing the clutter …

The bottom line is that we won’t make the time or effort to clear the clutter and organize our spaces until we make it a priority in our lives. But there are also a number commonly held negative beliefs that serve as stumbling blocks. Let’s look at a few of the most obvious …

I never know where to start!

Whether you have many things to get organized or only a few, the best place to start is the area that is causing you the most distress. While it is human nature to want to dive in and make big progress once you’ve committed to change, it’s far better to break it down into smaller steps – for instance organizing one room at a time. If you try to tackle everything at once you could easily end up feeling overwhelmed and that could discourage you from continuing.

Getting organized takes too much time.

Being organized actually saves time and reduces stress, so it’s worth the initial investment in time that it takes to get organized. That said, don’t be misled by television shows that depict a home being organized in a day. Clearing your clutter and establishing a system to keep it that way is an ongoing project. It is about choosing to intentionally create the environment you and your family inhabit each day.

But I need all my stuff!

People who live through a catastrophe or other life-changing event and lose many of their possessions are often surprised by how little they really need to be happy. When you have too much stuff, you end up spending a lot of time and money maintaining it, keeping track of it and storing it. De-cluttering and narrowing down your list of necessary possessions will give you more time to focus on what matters in life.

Getting organized is expensive.

Many people fall into the trap of buying products and gadgets to help get organized and then never put them to use. The truth is you don’t need to spend money to get organized. To get organized on a shoestring, use your creativity to make storage items by re-purposing things you already own.

A Few Tips to Get you Started

There’s no one right way to organize your home. Whatever strategy you choose just has to work with your lifestyle, habits and tastes. But there are plenty of strategies that can you can pick and choose from to increase your effectiveness and make your environment more user friendly.

Designate a “launch pad”. This is an area in your house, preferably near the door, where coats, jackets, shoes, backpacks, purses, keys, and everything else you need to find are left when people come home – and are then easily found the next time you leave the house. Think of it a transition-zone between outside and inside — almost like an airlock.
Don’t buy storage containers until you’ve purged. When people want to get organized, often the first thing they do is run out and buy storage supplies. But it’s far better to de-clutter first, and evaluate why you have so much stuff to begin with—not find new ways to house your junk. Not only will slimming down your stuff first save you money on storage supplies, but it’ll save you the headache of going through excess items trying to find things in an emergency or last-minute situation.
Consider a “Use It or Lose It” rule. If you or family members haven’t used it, worn it, played with it, eaten it or even thought of it in the past six months, out the door it goes.
Gather all your household equipment manuals. Attach a receipt to each one, or note purchase date, store and price on the covers. Place them in an “equipment” or “appliance” file.
Burn records onto CDs for storage instead of keeping mounds of paper.
Say good-bye to a mess of accessories on your closet floor by using shower curtain hooks to hang purses from your closet bar to keep your carry-alls at eye level.
To keep tabs on which cord belongs to which machine, attach adhesive file-folder labels with the names of the cords’ owners (lamp, TV, DVD, phone) near the plugs.
Use a colorful mini flowerpot with drip tray near the sink to stash sponges, steel wool and food scrapers.
Checklists are good for more than errands or tasks. For example you could have a checklist for food and kitchen staples you normally keep on hand that will save you time when preparing to go shopping.
Watch for red flags. If a room still somehow looks messy even after you’ve purged, the next step is to consider ‘deep’ storage. Don’t let things you rarely use take up the same space as things you use on a daily basis. Group things together based on use or occasion and store them in square containers (round ones take up too much space) and label them for easy identification.

By intentionally approaching the process of organizing the space around you, you’ll find yourself becoming more aware of what’s important to you and how you can positively affect your environment. In fact, you just might be surprised by how much you learn about yourself through the process of clearing your clutter.

P.S. Interested in more tips? To grab a copy of my free Special Report: Easy Home Organization Tips and Tools with over 200 tips to simplify, de-clutter and organize your home simply click here to visit the Free Download page.

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Inspirational Words of Wisdom

Marquita Herald — Sat, 19 May 2012 16:41:25 +0000

Knowing how to motivate yourself is invaluable when it comes to mastering life’s inevitable obstacles and challenges.

When faced with unexpected change or a life crisis, it is so easy to fall into the trap of negative thinking; preventing you from moving forward and blinding you to potential opportunities for growth.

The perspective of someone who has gone though a similar situation and learned insightful lessons can simply be invaluable to help replace negative scripts with positive self-talk; to lift the spirit and to give us a reason to press on.

You are not alone.

If my love of quotations has taught me anything it is that there are very few experiences in life that are completely unique…that someone else hasn’t faced before.

It doesn’t matter what you are thinking or what fear you have, if you just do it. Action is the only thing that matters…. I can see that at the end of my life, I’m going to look back and say, ‘Gosh, I wish I had taken more action’. ~Diana von Welanetz Wentworth
When you’re scared, when you’re hanging on, when life is hurting you, then you’re going to see what you’re really made of. And then you’re going to get the only respect in the world that matters: self-respect. ~Sylvester Stallone
True hope dwells on the possible, even when life seems to be a plot written by someone who wants to see how many obstacles we can overcome. True hope responds to the real world, to real life; it is an active effort. ~Walter Anderson
Stubbornly persist, and you will find that the limits of your stubbornness go well beyond the stubbornness of your limits. ~Robert Brault

It’s important to acknowledge that whatever obstacles you may face they are there for a reason, and you will grow all the stronger and more confident as you get through, around or over them. Whether it is to teach you a bit about yourself, to make you appreciate your success when you attain it, or to make you stronger … each and every obstacle you encounter has a positive side to it.

Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Appreciate your friends. Continue to learn. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is. ~Mary Anne Racmacher
When the Japanese mend broken objects, they aggrandize the damage by filling the cracks with gold. They believe that when something’s suffered damage and has a history it becomes more beautiful. ~Barbara Bloom
When you feel that you have reached the end and that you cannot go one step further, when life seems to be drained of all purpose; what a wonderful opportunity to start all over again, to turn over a new page. ~Eileen Caddy

You must believe in yourself before anyone else will take you seriously. But what if it doesn’t come naturally? Can you train yourself to believe in your ultimate success? The answer is yes! The key is to be true to yourself, to be true to the very best that is in you, and to live your life consistent with your highest values and aspirations.

At any moment, you have the ability to dramatically change any area of your life, or follow your heart’s deepest desires. It’s yours to create, any way you want it. ~Craig Townsend
Change and growth take place when a person has risked himself and dares to become involved with experimenting with his own life. ~Herbert Otto
It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from. The ability to triumph begins with you. Always. ~Oprah Winfrey

The single most important lesson of all is that you do have the power to create the life you really want if you choose to. You do not have to settle for what you think is life’s role for you. You have the power to grow stronger and more resilient … any and all self-limiting beliefs can be overcome.

On sale now at Amazon

Inspirational Words of Wisdom for Challenging Times contains hundreds of carefully selected quotations and inspirational insights that each in its own way illustrates a life lesson based on the value of developing greater resilience in life.

To grab your copy of this book at Amazon – just follow this link.

I hope you will enjoy this book. Take your time and savor the life lessons; let them motivate and inspire you … and whenever you feel the need for encouragement return to them.

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