Episode #100 Live With Less
What does it look like to live against the grain in a world that is focused on collecting more, more, and more? This week, Dr. Michael Brown and recovering people-pleaser Amy Seiffert discuss how reducing the clutter in our lives and hearts allows us to make room for whatever is most important.
Show Notes
There is something called Big Trash that goes on, and there’s all this orphaned furniture everywhere. And I think, "I really should take that." But then my garage was packed with all these unfinished projects.Amy Seiffert
Five Problems
- Many of us walk through life feeling smothered, cluttered, and burdened.
- When we put our time and energy into deciding what to wear, we have less time and energy to do purposeful work and engage in meaningful relationships.
- Living with less requires us to say “No” on a very regular basis.
- The more that we attempt to carry, the more that we are weighed down on our journey.
- If our arms are holding on to everybody else’s opinions, we are not free to do the work set before us.
Five Principles
- Living with less makes our items easier to find and our homes easier to clean.
- Simplifying our spaces and our minds helps us to feel less overwhelmed and distracted.
- When we reduce our attachment to things with low value, we free ourselves to become more attached to whatever has the highest value.
- When we leave our schedules open, we create more margin for spontaneity.
- We are long overdue to get rid of all the clothes that we never wear.
Five Practices
- Simplify the physical environment of your home, office, and car.
- Whenever you are offered something that is free, consider whether you will actually use it, and politely say, “No thank you.”
- Consider, “What is most important to me in this season?” and remove any commitments from your schedule that do not align with these priorities.
- Make a habit of the phrase, “That sounds like a great opportunity, but there is something else I want to prioritize today.”
- Guard your family time by learning to confidently forgo that one additional extracurricular activity.
In This Episode
Related Dimensions
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