OK, the Journey Toward Life Simplification
Now that the future of America's economic profile has been cast by both the lack of action by Washington to deal with what most people understanding is an out of control amount of spending, and many Americans unwillingness to accept responsibility for their own actions, you must understand that we will have to learn how to live with less, own less, and consume less. The American way of life is sunsetting, and it will not be revived. The next 10 years will see the transfer of wealth from the US towards China and the Middle East. It is not sour-grapes, but a simple fact of economics. You will do yourself an immeasurable favor if you begin to learn Life Simplification or LS.
Let's not get into politics since I am apolitical (not caring about which party controls the reins of government), but am more interested in the progress of the individual not the collective. Please do not read anything political into this last statement since remember, the collective is made up of the individuals just as the human body is comprised of many parts all of which have their own function and purpose.
So with politics disposed and eliminated from this blog, how does one begin the journey of LS (life simplification)?
First and foremost, you will need to find a place where you can think about your life, your place in the world, your desires and needs. The place and time should become a habit -- a consistent time and place where you will become honest and clear about your internal functions, thoughts, and direction. This is NOT a time for meditation since you will be actively thinking, writing, and focusing on these intensely personal concepts. Your mind and spirit must be engaged on these topics during this intimate time.
Choose a place where you feel secure, where you have access to your personal things, and most importantly, you feel comfortable. Choose a time that you can set aside everyday consistently in order to produce a habit. Remember, experts have said that for an action to become a habit, it must be repeated for 21-28 days -- so plan to have an agreement with yourself that you will attend this personal activity for this minimum time frame. If you cannot attend this invitation everyday until the action morphs into a habit, do not begin the process until you can make this agreement with yourself.
During this time that should be at least 25-30 minutes each day (not such a large commitment in the larger schemes) spend at least the first 5 minutes draining yourself of the stresses in your life by practicing the following exercise:
Find a comfortable position (sitting, lying, or other position), and let your mind begin to take a walk down a quiet, deserted tree-lined street. It could be someplace you have experienced before, seen on the television, or just imagined. The most important point is that the image must be completely devoid of others -- only yourself and the surrounding peace.
Imagine that you have a backpack on containing all the stress and issues in your life symbolized as stones, and as you walk down the quiet lane, you reach into the back pack and discard each stone along the way. Actually see a name on each stone that describes the stress or issue and feel the relief as you rid yourself of the weight these negative, energy-robbing, happiness-displacing situations represent in your life.
At the end of the five minutes, your backpack is empty, the weight is gone, and you are able to walk without the discomfort, rubbing and annoyance of a heavy backpack on your shoulders. Feel the calm, the relief, and joy that comes from realizing that for the next 20-25 minutes, you do not have to carry these weights on your back. You have the power to make this happen if for nothing more than these 25-30 minutes. Life will resume in force, but for this time, you can experience what a stress-free lifestyle would be like. These feelings will help to enforce your desire to make this personal time a habit each day.
It may not work the first couple of times you attempt it like most new activities in life, it may take some time to work out the kinks. Stick with it, and I can say from personal experience, you will begin to look forward to this time since it will provide at least a small amount of time from which you can relax from life's intensity. Later on, I will show you an exercise that will allow you to permanently rid yourself of the stresses and issues.
Tomorrow, we will take the next step in using our personal time towards the goal of simplifying your life.
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