Live a Simple Life and Be Happy — Is It Possible?
What do you imagine when someone says: live a simple life? There was a time when I imagined a woman living in the countryside who had to get up every morning and milk the cow, collect the eggs and then make breakfast using real fire. Then (of course), there was no running water from the tap, and she had to get water from the well.
Well… that kind of simple life didn’t attract me. However, I enjoy watching other people living such version of a simple life.
My brother showed me a YouTube channel about a family who lives in Azerbaijan. A lady cooks a tonne of delicious food, while her husband looks after the garden, builds something and improves the areas around the house.
They preserve and store the food they eat during winter. They have a cat, a rabbit, some birds and two dogs. All of them are friends. You can watch and watch their life, and it does feel good.
But do I want to live a life like that? Even if I had a multi-million subscriber base? I don’t. I would love to visit such a place but not live such a lifestyle.
It wasn’t until I was introduced to Jessica Rose Williams’ work. She writes about simple living and capsule wardrobe. Jessica has an amazing Simple letter on Substack, and I love her photography and videos. Her simple version of life is something I have considered.
Less is more.
I understood this first-hand when we spent 3 years moving from place to place, and I’d have only a couple of suitcases with me (and maybe a box with books and my art supplies). Surprisingly, I found that enough.
Once we came to the Gold Coast, we planned to stay only two weeks, but we stayed for 3 months. So, imagine how much I had packed with me. It was a small suitcase. And I was just fine! It was the time I finally started painting. I bought myself simple watercolours and paper from a two-dollar shop and started with that.
I’ve wanted to declutter my things since I read Marie Kondo's book. I finally decluttered my clothes last weekend. I knew I didn’t have a lot of clothes, but I did have things I knew I no longer wanted to have.
My main criteria was to remove everything that gave me unpleasant feelings or memories. Something I thought I should be wearing because it was given to me. I think I could have removed a couple more pieces of clothing. But my mantra is “Small steps do count.” So that was a good first step.
I imagine a simple life when I have fewer things and projects to worry about. The things that I don’t want to think about are automated, like setting up automatic transfers.
For me, a simple life is when I prioritise my primary project. When I do this, I feel so much calmer and joyful. I feel peace. That is a simple life for me — beautiful things around, space to breathe and space to dream.
Living a simple life is when I pay attention to how I feel emotionally and physically. It’s when I meditate and do yoga. I’ve taught Pilates for ten years, and I still believe it’s the best way to get in shape and recover from injuries. Side note: please find a qualified Pilates instructor specialising in injuries. Don’t just go to your local gym or even a big group Pilates class at the studio; you need personalised attention. Still, I prefer yoga for my mind, and I love the fluidity of it.
A simple life is when I write letters by hand. When I paint, I go for a walk along the beach or catch up with my friend for tea.
What is your version of a simple life? For you, it could be living in a beautiful villa in Bali or Costa Rica. Then what can you bring to your current life that would resemble the feeling of living there?
You can decide if you want a simple life and what it means. And if you do, what needs to happen for a simple lifestyle to bring you happiness? Maybe it’s to be more present and appreciate what you have already. It doesn’t mean that you don’t need to desire more. Or maybe once you live a simpler lifestyle, happiness shows up because you have fewer things to worry about.
Small steps and small shifts can create an extraordinary change in your life.
Be kind to yourself and notice good things around you that are already happening to you.
“The way to choose happiness is to follow what is right and real and the truth for you. You can never be happy living someone else’s dream. Live your own. And you will for sure know the meaning of happiness.”
~ Oprah Winfrey
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Mentioned in the blog post:
Jessica Rose Williams website. She is now writing more on Substack.