What are you prepared to walk away from?
Have you ever asked yourself this question? Stop now, pause, and think for a moment about what you would be prepared to leave behind. I am sure you have, at some point, wondered if your home was about to burn down, what things you would rescue if given only a few minutes.
We quite obviously choose family and pets first, (I would hope), but what if they were already safe, what would you choose next? What possessions actually matter most to you?
It is interesting to actually stop and consider this question, it reveals to us just what is important, and perhaps more importantly it reveals the things we are hanging on to that actually have very little meaning to us!
In a world we we endlessly consume, where we have to have the best toys for our kids, where we buy the shoes or clothes in our closest simply because the brand holds a status. or purchase the latest/biggest TV just because it makes us feel superior, if we were about to loose everything we soon realise that these are not the most important things in our life after all.
To simplify our life does not mean having to give up all possessions and survive on the bare minimum. But it can bring us a greater sense of freedom, less credit card debt, less anxiety, less illness, and less pressure, and in turn make us richer in time and happiness!
simplicity brings us peace, it offers us balance in our lives, and brings us a deeper connection to the world we live in
When we realise we are buying without thought, that we are striving for happiness through material possessions rather than through quality of life and quality relationships, we soon become aware that living simpler may actually be the answer to living happier.
So here are some questions you could ask yourself;
- what distractions could I remove from my life?
- are there too many possessions in my home that I don’t need?
- am I stressed about my bank balance because I am spending more than I am earning?
- do I wear all these clothes in my wardrobe?
- are we so busy after school as a family that we never get to sit and chat or eat together?
- are my weekends so busy that I never feel rested?
- are all the things in my living room useful, or make me happy?
- do I have to check my phone every ten minutes or so?
- is hanging on to past hurts, or anger making me feel unhappy and overwhelmed?
- are there relationships that are draining my energy and happiness?
Thinking about these questions and your answers to them can really help you define where your life is cluttered. For some of us it is our home, for others it is too many after work, or school commitments that take us away from loved ones, and prevent us having meaningful relationships.
For others it is too much screen time that leaves us feeling tired, and disconnected to the people in our own home. And we can spend way too much time focussed on needing to earn more money to live happy, or free ourselves from debt, but often, (besides house debt), we are only in debt because we are buying things that give us a temporary fix, and once that fix fades we go out and spend more money on wasteful items.
I will leave you to ponder this question . . . “Where in my life can I remove more distraction, and instead focus on what actually matters most to me?”
Thanks for joining me, if you would like to read more on this topic check out my “simple living” post I shared recently by clicking HERE, Love Mackenzie xx
Each week I feature a roundup of my favourite photos from the Instagram Community #livingfearlesslyauthentic, here are my favourites this week,
above photo shared by @mommyandrory.
above photo shared by @singlemumspeaks.
above photo shared by @this.glorious.life.
above photo shared by @thepramshed.
and this great quote shared by Corrine from @everyday_gyaan.
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14 comments
I think I can or should be able to do without so many clothes and my phone. I spend too much time on it and it’s not healthy. It’s nice to pause and contemplate on what is needed most. Makes me realise I should not hoard and also focus on what’s important.
I know when I stop and really think about what matters there is so much I could leave behind. For me it is those sentimental items that mean the most like photos and things from when my babies were little. Thanks for sharing your thoughts x
Those are such interesting questions MG. I’ll need time to find answers. One thing I am certain of is that I have way more than I actually need.
yes, take your time, there is a lot to ponder xx
Thanks so much for featuring me in your weekly round up #livingfearlesslyauthentic x
We are in the midst of an experiment in this very thing. Having put new flooring down in our living room and dining room, everything had to go. I’m reluctantly bringing things back into the rooms, but selectively — right now I’m looking at an empty book case and dreading the selection process, but I refuse to just pile all the stuff back into our space again.
Thanks for this encouraging post that supports me in my resolve!
I’m not worried about clothes. I would take my phone simply because it’s necessary and I would need it to make phone calls to all family and let them know that I’m okay. I’m a sentimental person so I would try to grab my photo albums that I still have of old family photos that can’t be replaced and my kids baby pictures that I never put up on social media. That’s the stuff that’s important to me. Everything else can be replaced. #mg
I love the idea of creating a more stream-lined life. In fact this year, I made a commitment to only buy new clothes that I actually, genuinely need. Of course now it’s nearly the end of August and I’m ridiculously bored with my already fairly small wardrobe but it gives me far greater pleasure to purchase items for our home and those items which are more considered than simple throwaway things X #MG
Fantastic set of questions, MG. I love that we have choices – if only we’d make the right ones! 😉
Thanks for including my pic in your post.
Love this, it really does make you think about what’s important. For me, the only think I would hate to lose are photos, everything else can be replaced. It’s made me realise just how much I’m hanging on to that I really shouldn’t x
#Mg
Two weekends ago I pulled 4 full bags of clothing out of this has for donations. The children, me, the Mrs., all things we didn’t need, out grew or simply didn’t touch in two years or more. It was so freeing, and it is the beginning. Less is more! Thanks, Mac! M’wah #mg
Its only last week when I decluttered my wardrobe to remove those clothes I did not wear this season. I gave away some and packed away a few. Its a great quote to apply in Life.
I think if something happened to our house and the children would be safe. I’d save something that I’ve had all my life. #readwithme
This is a really interesting post and the questions are ones I want to consider further. I have been considering how to simplify my life a lot recently and this has prompted me to think about it again. Thank you. #mg
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