How to be content with less

Photo by Only Sequel
Since a few years I have been gradually simplifying my life. It has been the best choice I have ever made.

I am still simplifying, learning to love less and growing everyday. It has a profound impact on my family life and it has a great influence on my business, passions (playing guitar, writing, reading and doing sports) and overall happiness.

For most people it seems hard to be content with less. Why should you want less if you can have more? Well, the problem is that a lot of people only look at the short term happiness of having more and not at the benefits of having less. They look at the disadvantage of having less but don’t worry about the long term detriment of wanting and having more.

~ Being content with less needs a shift in your thinking.

It will open up a whole need world of possibilities, opportunities, ideas and creativity. The truth is that you are not going to have less, but you are going to have more. That is the beauty of simplifying and living with less. Less is really more.

Here are some examples of how to be content with less:

Less stuff
Ged rid of stuff you don’t need. Having less stuff in your home means you will have more space. More space for you to enjoy and more room for your children to play in.

Less stuff means less clutter. Less cleaning, moving stuff around and maintaining. You will have a nicer place to live in. A space that breaths simplicity will create more peace and quiet in your mind which leads to less stress. (better health)

Less obligations
Less obligations means that you will have more time on your hands. If you work less, schedule less appointments and meetings in your spare time, you’ll have more time to do spontaneous things like taking a walk, talk to people, enjoying friends and family, going away for the weekend and doing things you love most.

Buy less
If you buy less, you will save money. If you stop giving into the addiction of wanting more all the time, you can save that money to pay of your debts. Paying of your debts means you will have less stress when times get tough. It also means you can choose to work less.

Bying less means you won’t have to spend all your time in shopping malls running after the latest short term happiness rush that will create another hole in your pocket. Instead you can spend your time doing sports, having a real social life, playing with your kids, discovering and enjoying your true passion.

Less overall
If you start wanting less and doing less, you can start enjoying the things around you. If you are always obsessed with wanting more and busy with the next thing you think you have to do, should do or ought to do than you will continue to stay on that train that will never stop…. it will never stop!

~ Try to want less and you can benefit from everything that is already there.

“The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.” – Socrates