Everyone wants to live a happy and fulfilling life.
Yet, it seems that most of us search for happiness in the wrong places – money, fame, stuff, and decadence.
Ultimately we find ourselves stressed, disappointed, and miserable down the road.
Why? Because we like to overcomplicate things and oversee that happiness is tightly tied together with simplicity.
But when we allow ourselves to reflect and ask what truly matters to us, we realize that a simple life is better. And we start to identify what is important to us.
There are no mega milestones, nor massive amounts of stuff and money or luxurious goods needed for experiencing happiness.
Life is about finding beauty in its simple pleasures and realizing that simplicity is the essence of happiness.
So why not focus on what you have, stop pursuing more stuff, and juggling with busy schedules?
Why not start making a life instead of a living? After all, you deserve it!
In here, you’ll learn how.
IN THIS POST
Years ago, I was in the stage where I was working long hours to improve my lifestyle that was, in hindsight, already beautiful.
I did what society wants all of us to do:
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Work more
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Earn more
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Spend more
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Repeat
However, I mostly felt stressed, restless, demotivated, anxious, and tired of the complication that has sneaked into every aspect of my life.
Then, I discovered minimalism and realized the importance of a simple life.
Suddenly, it made no sense to pursue more – but to focus on simplifying.
So I started to reduce superfluous things that harmed the quality of my wellbeing.
Today, I cannot express how glad I am that I took the time and asked myself what truly matters to me.
And for me, it has become a non-negotiable way to live a happy and simple life.
So why exactly is simplicity the best way of becoming happy? Here are the main reasons why a simple life is better for all of us.
5 reasons why a simple life is a happy life
1.You intentionally stay away from complications.
I doubt that anyone loves to complicate their life and infuse it with stress and chaos.
Yet, we can observe that many of us choose to do so.
But there is a way to untrap ourselves from the cycle of busyness, complication, stress, and unhappiness – through simplifying.
Simplicity is the key to experiencing more joy, happiness, and fulfillment.
2.You get more time, energy, money, and freedom.
By cutting back on unnecessary obligations, possessions, and lifestyle inflation, you need less of everything – less stuff, therefore less money, and finally less effort to work.
Once you choose to direct your priorities to make a life instead of a living, you shuffle yourself more energy to enjoy your days, more time to spend with your loved ones, and more freedom to pursue fulfilling projects.
Nothing fills more liberating than a stress-free life and having the time and choice to do what you love.
3.You improve your mental and physical health.
Stress is one of the leading causes of anxiety, sleeplessness, and bad health. Simplicity is a powerful way to reduce that.
Less mental and physical stress leads to a significant decrease in cortisol production – the stress hormone that your body produces when continually being under tension, worry, and anxiety.
You then have more time to focus on eating healthier and exercising, two vital ways to improve happiness.
4.You build deeper connections with people close to you.
Simplifying also means to reduce our time spent in the digital world, in which we tend to compare ourselves to other people.
The toxicity of digital devices (when overused) and social media platforms has disconnected us from real personal relationships.
Reducing that intake also reduces the distraction of superfluous relationships online.
And we can move towards building deeper connections with fewer people who appreciate us for who we are.
Because no matter what where we are at, we are always good enough.
5.You learn to live more sustainable.
Consumerism and our capital-driven mentality have led us to a point where our careless lifestyle is no longer sustainable.
The only way to reduce the damage we heavily put on the shoulders of mother earth is turning our backs on buying more stuff.
Less stuff means less waste, a smaller carbon footprint, and less toxins that make us and our planet sick.
Imagine a world where everyone was a minimalist.
It would damage the economy in the short run, but we will find solutions for a better life healthier planet.
Living greener is definitely something we and our economy will profit from.
In the long run, we will all benefit from it because the economy will redirect its business goals towards sustainability.
People would buy less, but we would also have to work less to sustain our simpler, healthier, and happier lifestyle.
We will find solutions. We always have!
Tips on how to live a simple life and be happy
1.Reflect on what matters to you most.
Identify your priorities, values, and beliefs.
Focus on what brings you joy and eliminate anything that drains you and holds you back from becoming more content and free.
Being happy is a muscle that you can train.
Being more mindful and intentional about what you let into your life is crucial.
2.Remove useless clutter.
Avoid complications and reduce all unnecessary baggage in your life.
It only distracts you from reaching your full potential and steals your valuable time, energy, and money.
Use them on more meaningful things. Cleanse your home, calendar, digital devices, and mind.
The result will be more space for positivity, presence, and meaning.
Less is more in all areas of life.
SIMPLICITY IS THE ULTIMATE SOPHISTICATION
– Leonardo Da Vinci
3.Appreciate the simple things.
Keep in mind that happiness is not only found in mega accomplishments or expensive stuff – but the simple pleasures in life.
They are to be found everywhere around us, and we should relish the moment they present themselves to us.
4.Avoid comparisons.
Mind your own business and don’t let others stuff, lifestyles, and mindset impact your wellbeing.
Comparison mostly leads to the feeling of lacking something, which you aren’t. You are good enough the way you are!
Live a life your way and as authentic as possible.
5.Say no to stress and yes to less.
In our hectic society, taking downtime is crucial.
A complicated life keeps you busy, distracted and stressed.
Simplify and allow yourself to relax, enjoy the peace, clear your mind, focus, and recharge your energy levels.
Apply my useful tips on how to live a minimalist life and embrace the mindset of living with less.
6.Disconnect from the overwhelming digital world.
Use your digital devices as tools and partially for entertainment.
When not used responsibly, they can be meantime killers and overwhelming mind-stressors.
Better spend your time in the real world.
Disconnect from the internet more often, take a digital detox now and then and enjoy what is around you.
7.Connect with your loved ones.
Cut back on social media and use the time to build strong and healthy relationships with your loved ones.
After all, they are the ones who care about you.
8.Work for a life, not a living.
Don’t overwork or stay at a job that makes you miserable.
A simple life reduces the pressure to sustain an expensive lifestyle and enables you more financial flexibility.
And if you want, you can choose to live with less money.
Focus on designing a life that you love instead of hustling for the sake of maintaining a superfluous lifestyle that doesn’t match your intentions.
Live beneath your means, cultivate a frugal mindset, build an emergency fund, and secure your financial stability by making wise spending choices.
Stay away from financial problems.
Money is a recourse just as time is.
So use both in a way that will benefit and bring you happiness.
There are far more benefits of adapting to a simple life.
If you want to know more about why simplicity is the best way to gain freedom, check out why I choose to live a life with less.
Final thoughts
Overcomplicating life is neither useful nor a healthy contribution to our wellbeing.
So why not escape the useless and avoidable cycle of making and having more by reducing starting from today.
There are various areas in our life where we can cut back on to grant ourselves more freedom. Let’s live a life that aligns with your values and beliefs and eliminate everything else.
The ways are simple but not always easy. Nevertheless, we are human, and making mistakes along the way is natural.
Give yourself time, enjoy the journey, and let simplicity be your powerful tool and companion to a happy and healthy life.
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