Day 10.......What Will You Commit To? Simplicity Maybe?

 "My Richness is Life Forever" ~Bob Marley

What Will You Choose?

Day 10 of my challenge to not watch the morning news, and to create a blog post everyday has been liberating to say the least. When I first decided to challenge myself by writing a post every day I was unsure about what would unfold. I am finding that by committing to a certain activity for a specific amount of time creates great discipline, and has the ability to spark an enormous amount of creativity. For me it has magnified the excesses in my life and has allowed me to live with less in such a short timeframe.

Today was the first day that I decreased the amount of time that I spend surfing the Internet by 75%. I noticed the benefits instantly. I took on a  different task at work today which allowed me to learn a new skill. I enjoyed lunch without the distraction of looking online while I eat. I savored my food instead of  hastily shoving it down my throat. From now on I will not use the Internet until I have finished lunch. I felt more satisfied and thus was able to be more productive.

Today I was playing around with the idea of living a simpler life. I read an article that encouraged a relationship with poverty from time to time. What?? This sounds like a crazy notion that no sane person that works extremely hard would attempt especially considering what we do to maintain a sense of stability. The author suggested that this a way to alleviate fear in your life. Examples that were provided were things like wearing the same outfit for a week straight, or planning an entire days meal on two or three dollars a day for several days, or even fasting for a few days. By doing this exercise you would see if you can find joy in the simplest things in life or, if you rely too heavily on material things to bring you joy.

 Many people live in this way and they do not have the luxury to decide when they will spend less than five dollars a day on food, or what outfit to wear since their options are limited at best.  The author did not suggest that there was anything wrong with having wealth, material things, or success, but instead he wanted us to remember that we can never get too comfortable with the illusion of material success.  We must have an intimate relationship with fear in order to remove fear from our life.

 What is it that you fear? Do you fear losing your way of life? Your friends?  What is it that you can’t live without? Decide what that thing is and then live without it for a few days and watch how your life will change. This exercise will help you to develop a deeper appreciation for the things that you do have, and it will also remind you that they are not necessary for your happiness.