I have a 440-page guide on how to simplify my life, but I haven't found the time to read it.
Like you perhaps, my once-quiet world now clatters with the joy of a large family. Amid the din, I've had to simplify my quest for the simple.
The advent of a simpler life can be launched with a concept so simple it takes only a few words, yet its implications and manifestations have given birth to entire institutions and provided intellectual fodder for philosophers for centuries.
Still, it is better, more accessible, easier to implement - at least for me - if I can keep the message simple.
Too much interpretation waters down the message. Too much debate strips it of its power. Too much explanation distracts us from its essence, and gives us an excuse to avoid getting down to the business of doing it, of living it. And to live it is to change our lives in sweeping, everyday ways.
It is this: Live in love. Whatever contributes to the love in the world, do it.
I suppose I've taken the risk of sounding airy-fairy and hippie-dippie. But just for a moment, allow yourself to recognize that love is the only gift you will always have in abundance.
Recognize how different you feel when you extend it to others. Recognize how its unrestricted sharing infuses you with new energy in your own everyday life. And allow yourself to see how such recognition could change your life. If, just for today, you made it your simple goal to wholeheartedly extend yourself in love and kindness. To love lavishly. Haphazardly. To smear it all over the place.
Once as a junior in college, I found myself in a bar with a group of graduate students. I was the only underclassman in the bunch and they were debating ethics, lobbing names of dead philosophers like bocce balls with not a small dose of intellectual pride.
I was quiet, soaking in all of the ideas and insights, when someone who had too much to drink asked the underclassman what she thought. "Whatever contributes to the love in the world, do that," I said.
Silence followed as they waited for me to expand, to elaborate, to offer proof. "That's pretty much it." I said.
It's not new advice, but it's certainly simple. For me, simplifying your life is not to add another "should." It's simply to recognize that your degree of happiness equals your degree of compassion.
If someone curses you, hold her in your mind and bless her. If you feel like cursing someone, bless her, too. Recognize that the feeling of overwhelming compassion is available to you any time you wish to call upon it.
Leading the simple life is to witness how extending love brings you joy in a fundamental down-to-the-marrow sense. A joy you can feel in your belly. And then to surrender the rest. To surrender anything that takes way from that - whether it's an activity, a possession, a relationship, a feeling, or a simple thought.
Ghandi said, "Renounce and rejoice." It doesn't get much simpler than that.
About The Author
Eliza Bloom's new book, The Bloom Method, is now online, and you can read it--in its entirety--for free: http://www.momscape.com/elizabloom/thebloommethod. Eliza also invites you to join her private mailing list, where you'll receive an uplifting message each week. To join, visit http://www.momscape.com/elizabloom/thebloommethod
green cleaning service Park Ridge ..Henry Ford, after he had achieved great success, was the... Read More
The other day I bought an unusual piece of software:... Read More
So people will reject us no matter how good we... Read More
Looking around at our circumstances we may see only mountains... Read More
Did you know that our thoughts may be influencing our... Read More
What is an affirmation? One possible definition is a specific... Read More
IntroductionDid your boss, took you for a ride? Did your... Read More
I'm sure most of you remember the children's book about... Read More
I will never forget an evening in 2003, when I... Read More
"The other night I ate at a real family restaurant.... Read More
Know thyself.These words were inscribed in the vestibule of the... Read More
Every time something doesn't go quite right (rather frequently for... Read More
Have you ever felt the whole world was against you?... Read More
You already have all the resources you need to accomplish... Read More
No one becomes successful by accident. Motivational speaker Les Brown... Read More
The fear of success is more common than some might... Read More
Normally I race around multitasking. I am always thinking about... Read More
Many people don't really understand the gift they have been... Read More
You know, very often, the manner in which a person... Read More
"You Are My Sunshine My Only Sunshine You Make Me... Read More
The infamous "glass ceiling" is blamed for business issues for... Read More
Ever had one of those mothers, or grandmothers, who would... Read More
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.... Read More
We all know them. We all have somebody like them... Read More
In the self-help and wellness industry, a mission has been... Read More
cleaning help near Bannockburn ..Not Amen, just so we're clear on that.AND.The little connector... Read More
During a Messenger chat session the other day, I asked... Read More
I get emails and questions from people all the time... Read More
"Work on your career and you'll make a living. Work... Read More
I was a young girl aged 12, when the one... Read More
The late Norman Vincent Peale was a controversial preacher who... Read More
Peak Performance. It means being at the top of your... Read More
For most of us our lives are a problem which... Read More
You wake up in the morning sleepy and fatigued; the... Read More
We hear a lot these days about accepting responsibility for... Read More
We all know there are ways to become a better... Read More
I believe that one of the best ways to stay... Read More
If your life is difficult--if it's challenging, exasperating, and vexatious--... Read More
Imagine what your life would be like if you could... Read More
You don't need to a piece of paper to prove... Read More
Have you ever dreaded an upcoming presentation, meeting or function... Read More
One Friday in November, I began a journey from New... Read More
What do you do when things in your life don't... Read More
Dear Friends,All human beings have a unique ability right from... Read More
As we enter this holiday season, and this time of... Read More
Does the thought of failure send a cold shiver down... Read More
Recently a great idea popped into my head about creating... Read More
"Adventure isn't hanging on a rope off the side... Read More
You may be facing a type of disappointment, frustration, loss,... Read More
As if choreographed and rehearsed the night before, one lays... Read More
Positive Attitude Tips |