Photo by RickydavidHe who appreciates and understands a song, a symphony, a painting, some sculpture or architecture gets more satisfaction than he who owns musical instruments or works of art.
-Richard Gregg
In part 1, I wrote about 5 top ways to simplify your life: take life easy, live your own life, stop trying to please everyone, have a feeling of gratitude and slow down. Here’s a list of next 4 ways to lead a simple and happy life:
4 Other Ways to Live a Simple & Happy Life
1. Don’t make money the central point of your existence
This is the most important of all. Money is no-doubt important for our basic needs. But you still need to look beyond money. Why? Because in the pursuit of earning more & more money, we forget to enjoy the present, we keep on postponing our happiness to a future day without knowing that life is a journey and not a destination.
Understand that our happiness depends upon our state of mind and not on the status of our bank accounts.
Therefore, manage your existing money in the most efficient manner and also make efforts to earn more of it. However, don’t run after it like a mad man. Understand that money alone can’t buy you happiness.
2. Differentiate between Your Needs & Wants
Learn to differentiate between what’s a necessity and what’s a luxury. Moreover, know how much is enough? By buying more and more stuff, you not only waste your money but also unnecessarily complicate your life.
Paramhansa Yogandanda , the author of the spiritual classic Autobiography of a Yogi said:
“It is important to differentiate between your needs and your wants. Your needs are few, while your wants can be limitless.”
Make it a principle that whatever you buy should be in response to an actual need or something you really value, not simply because you can afford it or your neighbor has it.
To better understand the importance of difference between your needs and wants, read this post and this post.
3. Adopt voluntary Simplicity
Simplifying life is about discarding the clutter and improving the quality of life. It is about saying yes to the things you want in your life and no to the things you don’t want. It is about not getting distracted by consumer culture, living with a purpose, and focusing on the essentials.
Richard Gregg - who coined the term ‘Voluntary Simplicity’ - in his seminal essay (1936) The Value of Voluntary Simplicity pointed out the need and benefits of living more simply. According to him,
“Voluntary simplicity involves both inner and outer condition. It means singleness of purpose, sincerity and honesty within, as well as avoidance of exterior clutter, of many possessions irrelevant to the chief purpose of life. It means an ordering and guiding of our energy and our desires, a partial restraint in some directions in order to secure greater abundance of life in other directions. It involves a deliberate organization of life for a purpose”.
4. Live Frugally
We are living in a golden age of indulgence. It is human nature to want certain luxuries, but the key is to enjoy them in moderation and not to let them get out of hand. On the other hand, spending frugally need not be an exercise in self deprivation.
Frugal living is more than getting the most out of every rupee. Frugal lifestyle is not just about making good financial decisions and saving money, but is a lifestyle or belief system which emphasizes self-restrain, reduction of waste, using fewer resources & getting more out of existing resources and indirectly becoming environmental conscious. It's about a simpler, less complicated lifestyle, not about being cheap or stingy.
It is entirely possible to be thrifty and dignified. Some of the world’s richest people are the world’s most frugal people.
A good write up is never complete without an example. OK, I’ll give you just one example which should be enough to understand that it is very much possible to be rich and yet lead a simple life.
You must have heard of Warren Buffett, the greatest investor of all times. But, do you know about his lifestyle? Despite being one of the wealthiest men in the world, he still lives in same home he bought nearly 50 years ago and he still drives his own car. Read more about Mr. Buffett’s secrets for living a happy and simple life.
The next part will discuss how to live a purposeful life. Meanwhile, what’s your choice? Frugal & simple lifestyle of Mr. Buffett, or lavish & indulgent lifestyle of Larry Ellison; modest lifestyle of Mr. Narayan Murthy, or flamboyant and extravagant lifestyle of Vijay Mallya.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. -Leonardo da Vinci
Also Read:
1. Top 5 Ways to Simplify Your Life
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