The importance of simplicity in daily life is becoming more important than ever… 

BUT there is an issue with this way of thinking and it can quickly *trip* you up.

Seneca explained why when he said:

“We should not believe the lack of silver and gold to be proof of the simple life.”

Often, we look out there and make incorrect assumptions as to what is and isn’t The Simple Life. If, for instance, you embrace minimalism and rid yourself of all the items you’ve acquired over the years, you commit to a more simple existence.

Whereas if you focus on wealth and money and buying lots of stuff, you’re part of the lost majority that’s stuck in The Hustle.

And in many cases, this is true. But not always, because life is rarely so simple. It’s nuanced and what is and is not can take on many forms. The Simple Life, for instance, *can* center around LESS.

• Living off the grid
• A minimalistic home
• Daily meditation and silence
• etc…

Yet you can have this life, and although it may seem simple on the outside to others, on the inside you may be riddled with existential worry and anxiety.

Hardly a recipe for a simple life.

That multi-millionaire, on the other hand, who works twelve-hour days and spends more money than they earn… well, they may find peace in this existence, ensuring each day is filled with practices that help them reconnect with who they are.

This is what Seneca alluded to when he said, “We should not believe the lack of silver and gold to be proof of the simple life.” … it’s to warn us that we cannot judge a book by its cover and that we should not look out there for a simple life.

It begins within. In fact, it begins and ends within!

Yet this is where many of us fall short, too often hoping someone or something can calm the chaos. But you will not find salvation in any book or program. The answers you need often reside inside you. They’re just hidden by certain questions you’ve yet to ask. That’s where this article comes in… although we’re getting ahead of ourselves because before we get to the HOW, we must first hone in on WHY the importance of simplicity in daily life is becoming more important than ever.

the importance of simplicity in daily life

We’re a strange breed, us humans…

On the one hand, we are very lucky, given the gift of thought and wonderment.

We question the world around us. Ask why it is. Have the audacity to ponder our importance and relation to IT. This allows us to dream of tomorrow and commit ourselves to thrive rather than simply to survive.

Yet as smart as we are, we’re also fundamentally dumb.

Too simple, emotional, and illogical to properly “figure out” any of life’s major questions. It places us in quite a predicament, forever asking questions but stumbling our way toward answers that only fuel further questions.

I imagine it’s always been that way, but in today’s world where we…

• Have access to ALL the information (hi, Google)
• Are connected to ALL the people (hi, Facebook)
• Get bombarded by ALL the opportunities (hi, internet)

… and placed on one convey belt of content and information overload after another, around and around we go, each minute of each hour of each day…

Let’s just say living in Today’s World is one our precious little human selves struggle with. We’re very lucky, and it’s clear we live in the most fortunate and prosperous time in our history (so far), it’s nonetheless a period full of struggle, worry, anxiety, and utter confusion.

This is why the importance of simplicity in daily life is so important.

In order to properly thrive in this overwhelming world, you need to strip things back and focus on what you need to. Because you are, once more, human; you only have so much time, energy, mental bandwidth, and physical capability.

The more you do, the thinner your spread.

As Tolkien wrote about Hobbits on bread.

You need to simplify the chaos. Choose less. Focus more deeply on needs, not wants. You need to live your version of The Simple Life.

Yet this isn’t easy, least of all because the answers you crave don’t exist out there in the external world — despite what certain books and programs may say, and in spite of the perceptions and assumptions you’ve built over many years.

A simple life can take on many forms…

The question is, how do you figure out yours?

how to be intentional & embrace the importance of simplicity in daily life

The importance of simplicity in daily life is real, my friend, and the all-important step you need to take is to get out of your head.

And I know, that’s weird, especially when the point here is to dive within rather than seek so-called answers out there in the external world.

But bear with me as there’s a point in here… somewhere.

The reason you need to get out of your head is because you’ve acquired a series of beliefs over the years of what a Simple Life is.

It IS owning less and it IS NOT acquiring more.

It IS shedding wealth and it IS NOT pursuing more of it.

It IS being on your own and it IS NOT being around others.

It IS doing less work and it IS NOT committing to more.

The point isn’t whether any of this is or is not the simple life, but rather for you to question what does and does not make sense for YOU.

Maybe it does. If so, great. But then again… maybe it doesn’t.

What matters is to shed yourself of these perceptions because you may otherwise place yourself into a round hole when you’re a big bulky square peg.

and if the math don’t math, it never will!

This is what Seneca spoke about when he said, “We should not believe the lack of silver and gold to be proof of the simple life.” — That person with all the cars, houses, wealth, and who works long-ass days may live The Simple Life.

Whereas the one with a blank canvas house who lives off the land and only works an hour or two each day may be lost in worry, anxiety, and depression.

We often don’t know and never will.

What you see isn’t always what you get.

In fact, it rarely is.

That’s the point!

You need to stop assuming what a simple life is so you can explore what your version of a simple life needs to be. Once you do this, you quickly reap the rewards and understand the importance of simplicity in daily life.

3 questions you NEED to ask yourself

I have no answers for you. The reality is, nobody does.

This is something I’ve learned over the years, too often tossing broad questions into the universe in the hope of “the answer” somehow finding me.

It rarely works like that.

Instead, you need to focus on asking the right questions.

Once you do, the answers you crave begin to appear; in fact, you may realize they were hidden inside you all along. But you cannot see them right now because you’re focused on the wrong questions — it’s why shedding those misconceptions of The Simple Life is so important.

They’re blinding you.

Pushing you deeper into The Hustle.

Comparing who you are to all those other people you come across each day.

Hell, comparing yourself to the version of you that you wish you were!

None of this serves you, so place the desire for answers to one side, and instead, spend some time reflecting on these questions…

1: in which areas of my life do I feel most overwhelmed at the moment?

Your life is unique and me nor anyone else can fully comprehend what you’re going through or how you feel. However, one thing is clear, you are overwhelmed.

Not because you’re weak, but because this world IS overwhelming.

And although you cannot rid all the overwhelming aspects of life, you can take control and shed some of the baggage. But you can only do this if you first hone in on what you find so difficult to bear.

So spend some time reflecting on this question, making a list of anything that comes to mind. To start with, allow this list to grow long with things, people, tasks, relationships, responsibilities, thoughts, dreams, and whatever else.

Then, read your list and underline anything that REALLY weighs you down.

You have to pick your battles; these underlined words help you get started.

2: when was the last time I truly felt at peace, in the moment?

Now you know what overwhelms you, spend time thinking about the opposite.

Those aspects of life that give you peace and set you free.

Don’t focus on generalities, though. Pick out specific memories. Long ago or more recent, it doesn’t matter. The point is to hone in on times when you felt happy, content, and “in the moment”.

Often, these memories lay the foundation of what your simple life is.

At least, what your version of a simple life could become.

3: if I were to craft a simple & utterly freeing day, what would it look like?

Finally, give yourself the gift of imagining what a truly freeing and peaceful day looks like … it doesn’t have to be perfect and it does not have to make sense to anyone else — it doesn’t even have to take other people into account: be they kids, partners, team members, family, etc…

This is a thought exercise for you and only you.

So, picture that peaceful day. Place yourself there and imagine how it feels. Write down anything that comes to mind, from where you are to what you do; who you’re with, and how the various pieces come together.

*bonus* what ONE thing can I do today to better embrace simplicity?

Finally finally… end with ACTION.

Thoughts and reflections only go so far. Implementation is what matters.

You can’t make grand changes today. You cannot click your fingers and just like that, magic… a simple life.

But you can DO something and commit to making small, incremental steps.

This is enough.

And look, you don’t need all the answers right now. Remember, answers aren’t nearly as important as we make them out to be. They only matter when you start asking the right questions, and this little exercise is nothing more than a starting point. But you now have a thread, so pull it and see what happens.

Bit by bit, your version of the simple life will become clearer.

And as you venture forward, it will evolve and take you from here to there.

This too is okay. 

Keep going. Keep exploring. Keep focus on you and your version of a simple life.

Not anyone else. Not on what you think or feel it should be.

All that does is distract you, keep you busy, and push you deeper into the hustle.

This is why the importance of simplicity in daily life is oh-so-important.

More now than ever before!

Because this world IS overwhelming and it WILL overwhelm you. All any of us can do is slow it down, control what we can control, and simplify the process.

This sets you free and allows you to BE. 

hi, i’m turndog and I wrote this article … i am a writer, ghostwriter, anti-hustler & a guy on a mission to ensure you too escape the hustle — come be part of the [no hustle] movement

hi, i’m turndog and I wrote this article … i am a writer, ghostwriter, anti-hustler & a guy on a mission to ensure you too escape the hustle — come be part of the [no hustle] movement