I noticed recently how many bottles of perfume I currently own. There are 8 bottles, not to mention 4 different containers of body lotion that compliment some of the perfume. It got me to thinking how we can complicate our lives without even realizing it. If I put on perfume in the morning, and then maybe reapply if I am going out in the evening, why do I need so many different bottles? Now if you are a guy reading this, you are not off the hook yourself, because I know you like your shiny toys too!
My point here is, how much stuff do we really need and how complicated does it make our life? Not only do I have to clean the bottles when they get dusty but I have to decide which one to wear each day. The question begs ‘if I had fewer bottles, would my life be simpler’? Certainly I would have a few extra dollars in my pocket.
We wonder why we seem so stressed these days, but if we took some time to look at how we are living our lives, both personally and professionally I am sure you would find that we have complicated it somehow. By having all these extra possessions, responsibilities, technology etc are we preventing ourselves from living an easier and simpler life, whilst trying to convince ourselves that all this accumulation and expectation is actually there to somehow help us and make our lives better?
A couple of months ago I was cleaning out the cupboard under the sink and realized that I had all different types of cleaners for all different types of things that needed cleaning. I wondered if I really needed all of this stuff, as some of it was hardly used. Might there be a couple of cleaners that would do all the cleaning of so many other products? Why take up all that space and have to lug it around my home when a simpler approach might be better?
Where in your life, right now, could you simplify something either at home, work or elsewhere? What could you change if you wanted to, so as to relieve some of the overwhelm you experience? I believe that deep down we all know that we have to take responsibility for how our lives are running. We can’t keep blaming our boss, spouse, family or society for all the stress and overload we are feeling.
