Show Notes

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Hello everyone! Welcome to Take 17: 10 Ways to Live Simply Better

Do you ever find yourself wishing that life could be simpler? That is the topic of this podcast episode and blog post!
Growing up, living simple was not something I ever envisioned desiring. You are supposed to go to college, find a job, buy a car, get married, buy a house, have kids… and keep working to afford it all.
I never thought that our “ordinary” lifestyles could get so complicated!
But there are only 24 hours in the day to split between work, kids, marriage and the many demands and distractions of life. Not enough!
Somehow we make it work. Before you know it, ten years have passed by and you find yourself wondering, what if things could be simply better?
The beauty of life is that things can be simple, and as simple as we want to make them. But it requires being aware and intentional.
If you wish your life could be a little less complicated, these 10 ways to live simply better can help you get there.
Let’s get started!
You can use the player at the top of the post to listen to my podcast episode or you can click here  to listen on iTunes.

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1. Stop the comparisons

When I was in elementary school I remember having this argument with a classmate:
-I have the Rainbow Brite unicorn and you don’t.
-So what, I have the Barbie convertible and you don’t.
-My mom bought me a Hello Kitty lunch bag.
– I have a thermos with a straw and you don’t (those were quite the novelty!).
You would expect grown ups to phase out of the comparison game, but it only get’s worse. We constantly compare what we have, do and how we live to other people’s seemingly perfect lives.
Social media has taken comparisons to a whole new level. Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter… you name it, allow us instant access to people’s lives and give us the ability to share an abundance of information with the world.
I have to admit, I have a love and hate relationship with social media.
I love that it allows me to stay in touch with friends, family and even strangers, as scary as that may sound. However, I hate that it pushes me to play in my mind the comparisons game.
It is really hard to not contrast your life while browsing through other people’s social media updates. From life achievements, to vacations, meals and shopping sprees, everything is exposed on social media with a higher degree of glamour.
New York times best-selling author Rachel Cruze nailed the comparisons issue in her book “Love Your Life, Not Theirs”. She states:
Comparing ourselves to others is one of the most damaging money habits we have.
And one that is really hard to stop when there is an open window into people’s lifestyles, vacations, purchases, etc…
The huge problem with comparison is that it always results in discontent. You might have had a wonderful time vacationing in sunny Florida, but when you see those pictures of your friend’s cruise to the Mediterranean, suddenly your vacation seems kind of lame.
As hard as it is, to live simply better we need to stop playing the comparisons game! Keep in mind that you rarely see Facebook updates about people’s messy homes, bad hair days or maxed out credit card statements. The perfect timeline is only an illusion.