Free PLR Ebook

In a shocking announcement, John Reese recently shared that he sold everything he owned and was off to travel the world. The only material possessions he had left fit into a backpack he carried with him as he set out on the journey.

You can read the entire letter from JR on John Chow’s blog: Why I Just Sold All My Possessions And Killed My Facebook Account

In another interesting announcement, Michelle MacPhearson shared that she was “downgrading her life” in a blog post titled How To Have Freedom. She talks about possessions as responsibilities, and how we’re killing our own freedom.

I found both of their notes interesting – and inspiring. It really gave me pause for thought, and had me analyzing my own lifestyle choices & goals…

Possessions, Obligations, “Stuff” -and even Habits…

One of the things I learned from my Grandmother, a saying of hers that always stuck with me, is this: the more you have, the more you have to take care of. She spoke from personal experience of course, having much to manage. And while I admired her for that, particularly how well she did it, I took her advice to heart and chose to keep things simple in my own life.

I have a conservative home, drive a paid off car, prefer freedom (time) over money, created a career I love, live below my means, have learned to say “no” without guilt, don’t have or live on a budget, and am debt-free outside of my mortgage.

I’m proud of those things, and glad I’m not a slave to my lifestyle. Or at least to possessions and obligations. There is still plenty of room for improvement in other areas of my life. And those are the things that came to mind for me personally as I was reading the notes from John & Michelle.

The clutter in my mind, and in my life, that holds me back.

As you know from my last post, I’ve been making serious lifestyle changes. I quit smoking 4 weeks ago. I also quit a long-term addiction to diet soda, started eating (much) healthier, and am working out several times a week. All in the same month. These are things that have been on my “want to do” list for years.

Don’t ask me if I feel 100% better for it. I don’t. It’s been a crap month. Change is hard, and withdrawal is cruel. I am just now crossing out of pure torture and into bearable. It’s still really hard to talk about, even.

(Don’t ever let anyone tell you that change is easy.)

I would not put myself through this without a reason. These are the things that hold me back, that truly bother me, that take up space in my head – and keep me from being as happy and as productive as I know I can be. As I want to be.

Some people feel like a slave to their job. Or to their bills. Or to their schedule or routine. I was a slave to my habit. In a big way.

I feel encouraged to push harder than ever to achieve my personal goals. To become the woman I’ve always wanted to be. Physically, mentally, emotionally – and even spiritually. No more wishing, no more feeling like things are just outside my reach, no more doubting myself. If there’s anything I’ve learned from the last 4 weeks of turning my life & routine upside down… it’s that I can do anything.

It boils down to having control. Of yourself, your life, your direction. Being in control means you’re a slave to nothing, and to no one. It means you can do anything you please -anytime. It means there is nothing holding you back, or holding you down.

Control is freedom.

An interesting concept really. Seems like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? But… either you’re in control of it, or it’s in control of you.

Some things I’ve learned from the experience: There is never a perfect time. Just do it. Change doesn’t come easy, you have to force it. It’s going to get bad before it gets better (like the huge mess you make trying to clean out a closet -lol). You have the option of doing nothing at all… and getting stuck exactly where you are.

The Power of Less

John Reese mentioned a book in his letter that inspired him, a book by Leo Babauta titled The Power of Less.

Intrigued by John’s drastic lifestyle change, and the fact that Leo is married and father to six children, I decided to check out the book for myself.

I plugged the title in at Amazon.com, and ended up ordering a set of 4 books from him.

The 4 titles I ordered are:

• The Power of Less: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential…in Business and in Life
• The Simple Guide to a Minimalist Life
• Zen Habits: Handbook For Life
• Zen To Done: The Ultimate Simple Productivity System

I just got them in last week, so I haven’t had a chance to read any of them yet. The first and last title appeal to me most, but I chose all 4 books a) because Amazon offered a bundle offer, and b) because I thought I just might take a genuine interest in the concept. The back of The Power of Less really says it all:

I have no intentions of selling my home, and in fact am in the process of several major purchases to complete my ideal set-up. But I love the idea of eliminating the unnecessary and focusing on the things that truly matter to me.

I have plenty of “unnecessary” that is a total time-suck, taking up entirely too much space & time in my brain – and causing me personal stress. Both in my business and in my life. Time to let it go and get focused only on the things that matter…

Which begs the question: If you were forced to eliminate everything in your life except what could fit into a single backpack, what would be in yours? I’ve been giving that a lot of thought this week, and not only considering the material possessions – but also thoughts & priorities that should be sorted as well.

Oh- and before I close, I was just checking out Leo’s blog this morning and found a timely post (timely for me!) on the topic of change:

“Change can be a difficult thing. Most people want to change their lives, in some way, but find it difficult to either get started or to sustain the change for very long.” – The Elements of Change

Best,

p.s. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the letters from John & Michelle, the books if you’ve read them, or what your own challenges are at the moment. And I promise you, this will be the last “lifestyle essay” for awhile – we’ll be back to the usual marketing tips & podcasting series here shortly!

Original post by Lynn Terry and software by Elliott Back