Things don’t have to be complicated and this is much easier than you think…
Yes, friends, I am a much happier person after learning these 3 simple lessons and I would like to share my secret with you.
My needs are very minimum
The happiest person doesn’t have everything but makes the most of everything.
I noticed that my life is full of clutter, and most of the things that I own, I don’t use.
I watched Malama's Life on YouTube and I was fascinated by her determination to get rid of things and simplified her life.
I decided to do the same thing by imagining that I am taking a long trip but I can only pack one suitcase, what would I bring?
The result was super surprising. Here is the list of things that I would pack…
- My journal
- Laptop and iPhone
- Kindle
- 3 sets of underwear
- swiss army knife and Fenix flashlight
- 2 pairs of jeans
- 2 long sleeve shirts
- 2 short sleeve shirts
- down jacket
- my Columbia lightweight raincoat
- 2 pairs of sneakers
- thermal bottle
Those are everything that I need, in less than one suitcase!!!
Another exercise I did was to imagine on a perfect day, what would I do and what would I need.
Here is what I would do on a perfect day…
- have my coffee in the morning while I read, think, and write
- do programming and data analysis in the afternoon
- play basketball or pickleball with friends, workout or hang out with my family after work
- watch YouTube and relax before going to bed
Things that I need for doing those things? coffee, computer, kindle, basketball, pickleball, and friends
I don’t need to do everything
Time is precious and we can not make more time, we can only improve.
I now ask 2 questions to evaluate whether something is important enough for me to do.
First question, does it matter?
This question evaluates whether an activity is align with my values, which are growth, contribution, creativity, and joy. If an activity doesn’t fit into any of those categories, then I won’t do it, unless it answers yes to my 2nd question.
Second question, is it vital?
The reality is we all have responsibilities, and not everything we do fits the first category. So this question helps me to identify what I am responsible for and not avoid doing them.
Smile often to make yourself and others happier
Everything we do in life has a ripple effect
- You are probably familiar with stories of paying it forward at Starbucks drive-thru. That is how the world works. If you are kind to one person, you are not only impacting one person, she might feel the impact and be kinder to the next person she interacts with. The opposite is also true. If you are rude or mean to someone, you might hurt more than one person than you realized. So smile more throughout the day, even if your day is not going so well. You will be amazed how that will lighten you up as well as others.
That was it. Those are 3 simple lessons that you can apply to yourself to make yourself worry a lot less, accomplish a lot more in less time, and become a much happier person.
If this article helps you in any way, please leave a comment so I know how I can improve my writing in the future.