SMART Living 365

Ideas to create a more happy, peaceful and rewarding life--365!

Christmas 2013…More STUFF? Or A Meaningful Experience?

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Filed under: Aware, Meaningful, Rightsized, Sustainable

A great example of Christmas excess.

Before we get too close to Christmas I thought it might be SMART to remind myself (and anyone else who is paying attention) to not get sucked into the holiday frenzy.   You know what I mean.  Ever since the beginning of September the retail outlets here in the U.S. have been pushing Santa and all things related.  Just like any drug, the pushers make everything seem so harmless, tantalizing and attractive. However, the truth is what makes the season special has very little to do with stuff, and everything to do with experience.  That’s why remembering why we do what we do and using our money, time and resources in the service of that which we say we support, is especially critical this time of year. [Read more…]

How Habits Can Change Your Life For The Better

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Filed under: Meaningful, Rightsized, SMART Book Reviews

Most of us will admit to having a habit or two.  Some may even admit to having quite a few.  It is the rare individual that will admit that more than 40% of their daily actions are habitual—but that’s true according to Charles Duhigg in his book “The Power of Habit—Why We Do What We Do In Life & Business.”   Like it or not, as humans we are creatures of habit.  However, whether those habits are good or bad—and whether those habits are completely unconscious or purposely planned is largely within our control.  In fact, learning what habits are and how they are created is an important step in creating a SMART life.   [Read more…]

Simple Living vs. Minimalism—What’s the Difference & Which Are You?

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Filed under: Rightsized, Sustainable, Thankful

free things

The Best Things In Life Are Free

With all the talk of minimalism and simple living on the Internet these days I am still constantly surprised to see how many interpretations there are. I’m also seeing lots of confusion. I think that’s because most people are attracted to certain people who are writing about the subjects without concern about what either of those labels really mean. And while I’ve stated numerous times that I don’t believe myself to be an “expert,” I do feel the topic is not only valuable—but deserves explanation and exploration. For if SMART Living 365 is a way to fill our lives with meaning, purpose and happiness, then knowing about ideas that help that manifest is important to the journey. [Read more…]

Repositioning Your Life—Seven Steps To A New You

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Filed under: Meaningful, Rightsized, Sustainable

A big part of living SMART 365 is recognizing and discovering new and beneficial ways to create a life of wellbeing and happiness. Like so many other things in life, the journey is not a destination—rather it is an ongoing process of growth, experience and expression.  In some ways it is similar to something that occurs in the commercial real estate field in the U.S.  What?  That’s right, no matter how wonderful a property (or a life) has been in the past, there comes a time when it is necessary to “reposition” it in order to experience its highest and best use.  Although human lives are far more complex, we can learn a few things about change, creativity and feasibility by taking a deeper look at the art of repositioning. [Read more…]

The 1%, Inequality and You

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Filed under: Rightsized, Sustainable

If you’re anything like me you might not have thought much about inequality over the last week/month/year.  If you are white, upper middle class, have no debt, a good family income and are healthy—it doesn’t cross our mind much. Unfortunately, if you don’t fit in any of those categories, there is a good chance that you experience inequality in dozens of ways on a regular basis.  Even worse, you might not even be aware of how your opportunities for a better future for yourself and your family are slowly being eroded.   But because SMART Living 365 is about waking up and living consciously, responsibly and sustainably in everything we do—and then making choices and decisions that lead to greater happiness and wellbeing—learning about the growing inequality in our country is essential. [Read more…]

The SMART Living Path to Midway Simplicity

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Filed under: Meaningful, Rightsized, Sustainable

Moderation and Simplicity are great Paths to SMART Living

Several months ago I had the pleasure of doing my first live interview around the subject of simple living. A website named Midway Simplicity.com made it a regular practice to talk with a number of simplicity and minimal living bloggers about his or her version of minimalism or simplicity. I was honored to be included. [Read more…]

Argue For Your Limitations And They’re Yours—Another Case Of Motivated Reasoning

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Filed under: Meaningful, Rightsized, SMART Book Reviews, Thankful

Have you ever heard the statement, “Argue for your limitations, and they’re yours?”  In case you’re wondering, that quote comes from a book written by Richard Bach titled, “Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah.”  When I first read it years ago I thought I knew what it meant.  What’s interesting is that I seem to need to learn that lesson over and over again.

Limitations, of course, are any excuses I use to hold myself back and not live the life I dream of living. Limitations are also the rationalizations we all use for doing or not doing something, or believing or not believing just about anything. The big problem is that limitations seem so real that we often think we have no choice but believe them.  Fortunately, there is now scientific proof that much of what is going on in our minds are stories we tell ourselves—that may or may not be, true. So if we are making up stories as we go along—why on earth would we invent stories that limit us and hold us back?

[Read more…]

A Good Night’s Sleep—A Big Benefit Of A Simple & Minimal Life

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Filed under: Rightsized, Sustainable

This morning I was surprised to see a blog post on the Internet titled something like, “It’s not easy to be a minimalist.” Then when I thought about it, most of the articles I read these days about simple living or minimalism focus on the struggle to de-clutter or reduce one’s debts—as though this new lifestyle was a chore instead of a pleasure. But at the core of how I define simple living are the opulent gifts of freedom, rest, peace, time and contentment. A great outcome from any one of those is a good night’s sleep. While seldom mentioned when listing the benefits of minimalism, I think most people overlook the fact that sleep, and sleeping well, is one of the most luxurious aspects of a richly contented life. [Read more…]

Ignoring the Black Dots and Seeing The Good

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Filed under: Aware, Rightsized, Thankful

What do you see when you look at this photo?

This last weekend Thom, Kloe and I took a short trip down to Baja Mexico to visit friends.  We hadn’t been to Rosarito in years and we hadn’t visited our longtime friends Larry & Jose since they bought their stunning condo perched on the rugged coastline.  We had a wonderful time—lots of great conversation, plenty of laughter, tasty food, soaking in the hot tub, playtime with Kloe and her new dog girlfriend Tasha, a couple of bottles of nice wine and even a sip or two of the “new” almond tequila.  But toward the end of the mini-vacation we hit a slight “hitch.”  Luckily, we both quickly remembered that we “get to make it up” and decided to ignore the hitch and focus on the good.   After all, did we want to remember the fun from the amazing previous four days, or the small “black dot” towards the end?  And as usual, what we chose to focus on and remember, is up to us. [Read more…]

Be About YOUR Business

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Filed under: Aware, Meaningful, Rightsized

Most of the time I consider myself to be one of the most fortunate people on the planet.  I have a wonderful life—I’m healthy and have a great relationship—I also get to work and write about things that matter to me on a consistent basis.  But every now and then something pops up that makes me pause and wonder if my writing and work is making any kind of positive difference. Other times things happen or people do unexpected and unpleasant things that catch me by surprise. That’s when it is SMART for me to remember the words of a wise woman named Byron Katie.  One of the solutions she suggests for when we are feeling stressed out or unhappy is to “Stay In Your Own Business.”  In fact, she is very clear that most time when we are struggling with a situation we are in someone else’s business—and the simple practice of recognizing that fact is usually all it takes to bring us back to ourselves. [Read more…]