Simply Enough

Clear your space. Align your life. Lead with intention.

Living Simply

Decluttering Challenge – Day 25 – Margin

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When I say margin, I mean create more of it. Margin in my schedule made today possible. A few weeks ago, I wrote about the importance of reducing our activities and commitments.  I was moved by this quote “Show me your calendar and I’ll show you your priorities.” Today I spent the day skiing with my son and some friends. It was a beautiful day on the slopes. Sunshine, blue skies, good friends, exercise…. I’m still smiling as I think about our day.  It was an undistracted day doing something I love with my favorite snowboarder. :) We actually planned this trip with just a few days notice. The weather looked great, favorable ski conditions and the kids had just a half day of school. Knowing this, I planned ahead with a different post for today, but tonight I felt inspired to share this instead. On Day 7, I challenged you to eliminate at least 1 activity that did not align with your values. Today's trip prioritized nearly all of my values. When the invitation arrived to go …

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I Think Shopping Has Made Me Hate Christmas

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Ok - perhaps hate is too strong of a word, but I strongly dislike shopping. I cannot sugar coat it. Last week was Week 3 of my holiday preparation. During this week, I attempted to focus on Gift Making & Shopping. As you’d expect, this is my least favorite week of the season. All week, I struggled to get going. Even writing about shopping felt like a chore because it's so counter to what inspires me about living a minimalist lifestyle. Perhaps like me, you also feel bogged down by the “need” for excessive gift giving and family expectations. In fact, I know you do!  Because I’ve talked to you at my speaking engagements. Gift Giving is the #1 question I field at these events especially from exasperated parents. Gift making is a completely different story. Photo calendars for the grandparents, cookies and mason jar mixes. The recipients look forward to these gifts and return empty jars for refills. Delivering these homemade items makes us feel like Santa with the …

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My Values

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I mention my five Core Values often, but they’ll probably make more sense if I elaborate a bit. My journey to simplify isn’t just a desire to declutter and have less stuff but rather a goal to live with more intentionality and purpose focused on these values.  …

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Accused Of Throwing Everything Away

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I have been accused of throwing everything away. I do not. But I understand the accusation. Over the years, I acquired a lot of things. I still feel like I own too much. At one time or another, I contributed to the statistic estimating there are 300,000 items in the average American home. Years of buying and collecting turned into a lot of stuff to get rid of. It probably does seem like I throw everything away. We needed storage for those 300,000+ items. I installed cabinets and shelves lined with baskets and bins. Most are now empty and I pass on the storage devices too. It hurts my head to think about the "investment" in collectable baskets and bears. I feel buyers remorse and guilt for inspiring others to make similar purchases. I'm embarrassed to admit how much we accumulated. After years of consumerism and chasing the American Dream, I found a better way....a more meaningful way to live. And I hope others can learn from my mistakes. Hindsight is 20/20. …

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Mom! Stop taking pictures!

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You may recall, my family and I traveled the country for three months. After just one week, I was accused of taking too many pictures. A fair complaint coming from my son who was having the time of his life, running on the field at Dallas Cowboys stadium. At this moment, he was focused on 1) scoring a touchdown and 2) performing his signature touchdown dance in the end zone. And so he did.   In the Moment He huddled up at the 10-yard line with his dad, ran a slant route and celebrated the touchdown as if watching his beloved Dallas Cowboys on a Sunday afternoon. I kept telling myself, "Be Present." "Be in the moment." "Stop snapping photos because you can't recreate this moment!" Yes, easier said than done. As I thought about his request, I realized that my picture-taking-pace could not continue like this for three months. We were just two weeks in and had traveled over 3,000 miles. Beginning in the deep south, Texas, New Mexico, …

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Grateful for….

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November is a popular time for listing all the things we're grateful for.  Some dedicated souls post one thing a day to Facebook and I admire this every year.  While that activity did not make the cut on my to-do list, there are many things on my mind this Thanksgiving Day. So much so, that I'm not sure where to start. Truth be told, I had planned to stage this post several days ago but the week got away from me. Short weeks mean free time and fun but I'm also guilty of trying to fit 5 days of work into 2.5 days. Not to mention the food shopping, pie baking and packing for our trip to visit family. I'm happy to report that all went well. For the most part, I did not overcommit and our drive was stress free with little traffic. Our son attended his first college basketball game as a special treat with his grandpa while mom and dad enjoyed an unexpected date night. It seems the holiday is off to a pretty good start. So here we are, Thanksgiving morning and I'm thankful for many …

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