Just as long as you get your blood flowing and your muscles moving, you’re keeping your body in shape and fit. Keep up a consistent routine of active movement, but know your limits and stay within these limits to avoid injury. Child-like play on a play ground, in a game of handball or tag, or during a sport is a wonderful way to get the heart pumping and to temporarily free the mind from demands of the adult world. To make sure your body gets the full attention of fitness, enjoy your play and vary your workouts to give your muscles some recovery and to maximize your fitness. If you occasionally play like a child you will likely live longer and definitely live happier.

I did not think money was of much importance at all although everyone else thought so, but nevertheless I had been diverted to law from a concert pianist vocation because I just was not quite good enough; a disappointing time indeed.

It was just that money in any generation seems to be one of the key drivers and the problem with that is that everything and everyone “out there,” is telling us what we need or so they think.

Those specialising in consumerism, what consumers will spend money on and how they will spend their money have learnt that if supply is created with enough attraction and pull, the demand will follow. This is contrary to the old saying that if there is enough demand supply will follow.

We might all think we are above such an obvious game and maybe as we get older we are. However, as a rule most are not and many of us have fallen trap to the emotional spend or the impulse buying which is the same thing as an emotional fix.

The reasons are simple enough in that we have not understood at a deep enough level our inner worth and our worth itself seems to stem initially at least from something about which we think we can “calculate” or do. We have confused intrinsic worth with extrinsic values.

We have been taught the price of everything and the value of nothing and more essentially those trying to instill in us what they perceive as values are in fact only implanting their own prejudices, beliefs, ideas, projected desires and unfulfilled dreams upon us at ages so impressionable we barely stand a chance.

In short our inner values and worth seem to be somehow linked to our perception of the value of things around us, if that makes sense.

However once we have developed even the slightest bit of awareness, introspection, inner gravity, insight or call it what you will, the same attraction that once drew us out can draw us inwards to our core or centre.

The world of advertising and glossy magazines will never go away as new means are always found to fuel the hunger of our unconscious. We can still be more circumspect about our choices, take a few breaths and feel what will satisfy our deepest longings.

Will these things be new laptops, iPads, Computers, cars, clothes or luxury holidays? I doubt it and having said that I will also say it takes a very intelligent person to learn from the mistakes of others. Most of us are so slow we need to learn the painful lessons from the mistakes we make and I am also right in there.

The trappings of society are not bad in themselves as we must go through the different stages of consciousness. Possibly we need to take a few steps back once in awhile and see that the simplest things in life are those precious moments that fulfill us the most.

Sam

So often we want to “just look up one thing” on our computers, or “just play one game”. Our cell phones ring through dinner and we “will just be a minute”.? It’s a casual friend, or work calling, or?relatives needing?to ask?us for a favor.? This scenario plays over and over again, while our families wait to be with us.

Are you disciplined in this area? Do you shut your computer down to have family time? Do you stop texting, or turn off the phone during dinner? If you are out and about with your children, do you answer every incoming call and text?

Examine your responses to the sound of your ringing phone, and monitor your time on your computer, and give yourself an honest evaluation. If you already know you have an addiction to one of these, start working on it immediately. Turning off the computer and the phone make it less tempting when more important things need your attention.

This is an area of discipline that offers tremendous benefits. Families that eat together and spend time together bond so much more. Don’t make your children and spouse feel like they are the second priority all the time–and that your work place, friends, and “me time” are above them.

In life, there is action and there is inaction. No other options exist. The memorable life is the life where honest, working and genuinely effective action is taken. The unmemorable life is the life where dishonest, ridiculous and ineffective inaction happens, and action is not taken. No other realities count or exist. Life is both game and serious, but no matter what, you must take effective action for either to count. With that, I begin this message. Sure, we can all live lives, but the question is: How will they count for something? I have the answer, it all counts through effective action and good results.

Reality is everything that can be experienced. For reality to be logically livable, that experience must have at least some satisfactorily happy experience to it. Happiness is self made or self undone by perception and actions. What do I mean? Perception is how we view situations in this case, actions are the actions we take upon those perceptions. We can either make a perception bad or a perception good, but in either case what we act upon is what we experience. To my way of thinking, and this is just my way of thinking, all perceptions are good no matter what. So what are all actions that follow from those great perceptions being the inverse paranoid that I am. Even the worst situation has a good ending in my mind for me.

Remember all actions stem from perceptions and in life there is action or courage and there is inaction or fear. So I consistently take the action. I did not say I was perfect, I just make a decision and take the appropriate action until I get it right. That simple, that succinct. Indeed, even the best situations have the best endings for me because of this logic, as well as the worst. If the worst happens, what is there to be afraid of? As long as you have a chance, start over and work up to success and the best, that is all you can do with life. Reality and engagement is winning, unreality and avoidance is losing. So always consider your positive options no matter what, because what is negative is not always as final as it seems.

An illusion is a fearful picture. A concrete reality is a courageous decision. Choosing to face everything as a whole is a courageous decision. Facing nothing is impossible, because, nothing unreal exists, even thoughts, so you have no choice even if you do not want to face yourself. Yourself is always real to you no matter what, even if you do not want to face that. If you try to cheat yourself in that sense, you “sucker punch” yourself by missing everything good and real in life that will even benefit you, sure you miss the harm, but you miss the benefit too. Time may be able to be wasted, but reality cannot be, in that when you miss it all, you miss it all and it cannot be replaced except if you get started now.

Even if you avoid the good and bad, and miss it all, with existence existing there is always a chance while you have consciousness. That is what the Faust by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe is about essentially. As long as you have a consciousness and time to do it, you have a chance to change things. As long as you can perceive and act, you have a chance. Sure, this is a big warning to heed, but you are reading it, take it to heart or leave it, but it is there and it will not change. Especially if you print it. Reality is like that, we must act to create what we want or not act, but either way there will be a result. That is the point, and that is not a “fair weather point.” It is an eternal “all weather bulletin.”

Ego isn’t something that truly owns you, overpowers you or takes possession of you, although it may very much feel that way at times. You always have dominion over ego, but you do have to take this dominion and assert it. I’ll explain.

Let’s talk about what ego is. Ego is the veil or shroud over your (spiritual) eyes that perpetuates the illusion of “reality” around you. Think of ego as a set of “virtual reality” goggles that you have put on to experience some sort of fantasy – where the “you” is your Higher Self and the “fantasy” is this life experience. These virtual reality goggles were created by Universal Mind (of which you are a part, or a droplet) so that It (through you) may experience.

You should know that without the goggles, this experience, or game, wouldn’t work. You should also know that you have chosen to put them on and participate in this game and you continue to choose to participate in this game, otherwise you wouldn’t still be here.

Now, ego is very powerful indeed. It is so by design. The game wouldn’t work otherwise. As you buy into the illusion that this reality is real – that you can actually be threatened, that you are your body and that “danger” is real (which is a thrill, admittedly) – it can certainly feel like the ego has a mind and agenda of its own – and that agenda is to have dominion over you.

However, even the idea that ego could have a mind of its own and rule you is an illusion. It is as impossible as the idea that your virtual reality goggles have come to life and taken you over (very much Doc Oc style from Spiderman). You always have dominion over ego and, in fact, you could take the goggles off if you so choose. This is what meditation is for. It’s not to bring ego into submission so much as to let the goggles slide down your nose for a moment, peer over the top and remind yourself, “Whew, oh yeah, this is a wacky virtual trip!”

So, you can choose to hate ego, curse it, see it as the enemy and try as you may to bring it into submission, but that’s kind of silly. Smarter is to remember that you chose to put ego on for the ride and embrace it for what it is – a trippy ride. And while you’re at it, thank Universal Mind for this awesome day out at the fun fair!

I am now looking at each chunk as a store that I can go into and choose to have anything I want absolutely free. As I approach each “store” I take everything out and look at it in terms of what I do want. I have found that if I look at it in term of what I no longer want I am over whelmed by the number of things that are there. Besides deciding what I don’t want I have to deal with that pile of “in-betweens” the stuff I am not sure I want to keep or not. To get around this I go into the “store” and look for the things I do want. I select them and put them away. Then I have a pile I do not want. If I still have some of those “in-betweens” that I am on the fence about I put them in a box and label and date the box. In six months I will go back through the box and get rid of the stuff I have not used in that time.

Another trick I use is to think of the stuff I am giving away as a gift to someone else. I try to think of the usefulness and joy they will give to someone who would select them from my “store” shelves. The cool thing is that they will be free for those people who select them. What a great feeling that is. I get to imagine other people enjoying my stuff.

Hopefully these little techniques will be helpful to you. They have helped me get over the overwhelm of facing a large amount of things to go through and they have actually made it kind of fun to get on with the sorting out and organizing.

Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on twitter or identica.

Stop being busy and your job is half done.

Think about how busy we are, and how it has become a way of bragging: I’m so busy, I must be important.

“I have a million things to do! I never have time for anything! I can’t slow down — I’m too busy.” This is thought to be a good thing in a society where we must be productive, active, occupied.

But it’s a fool’s game. Busy is simply noise, action without meaning, lots of little unimportant things rather than a few important ones.

Stop being busy. Just decide to stop, today.

Now you’re halfway done. You’ve decided to slow down, and to focus on what’s important. All of a sudden, your schedule clears up, and your to-to list shrinks down to almost nothing.

Now you just have one or two things to do, instead of a million. You clear distractions, and focus.

But how can you stop being busy? It’s a simple change of mindset: you say, I’m not going to be busy anymore. Even if you have little control over your schedule, you can decide that you’ll slow down, and pick the important things to work on, and if necessary, talk to your boss about doing this. If you control your schedule, you can drop all the busywork, and just pick the high-impact tasks.

It might seem impossible, but once you decide to put an End to Busy, you have taken the biggest step.

You can now make time for work you’re passionate about, for work that matters. You can make time for solitude, for creating. You can make time for contemplation, for yourself.

Stop being busy, and your job is half done.

“Life seems but a quick succession of busy nothings.” ~Jane Austen

—
If you liked this guide, please bookmark it on Delicious or share on Twitter. Thanks, my friends.

We simplify by paring away the layers of something until we find the core. Too many books on the shelf? Give them away, one by one, until you’re left with a manageable number of the volumes you really enjoy.

But decluttering this way is hard. For example:

Do you really want to pull dozens of books off the shelf one by one, trying to decide whether to keep or sell each one?

Do you have the time to go through hundreds of backlogged emails, choosing which to save and which to delete?

And there’s another obstacle. When you’re forced to choose to keep or discard something, uncertainty rears its ugly head. “Can you really afford to throw this away?” it whispers. “Are you sure you won’t need it eventually? Sure, you’re on a simplification kick now – but will you regret it later?” Playing the willpower game with uncertainty gets exhausting.

Simplifying Backwards is Easier

If you’re having trouble deciding when to hold on to something and when to let it go, try doing things backward. Learn to add responsibly instead of subtracting.

I call it the clean-slate approach to simplifying. Here’s how it works, in three steps.

Step one: Take all the clutter you’re facing, useful or not, and put it away. All of it. Put the pile of clothes in a box; put the old emails in a hidden folder. Now you have a “clean slate” to work with, but you don’t have to throw anything away. Yet.

Step two: Go about your business as usual. As you discover a genuine need for something (genuine being the operative word), take it out of storage with a clear conscience. No more agonizing over what to keep. Life will show exactly which things you actually need, and which things you only thought you needed.

Step three: When you’re ready, sell, donate, or throw away the stuff in storage. It’s easier now, since you’ve had weeks or months to overcome your attachment to it.

And here’s a bonus: if you develop the discipline to only put stuff back in your life when you absolutely, positively need it, you’ll find it easier to keep from buying, collecting, or accumulating unnecessary stuff in the first place.

4 Ways to Simplify with the Clean Slate Method

How can you put this method to use? Here are a few ideas:

1. Clean Out Your Email: If you’re staring hopelessly at an inbox full of read and unread messages, email drafs, and spam, consider declaring email bankruptcy.

If you use Gmail, the archive feature lets you easily move all the mail out of your inbox and into a separate folder. Instant inbox zero. If you use a desktop mail client like Outlook, you can export your mail data to a separate folder, then clear out your active inbox.

Worried about missing obligations to friends or customers? Send an email to your important contacts explaining your email bankruptcy and asking them to remind you of anything vitally important.

And now? Go about your business. If you need an old email, move it from your archive folder into another, active folder. Simple. Don’t stress, don’t agonize – just go with the flow.

2. Pare Down Your Library: Clear off your bookshelves and put all the books in a box. Now you have empty shelves to work with.

If you discover you need a book to read or reference, pull it out of the box and put it back on the shelf. Books that you need and love will naturally come back into your life; books that were just nice to look at or think about reading will stay out of your way. This also works well with DVDs, CDs, or cassette tapes, if you have them.

Eventually, you may feel ready to donate or sell that box of old books entirely.

3. Reformat Your Computer: The easiest way to do this is with a secondary hard drive or USB flash drive. Take all your files and programs and copy them to your secondary drive. Then reformat (wipe) your primary hard drive and reinstall your operating system of choice.

Going forward, only allow yourself to download a file or install a program if life shows you a genuine need for it. Try to avoid overlaps: do you really need that fancy word processor – or is the simple text editor you already have enough?

On the other hand, when you do find a genuine need for a new program, you can install it without feeling guilty.

4. Simplify Your Closet: Take all your clothes and put them aside. Most items can go in a box or a drawer. If you’re worried about your nicer garments, just push them to one side of the bar or use a placeholder hanger to divide your “storage” section from your “useful” section.

You may also want to commit to a regular laundry schedule – waiting three or four weeks to do laundry is a sure way to fall right back into a cluttered closet.

After a while, you’ll develop a cycle or routine of clothing that shows you exactly which clothes you actually need, and which clothes are just closet eye candy.

Setting a Purge Deadline

To really make the clean slate method work for you, it’s helpful to set a purge deadline. This deadline is how long you allow yourself to keep all your old stuff in storage before you get rid of it for good.

When you set the deadline is up to you. You might decide to eliminate anything you haven’t found a need for within 60 days, or 90 days, or a month. Whatever your number is, it’s a good idea to commit to it in advance, so there’s no second-guessing yourself later on.

The clean-slate method is just one way to simplify your life and your stuff, but it’s worked very well for me. If you find it difficult to simplify the “normal” way, give it a try. You might be pleasantly surprised.