“The simple life is defined by … the ability to enjoy whatever is front of you, whether that’s millions of dollars or a nice chicken sandwich.
It’s not a lack of money that we should be pursuing, but a lack of angst, a lack of need, a lack of resentment, and a lack of insecurity.”
— Ryan Holiday
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Don’t wait for the simple life.
Not when you tick off all your responsibilities and goals, but find it in the pursuit of them.
Otherwise you’ll be waiting for simplicity and ease forever, won’t you? For there’s always something else.
To paraphrase Socrates, if you can’t be content with what you have now, what makes you think you can be content with what you like to have?
“The ability to enjoy what is in front of you” as Ryan Holiday puts it.
What a lovely description. Not when, but now. The full enjoyment of what is, even in the pursuit of what might be.
That could just be a super power you can actually learn to possess.
The biggest obstacle to this though is often the idea that nothing is worthwhile unless it involves struggle and pain to obtain.
You certainly have to make sacrifices in terms of the fact that every time you say yes to something, you’re saying no to everything else.
Waking early to go to the gym means you have to say no to a sleep in; to that extra wine the night before.
Sitting to do your Ascension meditation for 20 minutes means delaying whatever is pressing on you next for, well, 20 minutes. (Which isn’t much is it?).
But every conscious yes that you make is a worthy sacrifice, because that small payment gives you so much more in return.
You feel healthier, you get stronger and can move more smoothly; you live longer and can fend off illness so much easier.
You master your mind, you empty your plate of all the events of the day and can give yourself totally to what’s in front of you, with a smile on your face.
Most of all, a sacrifice consciously made like this gives you pride in yourself. You’re proud that you did what you said you would. Which is no small thing!
Yet, pain and struggle and stress? No.
Alan Watts talks about mastering the art of sailing rather than rowing. Sailing is effortless compared with rowing, yet it’s much, much faster.
What if you could make your life simple, enjoyable and effortless, and still get what you want?
What if … ?
You’ll have to choose differently.
You’ll have to sacrifice all that struggle and stress and grumpiness, the haste and the yelling and resentment.
But that small payment may well be completely worth it. I dare say you won’t miss it at all.
Look –
We’ve done it one way for so long. Surely it’s time to try something different?
You’ll be out of your depth. Uncertain and even uncomfortable with the lack of stress. You’ll feel irresponsible, selfish even.
You’ll feel weird realising you have more time not less; there’s a quality to every moment that is so different; you feel so much better in yourself than ever before.
“How is this so?”, you’ll think, “It makes no sense!”.
Keep it up.
You’ll start to enjoy the lack of frantic rushing and pushing and all the fallout that comes with it.
You’ll see that you can have success, on your terms, but without the blood and tears.
You may sweat, but you’ll enjoy it. Not only when, but most importantly, right now – in the process of it.
“Remember to stop and smell the roses”, they used to say. It’s even more true today.
Go for simplicity as you go about your life. It’s not giving up or being irresponsible, it’s actually the only sane way to live:
Free of all the limitations and stress and pressure that we unconsciously self-impose.
Go well!
Arjuna