What good is a career if it gets you more money, but less enjoyment of life? I would rather live less profitably, but more happily, honouring my priorities and doing what fills my soul. I look for my satisfaction to come from people and experiences, not material goods, and that is why I am not buying anything.
One of the highlights of living with less is an increase in the amount of time to be. To be you, and do things you are most passionate about. Things that may not have any economic benefit, but that benefit your overall well-being in important and vital ways.
Since my own downsizing conversion experience I have enjoyed many non-profitable, and awesome activities. Learning to play guitar is one of them. It was something I gave up decades earlier, and I feared that I would never get around to it again. I am glad I was wrong.
Learning to cook and bake have yielded hours of enjoyment, and have improved my health while saving me money. Also, just sitting and experiencing life is now possible, and I have found that watching the grass grow has definite meditative benefits.
On a more active note, two of my favorite passions are walking and being in nature. When I was younger I spent most of my free time outside adventuring, and sleeping under the stars. As my friends and I got older careers became the focus, and outdoor adventure was more of a luxury.
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| View from a hilltop overlooking home, sweet home. |
But my yearning for natural places did not diminish. Now I am able to immerse myself in the beauty of nature more often. The photo above was taken on a hike I went on yesterday. I did not sit at the top of the hill in the sun thinking I would rather be at work. I may not have a million bucks, but up there I felt like a million. Priceless.
Living with less stuff means less work, and that means more time. More time to help a friend move, hang out with family, or enjoy the quiet of natural places. More time to grow a garden, or bird watch, sew, can, fix things, read, or lend a hand to those in need. More time to do nothing, if that is what you choose.
Are you honouring your priorities? Or is the profit-driven model driving your life? If so, living more simply may be the answer to the time deficit problem that goes hand in hand with working for the money.
What would you do if you had more time?
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