Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - August 25th

 Elegance is elimination. – Cristóbal Balenciaga

 

Minimalism is not a lack of something. It’s simply the perfect amount of something. – Nicholas Burroughs

 

Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance. – Coco Chanel

 

Dictionary.com defines simplicity as the state, quality, or an instance of being simple; freedom from complexity, intricacy, or division into parts; absence of luxury, pretentiousness, ornament, etc.; plainness; freedom from deceit or guile; sincerity; artlessness; naturalness; lack of mental acuteness or shrewdness.

 

The author’s quest for simplicity started while watching the sunrise in Virginia Beach and then hearing a podcast by Patrick Lencioni.  In that podcast, Lencioni quoted Leonardo da Vinci:

 

Simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication.

 

Through the author’s journey to simplicity, the author has experienced more peace in her life as she has implemented the same ideas that she has written about: decisiveness, decluttering the mind and her apartment, simplifying her writing and many more things.  As the author wrote on August 11^th, she is creating a beach paradise in her apartment to provide simplicity and joy in her life.  Through this journey she has learned:

 Simplicity reveals the pure beauty of life. - Debasish Mridha

 

Simplicity is not about deprivation. Simplicity is about a greater appreciation for things that really matter. - Anonymous

As the author has made clear, this is a journey and there will be roadblocks and detours along the way.  Simplicity will be a goal that must be continually sought after and the author will have to continually be assessing progression towards simplicity like every other goal she strives toward. 

 

ACTION:  How do you plan to continue creating simplicity in your life?

 

Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - August 18th

Clutter is not just physical stuff. It’s old ideas, toxic relationships and bad habits. Clutter is anything that does not support your better self. — Eleanor Brown

 

Clutter isn’t just in your home, attic, garage or office.  Clutter is also in your mind, and distracts you from the amazing things you are meant to do. – Katrina Mayer

 

The mind is a very powerful thing and what the mind thinks is what comes to pass.  In the mind, there can be mental clutter in the form of bad memories, fear, unforgiveness, poisonous relationships or poor habits.  When we have this mental clutter, it prohibits us from living a simple life and accomplishing our dreams.  Additionally, we encounter mental clutter by worrying about the situations we are encountering.  The “clutter” is not from the situation, but based on how we look at the situation and handle it.     

 

To remove the mental clutter, one must reprogram the mind with positive thoughts just like an individual declutters their home.  Removing the negative thoughts provides peace, joy and simplicity in life.   

 

Clear your mind of clutter, congestion and conflict. Free your mind of unproductive, nonessential thoughts about yourself and your life. – Anonymous

 

ACTION: Write a list of affirmations and review them daily.  We believe more of what we say about ourselves than anyone else. 

 

Resource

·       https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/make+a+mountain+out+of+a+molehill#:~:text=Exaggerate%20trifling%20difficulties%2C%20as%20in%20If%20you%20forgot,in%20John%20Fox%27s%20The%20Book%20of%20Martyrs%20%281570%29 

Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - August 11th

 Out of clutter, find simplicity. ― Albert Einstein

 

Clutter may rob us of the life we imagined or prevent us from creating a new vision for our future. ― Lisa J. Shultz, Lighter Living: Declutter. Organize. Simplify.

 

As the author has been teleworking and rarely leaving her apartment, she has been greatly bothered by the clutter.  She keeps it clean, but she discovered there were many items she did not use anymore.  Over the last couple of months, the author had sparsely removed items.  However, the author recently decided that she does not know when she will be returning to an office for work so she had to take action and clean out the clutter and create a beach paradise in her apartment. 

 

When we throw out the physical clutter, we clear our minds.  When we throw out the mental clutter, we clear our souls. – Gail Blanke

 

In the last month when the author has been looking at different items, she has wondered if she would ever use some of the items again.  Talking to Mama Flow, the author came to the realization that rarely would she need anything that she was giving away.  After spending time decluttering, she has a car trunk full of stuff.  As she continues to create her beach themed apartment, she has purchased one item, which was a canvas of a picture she took while on her trip to Virginia Beach.  All of the other changes she made were simply moving items around to create a different environment. 

 

A simple life is not seeing how little we can get by with—that’s poverty—but how efficiently we can put first things first. . . . When you’re clear about your purpose and your priorities, you can painlessly discard whatever does not support these, whether it’s clutter in your cabinets or commitments on your calendar. (148)

― Victoria Moran, Lit From Within: Tending Your Soul For Lifelong Beauty

 

As the author has been creating her beach paradise, she has remembered her dreams and knows what brings her joy.  The author does not know where 2020 will take her, but she knows she needs simplicity in her life and needs to be surrounded by the things that bring her joy! 

 

ACTION: Spend 20 minutes a day this week clearing clutter out of your work and personal space.  Create spaces that you enjoy and are clutter-free to help you accomplish your dreams. 

 

Resource

·       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gea6zhnArmg

·       https://www.upnorthparent.com/simplicity-project-5-reasons-to-simplify-declutter/

Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - August 4th

A real decision is measured by the fact that you’ve taken a new action.  If there’s no action, you haven’t truly decided.  – Tony Robbins Quotes on Making Decisions

 

Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach. – Tony Robbins Quotes on Making Decisions

 

It is in your moments of indecision that your dreams are destroyed. – Dr. Marc Dussault

 

Indecision is not part of the simple life and the author recently learned how indecisive she can be.  

 

As the author has been cautious with her excursions during this unique time in our society, she takes the opportunity to visit various locations when she can.  Last weekend, the author planned to visit Fort Washington National Park, which is a historical site she has seen many times driving down the George Washington Memorial Parkway.  When she researched the national park, she saw that they had been closed and planned to reopen the first weekend of August.  The author had a hard time making the decision when she would visit because she had told people she was going and she wanted to do other things on the weekends in August.  For a couple days, she waffled back and forth on when to visit.   

 

The risk of a wrong decision is preferable to the terror of indecision.  – Maimonides

 

Finally, the author made the decision not to go the last official weekend of July and placed an appointment reminder on her calendar to visit the first weekend of August.  After all of indecisiveness, the national park was still not open, but she was able to see many of the sites. 

Many times, in life making a decision can be difficult and reasons for the indecision can range from not trusting oneself to make the right decision, afraid of making a mistake, not wanting to get blamed for something, etc.  While contemplating the decision, stress and frustration often set in.  It is during those times, to remember a quote from Benjamin Spock:

 

Trust yourself, you know more than you think you do.

 

ACTION:  Practice being decisive this week to help make life simpler.