“Pare down to the essence, but don’t remove the poetry” ~Leonard Koren
Currently, we’re living in uncertain times in this pandemic. Most of us are bound to stay home, and can only go out for ‘essentials’. We are pushed to consider what is really essential in our lives, and that might be challenging after so many years where everything was possible and we lived in abundance. Today, I will help you find the essentials in your life by creating a roadmap according to your values, principles, and preferences in order to live a meaningful life.
Clutter and noise
At the time of writing, we are getting distance from normal life. Nothing is how it used to be, we have fewer distractions and this makes it a perfect time to re-evaluate your life. Many of us are currently working from home, which often means that we have more flexibility in dividing our workload over the day. This is a time where we can replace things that other people require us to do with our version of what works for us.
Being constantly preoccupied makes your mind so noisy that you don’t have the headspace to hear or see what’s going on around you. There is a constant noise full of ‘shoulds’ and this doesn’t leave much space for our own creativity or input. This is mental clutter. You often feel overwhelmed, out of control, and unsatisfied.
Physical clutter might be easier to address, although it is different for everyone. Your version might be piles of magazines, refrigerator magnets, a basement filled with just in case items, boxes with unfinished projects…and so on. Even when the stuff isn’t visible, it creates a mental and physical block to simple living. Our homes should inspire and rejuvenate us, but if every nook and cranny is crammed with things, there is little space left for the imagination or relaxation.
You can create your conscious kaleidoscope for your whole life
Conscious living
I would like to inspire you to live a conscious life. This means that you are aware of what is important to you and that you live up to it. These are values, principles, preferences, and goals that are a roadmap for living a meaningful life. You can create your conscious kaleidoscope for your whole life – including work, home, your closet, and lifestyle! This will mean that you have fewer distractions and less doubt, which creates more depth in relationships, more satisfaction in your job, more space in your closet and home. Ultimately, this leaves you with less stress, more time, and more money in your wallet.
Essentials
First, we need to reexamine what essential really means, and there is no better time to start this now that most of us are bound to stay home. We’ve forgotten how good it is to have unhurried experiences. We are used to filling our agendas and running from work to social appointments to grocery shopping and cleaning up our homes. Now, we are in a time of slowing down. And even though the circumstances are dire, we can (and should) turn it into something positive where we invest in changing our mindset for the long run.
The bottom line is: less is better. Eliminate the noise, and you will create space – in your mind and in your living space. And in times when we are sheltered from outside distractions, we have already removed so much noise. Reexamining what essential means to you will extend to everything you do: taking care of your family, decorating your home, social meet-ups, cooking, relaxing, creativity, work, and much more. You might discover that your life was full, but not always extraordinarily deep. Now you really have the time and the space to think about what is important in your life, and what it is that gives your life value, purpose, and meaning. Those are your essentials.
You are the curator of your own life
Roadmap of values and preferences
So, grab your notebook and write along. Make a list of things that you really care about. Find the things that matter to you, those that serve a purpose, that give value and meaning to your life, and those things that make you happy. This can be anything — from specific physical things, to a value of a word. The list can be as long as 100 things, or boiled down to 3. All is good.
This is a snippet of my list, so you can see how diverse it can be:
- Kindness
- Spending quality time with my partner
- No phone during meals
- Garments of good quality and timeless design
- Furniture made of natural materials
- Funky and quirky artworks
- Authenticity
- Food that nurtures my body
- Time for creativity
- I want to inspire
You are the curator of your own life. The list you just created is your roadmap of values and preferences for your life. It’s important to honor the considerations you set for your life. But it is perfectly normal for your list to change over time. You can edit, delete, and add as you move and evolve through life. Everything new that shows up should meet your guidelines. Sure, it will take some practice. But this is the perfect time to get started, as the noise is already reduced to a point that gives us the space to focus on ourselves.
You should revisit this list once a week, just to make sure that you are living your values. Next, we will create a list of goals – and this will be your blueprint.
How does this level of clarity make you feel?
Thank you for reading.
We’re in this together.
~
