The Start of an All New Year.

So here we are in 2013. What will the year bring I wonder?

When I think about what I want to achieve this year, all I can really think of is to keep SMPLFYing in all aspects of my life:

Financially
- Live within my means
- Focus on paying off my debts
- Save money

Spiritually
- Meditate

Mentally
- Keep learning about and practicing simple living

Emotionally
- Stay calm and focused
- Learn to let go of negative thoughts and reactions
       
Physically
- Eat a plant-based diet
- Eat more whole food
- Engage in more physical activity
             
Relationships
- Make more time for friends
- Be a better friend

Family
- Make and spend more time with family

The biggest thing I would like to achieve this year is to Have More Time. In other words, I would like to spend less time in paid employment and more time in creating a simple life. This is not a time management issue but a life management issue.

To spend time growing my own food so I do not have to rely on my job to pay for it makes alot of sense. The fact that I need my job to pay for the petrol to get me there does not make sense nor does all of  the wear and tear on my car caused by all of that commuting (up to 1.5 hours per day). The time and energy spent on my job means that by the end of the day and the week I am exhausted. In saying all that, I am very very grateful to be in paid employment because in these economical times many are not. I do enjoy it...just not all of the time I spend at it. At this stage, I don't want to give up my job altogether. Ofcourse, less time in paid employment means less money BUT on the other hand, it also means more time to spend on practicing and learning new skills to help me be more self-sufficient e.g. growing and making my own food, sewing, making my own cleaning and beauty products, creating products and or services to sell, carpentry and the list goes on. I want to rely more on my self and my own set of skills rather than relying on my job.

In my next post I will talk about what I already do to SMPLFY my life, what else I plan to do and how I plan to go about it.

So what do you want to achieve this year? Do you even want to achieve anything? Because it's okay if you don't. Sometimes goals can stress us out unnecessarily. Maybe you are absolutely fine with your life and just want to live each day and every moment as it comes. Whatever you choose is the right choice for you.

I would love to know what you would like your 2013 to be like, how you already SMPLFY your life and/or how you plan to SMPLFY it more . Please feel free to leave your thoughts and comments.

Happy New Year!

xxrae