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What is voluntary simplicity?

If you are feeling overwhelmed by certain aspects of your life you may find yourself becoming drawn to simple living or voluntary simplicity.

You want to achieve balance with your life.

You know you want to slow down and enjoy life more. You want to spend more time doing the things you enjoy and you want to spend more time with people you love.

Voluntary Simplicity can help you do this.

Consumerism and A Materialistic Society

It would seem to those of us that believe in voluntary simplicity as a way to a better life that there is a major problem, at least in the western world, with rampant consumerism.

A lot of people just cannot wait to spend their paycheck on material goods and most of the time they do not need these items at all.

I was watching Marketplace( a Canadian consumer advocacy show) the other day and they had a bit on the new Apple iPhone 5. People were lined up for hours to drop 700.00 dollars on a phone. When asked why, the replies were mostly ,”Because it’s Apple so it’s cool.” or, “My friend is getting one, so I want one as well.”

This is a common theme in our materialistic society. We want more stuff just so we can brag that we have it.

Ignoring Marketing

Let’s be honest. It can be very difficult to ignore marketing and advertising. It is almost everywhere. We are subjected to thousands of marketing images every day. Marketers know how to exploit you. They play on your emotions. It is a science.

So how can we combat this and continue on our path to voluntary simplicity and simple living?

If you have a television, mute the ads.

realize that even news articles are probably promoted by marketers to entice you to buy a product.

Learn to recognize “buzz words” on packaging that means nothing but is meant to get you to buy.

Spend more time in nature

You are thinking about voluntary simplicity as a way to a better life because you are probably sick and tired of the marketing and the spending and actually the lies that you have been fed.

Lies that tell us to spend money, buy this product and you will be happy. It does not work that way. Happiness is not found through spending.

Happiness does not come from buying a particular product. You may find some joy in a painting or photograph or good book. A television program can give us amazing knowledge. But don’t confuse the actual purchasing of new shoes, a purse or new big screen television as an actual way to be happy.

What Void Are You Hoping To Fill

A lot of people buy things as they are trying to fill an emptiness withing themselves. They are attempting to fill this emptiness with stuff.

Have you ever noticed that people will buy a huge house and then try to fill it to the brim with the things that they buy. And they just cannot stop. They think they need more stuff all the time. But they are still empty inside.

When you are choosing voluntary simplicity you get to fill your life with things that you enjoy doing. You get to fill your life with love and joy and gratitude for all of the things you already have.

You may find yourself with more time for volunteering for a worthy cause, reading, spending time in nature, exploring spiritual pursuits, painting, doing yoga, and spending time with those that you love.

Getting rid of some of your stuff may also prove to be a benefit.

But I spent money on that stuff! I know, I know. So it can be difficult to part with some of your material possessions. Take it slow. Try getting rid of one or two things per day. Can you sell them and make a few dollars? Can you donate the items to someone who truly needs them?

Once you get started with this you will gather momentum. Make no mistake. I have stuff that I still need to go through and get rid of as well so you are not alone.

One of the benefits of voluntary simplicity, minimalist living and simple living may be the realization that you can live with making less money. Wow!

This is exactly would of the benefits described in Your Money or Your Life: Transforming Your Relationship Money . This is a great read.

Increasing Self Sufficiency

I personally want to rely less on buying stuff that comes from far away. Think about how much fuel is used to transport goods around the world so that we can buy it. I will admit that I bought strawberries the other day that came from California. I am in Nova Scotia, Canada! Good grief! It shows that I still have some work to do. It is a journey, not a destination.

Choosing voluntary simplicity as a way of life will help you(and me!) realize how stupid this practice is. We need to focus on buying locally produced goods more frequently. Maybe using the The 100 Mile Rule for buying not only food, but all material goods would be an interesting experiment to try.

Voluntary Simplicity Is Whatever You Want It To Be

Just remember that you are not alone if you are feeling frustrated by the fast pace of your life. Choosing to live a more simple life is a very noble thing to do. Examining why you have wanted to spend money on material possessions is a step in the right direction.

It shows that you are putting the health of the planet and the well being of others before yourself and your own needs.

What could be better than that?

Is voluntary simplicity a path to a better life?

You bet your life it is.

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Live Simply