Empower Newsletter – November 2016
Welcome to the November 2016 edition of the Empower Newsletter. This month the focus is on how having less can create more happiness.
Did you know?
‘your life might be better with less’
This week I went to our local picture house and watched a documentary on ‘Minimalism’. Although it featured minimalists from all walks of life it was predominately about two 30ish business men who although very successful wondered why even when they had everything money could buy were still unhappy. This led them on a path of becoming minimalists in an attempt to find happiness.
Basically these two men quit their jobs and got rid of all their possessions (which they called ‘stuff’) except for items they believed added value to their lives. Their wardrobes consisted of around 30 items including underwear. And before you say men need less than women, there were also women who took part by also wearing only 30 items including jewellery, for a period of 3 months. One of these women was an advertising executive and said that no one even noticed!
It seems the more space we have, the more space we fill and then look for more space in the form of a bigger house or extension. Some of us even store our ‘stuff’ in our garages and leave our expensive motor vehicles outside.
The concept is that having and needing less in our lives gives us less to worry about and less the think about. That is, if you don’t need stuff you don’t have to earn as much money, work as much or maintain your current stuff. You can spend more time doing the things you love and at the same time have less going on in your mind.
This way of being allows us to get back to basics by clearing out the clutter in our lives which in turn clears the clutter from our minds. It creates a life where we no longer have to continually earn more and more money to support our life style of having to have more or the latest ‘stuff’.
The process of striping ourselves back allows us to be comfortable and confident in ourselves by realising that we don’t need to have ‘stuff’ to make us feel worthy or even liked.
How will you define your success after letting go of the excess stuff? To me a good measure of success is about how happy I am, it’s not about how much stuff I’ve got. Sometimes we get so caught up by ‘having’ to have something and forget to be grateful for what we already have.
Definition
Less is more
Used to express the view that a minimalist approach to artistic or aesthetic matters is more effective.
Somethings to Ponder
But is less really more? And if so, is the opposite true? Is more actually less?
~ Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus ~
Proverb – Less is more
That which is less complicated is often better understood and more appreciated than what is more complicated; simplicity is preferable to complexity; brevity in communication is more effective than verbosity.
We can’t be happy if we’re always thinking about the next thing. We can’t get things done when clutter is weighing us down and blocking our way. We need to take a breath, enjoy the moment, simplify and live big.
Quotes of the Month
“The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.”
~ Socrates ~
“We are happy in proportion to the things we can do without.”
~ Henry David Thoreau ~
Affirmation Corner
‘Everything in my life adds value.’
Newsletters | Di | 
October 31, 2016 2:43 pm
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