I recently purchased a copy of O magazine. This is the first time I have read Oprah's mag. I must say I really am enjoying it. I originally purchased it because she discusses her thyroid issues. I myself suffer from Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Oprah's article was pretty good, but not as informative as I wanted. There was an article I read that I found extremely intriguing, informative, and thought provoking. The article is titiled Back to Basics and explores "voluntary simplicity". What Is Simple Living?
Simple living — aka voluntary simplicity — has just about as many definitions as there are individuals who practice it. Simple living is not about living in poverty or self-inflicted deprivation. Rather, it is about living an examined life — one in which you have determined what is important, or "enough," for you, discarding the rest. "Living in a way that is outwardly simple and inwardly rich."— Duane Elgin
I find this whole way of thinking very inviting, to some extent, and rather refreshing. One part of the article really hit home for me. The author explains "People who pursue intrinsic values---self-acceptance, making the world a better place, helping polar bears---are much happier than people who chase popularity, money , and image." Very often I feel I am pursuing the intrinsic values. I often practice self-acceptance and do my part to make my corner of the world a bit brighter, but there are times I find myself chasing acceptance from others and buying certain things in order to perceive myself as acceptable.
With the New Year right around the bend, I have been mulling over resolutions. I don't know what they will be, but I know simple living will definitely play a role in molding a 2 or 4 of them. Stay tuned folks for a resolutions post, but be prepared to answer a couple of questions about yourself.
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