simplyminded.net

The following post is by Jonathan Wondrusch of Grokkery:

photo by lovelypetal

Within the imaginative recesses of our dreams, lies untapped creativity and potential. Every time we dream, our mind takes the world around us and creates a vision, a fantasy or an experience that our conscious minds can only dream of.

Perhaps you’ve heard of lucid dreaming – the occasion where you are aware that you’re dreaming and are able to influence the dream world that you are in. Lucid dreaming usually happens by accident, but can also be learned by those with a keen interest.

Real life is very similar to lucid dreaming. You can influence the world around you in many ways, yet we often do not because we have a fixed vision of what is “possible” in the real world, and what is not. If you want to expand your influence, it just takes passion and a willingness to learn how..

I invite you to dream with your eyes open. There is room in the rhythm of every day life to imagine and create. The world may not be made of gummy bears, and you may not be able to fly like Superman, but that’s not the point – the point is to unlock your imagination.

Dream so big and so true that every aspect of your dream life would be fulfilling and rewarding. Focus on the being instead of the having, and your imagination can truly create a dream that makes your heart thump in excitement and butterflies take wing in your stomach.

Imagination is so easily shackled in our society. How often do you hear the following, “Let me bring you back to reality,” phrases?

• That’s not possible.
• That will never work.
• Maybe, but that sounds really risky.
• How in the world will you do that?
• Yah, but that type of life isn’t for you or I.
• Good luck with that (with a roll of the eyes)
• Never in a million years!

The pressure of these questions leads to an experience of keeping our eyes shut, and imagining our dreams instead of knowing that we can take action to make them a reality.

Open Your Eyes, Remove the Blinders (Please)

Opening your eyes does not mean you are going to be bound by a strict sense of reality. You are only bound by the strict sense of reality if you choose to keep on the blinders and listen to the voices in your life that tell you why something can’t be done instead of why it should be.

Truly taking a gaze at the world can be more fantastic than the most imaginative dream – the potential that exists, the beauty within the world, and the power of the connections that we have and that we are able to make are all breath-taking.

Dreaming with our eyes open means that we are imagining without censoring. Don’t be a no to an idea just because it seems bigger than you are able to handle. It is the ideas that are larger than us that require our leadership. You don’t have to do it alone, you just have to share your vision with the world.

Open your eyes, become a yes to possibility and potential and take off the blinders.

Creating the Dream

Creating your dream may seem like the most difficult part, but it’s not – it is the second most difficult part. If you are able to open your eyes and continue to dream consciously instead of living in fear, the hardest part is done.

Conscious passion is such an intense fuel that you will be able to clear even the highest hurdle.

Transforming a dream into a concsious and physical reality is no easy task. It will take time, energy, collaboration, hard work and dedication. Yet, these dreams are achievable if you go after them.

By minimizing the distractions in your life, finding balance, and directing the rest of your energy at your dreams, you will be creating a dream of your choosing instead of falling into one unconsciously.

Just as lucid dreaming can be learned, we can learn to dream with our eyes open. Are you ready to get started?

Time to wake up!

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A passionate storyteller and blooming entrepreneur, Jonathan Wondrusch writes about transforming the world with consciousness and self awareness at Grokkery. Check him out and be sure to subscribe!

The following is a guest post from Luke Wilson at simplifi.de:

We are all more blind to what we have than to what we have not.

The quote above from Audre Lorde just reached out and grabbed me the first time I read it. Despite all the reading and writing I do about living the simple life, at times I focus on what I don’t have instead of being humbly grateful for all that I’ve been given. I have selective blindness.

I want to always live live the exact opposite of this quote. I long to be blind to what I don’t have and see what I have with a greater perspective Here are five things I’m trying to keep my mind moving in the right direction…

• Possess less

I know this is a common theme among simplicity/minimalism blogs – Dave has written some great posts about it himself. There’s a reason that people write about this all the time… it’s true! When we reduce your possessions, not only do we have more time and more freedom, it’s also much easier to appreciate the possessions we DO have.

• Take good care what I have

We live in a world dominated by a twisted combination of both planned and perceived obsolescence. Companies create their products to be obsolete so that you’ll buy the “new and improved” version sooner, while at the same time spending their massive marketing budgets to covince people that their product is obselete not because it doesn’t work anymore, but because they’ve released a new version.

The truth is this: as unexciting as it may be, taking good care of the 10-year-old car and driving it for a few more years is almost always better than getting the brand new car. It’ll cost a fraction of the price, both to you and to the environment. The car’s just an easy example, though – the principle applies to everything. Those who are truly simplyminded know that taking good care of the stuff you own will not only save you money, but will also enable you to truly value those items.

• Spend time with, serve, and learn from those who have less.

What to be acutely aware of how much you own? Then spend some time with those who don’t have anywhere near as much. I know that I always come away with new eyes and a new attitude towards my possessions.

• Realize how much easier my life is because of my possessions.

One time when I was in the beautiful city of Cluj, Romania working with Teach the Children, our hostess, Simona, did our laundry for us. When we said, “Thanks for washing our clothes”, she just laughed and said, “Oh, the machine washed the clothes. I just put them in the machine and turned it on!”

She’s right – we need not take for granted the extra time that our possessions give us – we have machines that wash our clothes, wash our cars, wash our dishes, heat our homes, cool our homes, take us from place to place on roads, railroad tracks, water, and even flying through the air! We have machines small enough to fit in our hands that allow us to communicate with one another through text, audio, and even face to face!

When I feel the “Woe is me” feeling coming on because I don’t have the latest and greatest, I try stop for just a second, think over your day so far, and realize how much extra time we enjoy thanks to the technological marvels we already possess. You should try it too… you’ll be amazed at how your perspective will change.

• Refuse to allow the culture to tell me what I have is no good.

Advertising is designed to make you blind to what you have.

Think about the last time that you were in a mall, for instance: You’re immediately faced with the “reality” that nothing you have is good enough. You’re not as cool and certainly not as good looking as everyone else, because of your clothes (Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister). You need a bigger house (RealOne), and probably more insurance to keep it safe (State Farm). Your haircut is ugly (MasterCuts), you stink (Bath & Body Works), you’re fat (GNC), stupid (B. Dalton), blind (LensCrafters), and hungry (food court). Oh, while we’re at it, your shoes (FinishLine), hats (Lidz), sunglasses (Sunglasses Hut), cell phone (AT&T, Verizon), and underwear (Victoria Nothing’s A Secret) all need to be replaced immediately.

It may seem like I’m just being the grumpy young man, but I’m thoroughly convinced that the longer we expose ourselves to such an awful message, the cloudier our vision gets for what we already have, until we go completely blind.

So those are some of the ways that I’m trying to a more conscious life, more grateful, and more content with what I have. I hope they are of some help and/or motivation to you. Now, lets talk about it – what things are you doing to encourage gratefulness and thanks in your life while simultaneously fighting the materialist, throw-away culture? I’ll be hanging out in the comments section all day, and looking forward to some great conversations!

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Luke Wilson is a Christ-follower, husband to Kay, and co-blogger with Barbara at simplifi.de, where they help people achieve less chaos and more life. You can find him on Twitter at @simplifide.

photo by ZenNomad

Has anyone besides me ever felt intimidated by the idea of meditating? Exotic, mysterious, certainly beyond my capabilities, I was intrigued by it for years before I ever actually tried it. I knew it offered so much, from greater peace of mind to keeping my blood pressure nice and low. What I didn’t know for a long time was how to get started.

There are many, many ways to meditate. One of the most basic, easy-to-learn methods is called “observing your breath.” Wherever you are, you’re always breathing, so this is a good form of meditating to start with.

Take a minute right now, and sit up straight, or lay flat on the floor if that’s more comfortable. Close your eyes, and locate some place in your upper body where you easily notice your breath coming in and out.

This might be your chest, where you feel it rise and fall as you breathe. It might be just above your stomach, in your diaphragm area, where your belly sucks in a bit as you inhale and pushes out as you exhale. Some people feel their breath most easily as it comes in and out of their nostrils. It doesn’t matter where in your body you focus, as long as you can distinctly feel yourself breathing there. Don’t try to breathe deeply. Don’t try anything. Just breathe naturally, and notice how it feels.

That’s it. Simple.

But not easy. Why? Because of our tendencies to criticize ourselves. Probably the single most common difficulty in meditating is getting mad at ourselves when our minds wander. Notice I said when our minds wander, not if.

The different parts of our bodies all have their functions. As long as we’re alive, our hearts beat, our arteries and veins move blood around, our lungs bring air in and out – and our brains think thoughts. Contrary to one very popular belief, the point of meditating is not to empty our minds of thoughts. We couldn’t do that if we tried, nor would we even want to. Meditating involves noticing that your mind has just wandered away, and gently bringing your attention back to that place in your body where you feel your breath moving in and out.

Here are eight suggestions for developing a regular meditation practice:

• Decide how many days a week you’d like to meditate; anywhere from 3 to 5 is a good place to start.
• Try to always meditate at the same time of day. This sets up a routine, which is very helpful for consistency.
• Start out meditating 5 to 15 minutes a day, and gradually work up to 20 to 30 minutes.
• Turn off your phone, and ask anyone at home to keep noise to a minimum and leave you undisturbed.
• If you find yourself falling asleep, you’re probably not getting enough sleep at night. Try keeping your eyes open as you meditate, or stand up. Sometimes when I just can’t stay awake, I’ll stand up and shift gently from side to side. It works every time.
• When (not if!) you get away from it for a few days or weeks, remind yourself it’s no big deal, and just start up again.
• Remember that if you’re like 98% of the rest of us, you’ll get frustrated with yourself when (not if!) your mind wanders all over. Remind yourself that this is what brains do.
• Try to find a group of people in your area who meditate, and join them. It’s much easier to keep at it when you have other people you’re doing it with. If you can’t find a local group, look online for a support system. Questions will probably come up as you continue along, and it helps to bounce them off other people who know what meditation is like.

Getting to know yourself through meditation has so many rewards. I hope these instructions and tips are helpful to you. Bon Voyage!

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Jacki Dilley is a psychotherapist who helps people overcome problems through using mindfulness skills. She blogs about living simply and consciously at Money. Work. Life.

The following is a guest post from Ben Gerber of Minimalist Muscle:

photo by jonclegg

If you’ve worked out a gym more than once or twice, you’ve surely seen certain gym members scribbling furiously in small notebooks after each set. From huge power lifters to lean tri-athletes, a certain segment of the gym-going population finds it critical to record their progress this way. In case you are new to the world of lifting journals, the typical journal records the type of exercise, the number of repetitions in each set, and the amount of weight lifted.

photo by RachelH_

I’ve recruited some fantastic bloggers to fill in for me while I take some time off for my wedding and honeymoon.  Today we kick things off with a guest post by one of my favorite bloggers:  Sam Spurlin of The Simpler Life.  Take it away, Sam!

Moving is a moving experience.

Silly puns aside, I think you know what I’m talking about. Packing up all your earthly possessions and trucking them from one space to another is usually quite eye-opening. It tends to be a lot of hard work but the final result, that feeling of being settled in somewhere new, is excellent. Every time I move I always love that feeling of newness, freshness, and opportunity that comes from setting up a new living space. Where does that come from and what can you do to capture that feeling other than when you actually move?

Try Doing a “Fake Move”

A fake move is just like a regular move except you end up where you started (I suppose I could have called it a “stay” but I don’t think that has quite the same ring to it.) Fake moving may mean you end up in the same apartment or house, but that doesn’t mean you do nothing. A fake move is about re-evaluating your living space, your possessions, and how they interact.

Fake moving is as simple as packing everything up in one room and then putting each item back one by one. The key to re-filling the room with your stuff, however, is to ask yourself a few questions:

• Does the item/piece of furniture/art/whatever fit with the purpose of the room?
• When you picture the perfect living space, is this item part of it?
• Does it fit with the general atmosphere of the room?
• Is this item helpful and/or beautiful?

Items that can past the test of these questions can be put back with full confidence.  Items that fail can be put in a Center of Ambiguity for awhile (to test your ability to live without it) and then donated or sold online.

Try Re-purposing a Room

Another variation is to repurpose one or more rooms in the process. For example, is it possible to move your home office out of the bedroom and into the guest room? What if you moved your master bedroom into a guest room and created a roomy and focused home office? Changing the purpose of a room can be like that breath of fresh air you get when you actually move.

This whole idea may seem silly if you equate moving with backbreaking work and you’re already happy with your living space. However, if you’re craving a breath of fresh air conducting a “fake move” can be a good way to open the metaphorical, and literal, window.

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Sam Spurlin writes about simplicity and living life consciously at The Simpler Life. He doesn’t quite have it all figured out yet, but he’s getting there. Come join him in his quest to do something worthwhile with his life.

I’m getting married in nine days.

Wow.

It’s hard to believe the wedding is almost here.

Let me give you some background.  My fiancée and I have been dating each other for over eight years; since we were both teenagers.  We’ve been engaged now for over a year.  To put it simply, we’ve been waiting for this a long time.  It’s pretty unreal to think that the moment has nearly arrived.

I wanted to take a break from all the preparations for a moment of reflection.  It’s easy to get caught up in all the things that need to be done—and there are many—which can turn these last few days into a whirlwind of frenzied activity.  So I thought I would press pause for just a few minutes, and reflect on how I feel about the whole experience of getting married.

1. I’m ready for the wedding to be here.  After eight years of dating and a year of planning this wedding, I’m ready to be done with all this preparation and on to the wedding day and the honeymoon.  Being engaged has been wonderful, but now I’m happy to be moving past that part of my life.  I’m ready to get married.
2. I have no idea what I’m getting myself into.  I don’t mean that in a bad way.  I just admit that I honestly don’t have a clue how things are going to change.  I keep telling people that I’m ready for the wedding, but I know I’m not fully prepared for how drastically life is about to change.  Marriage is one of those things that I don’t think you can ever be fully prepared for.  I don’t know what’s waiting for me, but I’m ready to find out.
3. It’s time to stop making myself the center of my life.  I like to believe that I put other people first, but if I’m honest with myself, I have to admit that I’m my top priority most of the time.  I think about myself constantly.  I usual do what makes me the happiest.  Now it’s time for all that to change.  In nine days I’ll be sharing my entire life with someone else.  Every decision that I make from here on out affects her as much as it does me.  Then one day we’ll hopefully have kids, and I’ll have to give even more of myself away.  Obviously I need to take time for myself, but it’s time to move beyond always being self-centered.
4. I need to be very open to change.  This ties into #3, but I need to be open to the changes that are going to come with marriage.  I can’t always have my way or do what I want.  I need to compromise.  My life is now shared with someone else, and I’ll need to adjust to these changes.  I don’t expect it to be easy, but I’m going to try my hardest to be open to change, and I know my fiancée will be understanding as we go through this together.
5. Our wedding is definitely not minimalist, and I am perfectly okay with that.  Hundreds of guests are invited.  There will be a fancy ceremony and reception.  Twenty people are in the wedding party.  The honeymoon is at a fancy resort in the Caribbean.  Call me a hypocrite if you want, but there isn’t a lot that could be deemed “simple” about our wedding.  And you know what?  I love it.  This wedding is a celebration of us.   My fiancée and I have been blessed with wonderful loving families and amazing friends, and we want all of them to share in this day with us.  My goal in life isn’t to be a “good minimalist”.  I choose to live my life simply to maximalize the things in my life that are important.  And nothing is more important to me than this.
6. I plan to enjoy my last few days of bachelorhood.  That’s not meant in some hedonistic way, like I’m running wild at strip clubs and casinos.  I’m a naturally introverted person, and I enjoy having time to myself.  While my fiancée realizes this, and will give me time for myself even once we are married, I’ll clearly never have as much free time ever again as I do right now.  I plan to savor these last few days of living on my own.  I can’t wait to trade in the life of a bachelor for that of a newlywed, but I’m going to enjoy the end of this stage in my life while it lasts.
7. We are blessed to be surrounded by so many wonderful people. I already said that my fiancée and I are very fortunate to have such loving families and a multitude of friends, and it’s true.  Our friends and family have always supported us, and we know they’ll continue to do so as we begin this new chapter in our lives.  We are so thankful for all the love and support that has been given to us.
8. This was worth all the trouble.  Wedding planning is stressful.  I know this isn’t groundbreaking news to anyone, but I now realize that you can’t fully appreciate all the work that goes into a wedding until you’ve experienced it yourself.  There are a million things that need to be done and it can get out of hand in a hurry.  Despite how stressful the planning process is, I know it will all be worth it when the day finally arrives.  Of course, all the credit really goes to my fiancée, who has done far more than I have.  I really have no reason to complain about stress, but she’s done an awesome job planning everything.
9. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with my best friend. I don’t understand why you love me—or even tolerate me most of the time—but I thank God for it.  I am blessed far beyond what I warrant.  I hope I can love you as well as you deserve to be loved.  Thank you.  I love you very much.

Photo by Chris Fritz

Every weekend I post a collection of links I found interesting and insightful.  Hope they prove useful to you as well:

• Engaged Marriage: Take More Time to Get Less Stuff Done
• NPR: Eating More Meat, White Or Red, Is Bad For The Waistline – Another great reason to go meat-lite or full vegetarian.
• Grokkery: The Power of Community
• The Art of Great Things: As If They Were Great And Noble
• Ridiculously Extraordinary: The Only Productivity System That Actually Works – As someone who has never had any of the popular productivity methods work for me, I can appreciate Karol’s idea here (even if I’m not great at just doing it).
• Paul Daugherty: A Vacation From Life
• Michael Hyatt: The Most Important Part of Your Story
• Raptitude: Your Lifestyle Has Already Been Designed

And just for fun, here are a couple clips of an awesome, awesome band: Yo La Tengo.  Saw them in concert last night and it was a fantastic show (although my ears are still hating me).  Enjoy, and have a great rest of your weekend!

Yo La Tengo – “Periodically Double or Triple” from Arts & Crafts México on Vimeo.

photo by focusedcapture

Every weekend I post a collection of links I found interesting and insightful.  Hope they prove useful to you as well:

• Zen to Fitness: Are Anti-Oxidants Overhyped?
• Prescribing Yoga: Is Your Yoga Working?
• Step 1 Minimalist: How I Stopped Believing in the Power of Possessions – Great article by Brett.  Really digging his blog posts lately.
• Bite Size Idea: Are You Making These Savings Account Mistakes?
• Wake Up Cloud: The 8 Core Excuses Standing Between You And Your Dreams
• Engaged Marriage: Want a Better Marriage? Learn About Money!
• Simple Steps: The Gulf-Friendly Product Guide: Alternatives to Petroleum-Based Goods

Book Corner: Currently reading You Money or Your Life by Vicki Robinson and Joe Dominguez and For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway.  So far I recommend both.

That’s all from me this weekend.  Busy finishing up last-minute wedding stuff and dealing with the huge stacks of boxes now piling up my apartment as my fiancee moves her stuff in and we receive far too many wedding presents from our extremely generous friends and family.  I hope to have a new post up this week, but I’m not going to stress myself out about it.  Hope everyone out there is doing well. Take care.

I just wanted to give anyone out there a brief update on things.  Obviously there will not be a new post this week.  I’ve just been far too busy with things now that there are only a few weeks to go until our wedding.

With everything going on, the idea that I needed to come up with new content for one or two posts a week was stressing me out too much, so I’ve decided not to try to post anything new right now. I hate for things to get stagnate on this site, but it’s been a nice break being on the computer much less.

I hope to get a few new posts online before the wedding. There are some much-needed layout changes that I wanted to do before the big day, but it looks like those may have to wait.  During August I’ll be feature some pretty awesome guest posts by some amazing bloggers, so be sure to stay tuned for those.

Thanks for listening.  I’ll do my best to be active again soon. 

photo by Bitterjug

Every weekend I post a collection of links I found interesting and insightful.  Hope they prove useful to you as well:

• The Simpler Life: Minimalism is for Suckers: Be a Conscious Maximist Instead – One of the best things I’ve read in a long time.  People spend too much time talking about minimalism and decluttering and getting rid of things.  It’s time to move past that.  Getting rid of stuff simply for the sake of getting rid of stuff is pointless.  The reason to simplify is to maximize the things that matter to you.  Awesome post by Sam.
• So Much More Life: Air Conditioning: A Minimalist Approach
• Nerd Fitness: The Donkey Kong Guide to Weight Loss
• Mark’s Daily Apple: Forest Bathing
• Exile Lifestyle: Tell Me What You Are, Not What You’re Not
• Seth’s Blog: A Hierarchy of Failure Worth Following

And just for fun:

• xkcd: Temper