The feeling of contentment with what we can afford is important so that we may live simply. Some buy extravagant things just for show. The virtue of humility accompanies the virtue of simplicity. A simple person is a humble person. Hapiness and contentment abound with people who are simple and humble.

Simplicity can be said to be a source of true joy. Let us aspire to be truly happy by being simple and by being contented with only things that we need to live a comfortable life. let us not aim at what we can not afford to have. This may lead us to commit a wrongdoing and hurt others ,and forget about being good

Image by chinnian via Flickr

 and upright. Instead , lets us use what we have and save for the future needs. Using recycled materials , aside from its being beneficial to our environment , also helps us to save up. We may even turn some into useful objects like old clothes into rags.

Let us not allow ourselves to feel miserable for not being able to have good and expensive things. Let us not allow ourselves to be tempted to do something  bad just to acquire things that we like but do not really need. We can find ways to be happy even without these. After all, it is the feeling of happiness and the good things we have done to people that we can bring along anywhere we go. Living a simple life is a value we have to keep in hearts and minds.

As Shakespeare said “Life is like a stage and we are performers on this stage,this drama will continue and is endless”.

Life is very difficult to spend now-a-days.No doubt that we are enjoying the lixurious life but along with that life has also become difficult.Our ancesters used to lead a simple life and wetre close to nature.The more we would be close to the nature, our life would be more simpler.

Simplicity doesn”t mean that we start living in a jungle or in a a forest.By simplicity we mean that our food should be simple, our way of living should be simple and we should adopt the way of simplicity.

By leading a luxurious life,our lives are becoming short. The reason behind is that we don’t move from one place to another,weare losing patience we have become self-centered.All thesethings are effecting our lives and our lives are becoming short day by day ,so to avoid all these difficulties that we are facing we would have to come close to the nature.And this will help to be active and healthy.

The other perspective of life is that people are becoming selfish and they are self-centered . They have no concerned with the community arond them. This is against the teachings of Islam.Islam always stress on the rights of humans. This attitude is creating a dfistance among the people and is affecting the life as well. When there would be no interaction among the people then they would not be able to come to know the problems that a humans are facing.

In short the more you would be close to the nature, your life would be more simpler and easier. Secondly there should be interaction among the people for the betterment of the human community. Life is easier ,if we make it easier according to our perspective.

A Few rants that focus on the upside of problems

by

JBCreative

The Debt Ceiling: KISS, (keep it simple stupid)

It’s all in the perception, and that can change.

The complexity of the issue is contrived so the common folk will stay out of their stuff. Put up enough smoke screens and make the brain hurt and reel by the mere mention of the word, like Pavlov’s dogs we go running in the other direction and let “Them” work it out.  The same rules of budgeting apply whether it is them, you or I, to make ends meet, they just have bigger numbers. Live within your means has been shoved down our middle class poor throats, all the while ignoring what “They” were doing while we were trying to live within our means, the old bait and switch routine.

The hidden potential of problems: Turning problems into opportunities.

The advantage of a problem; it is a wake up call. The debt ceiling is a wake up call alerting us all to the non-sustainability of our country as we know it.  It doesn’t mean the end of the world, but it does mean we better reexamine and re-structure into a form of sustainability, does it not? Therefore this problem could be the launching platform into that opportunity. In this case, bring the government back down to size and no longer the ruling force of this nation, but back to the people and abundance for all.

Problems themselves are the highest opportunity we can ever have. If things go well all the time, we never question why things are really happening. At this time of reassessment of our government system, keep in mind some very wise words of a Tibetan Monk, “Pain pushes us to find out what really drives the world around us, and if it leads us to discover the hidden potential, it is the best thing that ever could have happened to us.” Quote: Geshe Michael Roach.

If greed is not the problem, then why doesn’t the white house have a garage sale like the rest of us when we need extra cash? Hold an auction, have a lottery, sell tickets, get creative for heavens sake!

When I’m in a financial crunch I have to sell off some of my assets to raise money. Doesn’t the government have any assets?

How about auctioning off real wealth to the public to raise money? Have a raffle. Raffle off some Gold and Silver, I bet it would put a nice dent in the debt and actually put some wealth back to the people. But then wealth is power and the power would back with the people and that would give them nightmares.

Crunch the numbers. If the national debt comes out to $46,146.97 per person then let’s assume that amount at a 10 year loan, (120 months) equals to $384.56 a month which runs about $12.81 a day.

Add interest to that which everyone always does and you would compound the amount and have even more money. But at $12.00 a day, well, I know I get taxed more than twice that per day by the government …… So where is all that money going? Has anyone on the hill taken economics 101????    Just saying-

Keep it Simple

That is why making our lives more simple can not only help us to prevent these disorders, but also make us more happy and fulfilled than ever. I will share ideas on how you can simplify your life in three major areas of finances, time management, and personal relationships. The main point is to focus on what is necessary and important to us instead of trying to do it all, because no one really can do it all.

Finances

Nothing can be as stressful as financial problems and though they sometimes  can be the result of something we have no control over, such as accident, most often they are self induced. The economical boom of past decade made it possible for nearly everyone to have access to large amounts of credit via credit cards and mortgages for big homes, as well as loans of different kinds for pretty much anything we desire.

This created a false sense of wealth and security for many of us, but left us with debt levels that we are now struggling to pay back. The first step of simplifying your finances and reducing the stress levels in your life is to get rid of this kind of obligations. In reality it is not necessary to have more than one or maximum two no annual fee credit cards. Pick one or two that give you all the benefits you need,  pay and cancel the rest. The less bills you have to pay, the more peace of mind you will have, reduce them to bare minimum.

Cancel all the department store credit cards as well as all lines of credit. Having those lowers your credit score and is a constant temptation to buy more stuff that you do not really need or use anyway. And here we come to another idea to make your life simple. Get rid of the extra stuff. Do not let your home be cluttered with things. It is way better to have few good quality things you really like around your home and wardrobe than lots of things that only take extra space both in your living environment and in your mind.

 Time Management

When you have less bills and things to keep track of, you gain extra time, the commodity that cannot be regained once lost. Spend time on doing things that are most important to you. Do not take upon yourself more responsibilities than you can handle. There are always many good causes competing for your time. There are myriad of volunteering projects, hundreds of extra curricular activities to take your kids to, and other engagements besides work and family. You might be burdened by them to the point that it takes away the joy out of your life. If this is you, it is time to say “no” to many of them. Time is too precious and good is often the enemy of the best. Choose the ones that are most meaningful to you and I guarantee that you will experience much more satisfaction from doing them.

Relationships

This in turn brings us to by far one of the most important areas of life. We all have need for love and friendship, and this only comes from meaningful relationships with family and friends. While for most part, we do not choose our family members, we do and should carefully choose our friends.

It is important to recognize that we cannot have deep friendship with just anyone and that not everyone will like us. Sometimes certain friendships can become toxic and have very negative influence on our emotional well being, it is important to be able to let such relationships go. It is often more painful and time consuming trying to mend them than to let them die out.

If a friend does not respect you, is controlling, demanding, or constantly puts you down, your friendship is not healthy and should end. Sometimes friendships just end on their own, when your friend due to the move or change of job simply drifts away and does not make any effort in cultivating the friendship. It is good to let it go.

Happy people often have only few meaningful friendships in their lifetime. Making any relationship grow takes time and effort, so if you try to cultivate too many of them, some will eventually finish. There are also relationships that work best on casual level, so it is better not to get to emotionally invested in them.

Enjoy Life with Simplicity

Some people hardly find what direction they were going to. They find it hard to enjoy life. Some people are unfortunate enough. There are some people who are trapped in hateful activities such as drugs, cocaine, and ecstasy.

Well, life how you handle it. We are given life since birth, and we have the freewill to make it up to.

If we take a look at our life, we can enjoy it in every single way. No need to spend for expensive vacations, joining fraternities, going to party all night long and engaging into bad activities.

What is necessary is, find a good friend. Not that bad influence. I mean a friend who will not lead you to chaotic actions. A friend whom you can talk to in times of needs.

Stay connected with your parents and families. Well families comes first they said. They can advise if you do something wrong. They will appreciate your achievements.

Be grate in your life. Avoid being envious. Feel happy in the others happiness.

Learn to have a social life. Appreciate your friends and things as they are. Stay happy of what you got. Be patient in facing your problems, remember to overcome your problem in good ways.

Paradoxically, simplicity is one of the most difficult things to apply. If someone offers a simple solution to a certain problem, we often say: It can’t be that easy! Why not? The tendency to complicate is within us:

When we decorate our houses, we always think that something’s missing; when we cook, we want to put as many ingredients as possible, although the most delicious food is a simple one; when we choose clothes, when we put on make-up, out of desperation to look good, we succeed in being ridiculous; when we speak, trying to impress, we dig deep for big words and we’re missing the point; when we create, we tend to complicate ourselves, when most of the times, art’s authenticity lies in simplicity; when we love, we get suspicious, feeling weird because things are going ”too well”; when we seek forgiveness, we knock ourselves out to please, when a simple ”I’m sorry” would have been enough; when we suffer, we’re building mountains of loneliness around us and we amplify the tragedy, instead of keeping our heads up, moving on and facing a new day smiling.

But still, is a simple living lifestyle possible in a complex world? How can we think simple, when everybody else doesn’t? How does simplicity that is not labeled as naivety, triviality or sometimes stupidity look like? Many of us get to the conclusion that life is too complicated to live and not being able to fully reveal its mysteries, why should we accept fragments of the world?

Well, the easiest way to put it is to make peace between our heart and our mind. Simplicity is permanently fighting with a sharp, merciless conscience. Stop feeding your conscience and everything will seem incredibly simple. The fact that you lied or cheated, depending on the level, will only complicate things. Instead, the truth, no matter how tough, sets you free and gives you the opportunity to repair the damage.

The complexity of life is sublime, but perception is the key. People are concerned about the evolution of technology, information and ways of communication, instead of perceiving them as natural, simple things. The human being is extremely complex, but the way we perceive every new detail we find out about it is actually the main issue. We should just face reality as it is and take the unnecessary out of life. Adress the issue directly and stop spinning in circles.

Don’t read any book that you find, just so you can say you read. The secret is what, not how much.

“To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury; and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable; and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly; to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart; to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasion, hurry never; in a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious grow up through the common.  This is to be my symphony.”
William Henry Channing

You always wanted to kick-off the New Year in style, didn’t you? How about doing something different this year so that you enjoy “the delight of keeping your New Year resolution” everyday? Don’t you think it was time you got rid of those tough seeming traditional ones and included “ample reasons to smile” in your New Year agenda? Have a look at some interesting titbits and see which all work best for you:

• Make simplicity your mantra for New Year. In howsoever complex affairs or dealings, believe in the power of simplicity!
• Resolute on being a more celebrating animal this year and use even the smallest achievements and slightest happenings, a reason to rejoice.
• This year, how about being little introspective and get to know your own hidden talent, a hobby or discover something that you always interested you! Awaken that talent or interest within and enjoy the fun of self-discovery in a nascent manner.
• Talk to a stranger every week and say him / her something soothing.
• Re-arrange things at home and in office. How about changing direction of your study table to enjoy a better outer view from the window or changing sequence of books and magazines on the shelf!
• Cook at least one new dish every fortnight or taste one different item every time you eat out.
• Find newers ways to throw away monotonousness from everyday activities. Adopt a different road between home and office, change hairstyle, listen gentle music before going to bed or surprise family by randomly getting home early!

And that is just a glimpse of it. You sure know about numerous other things once you have decided to be smarter about this year’s resolution, be more focussed on smiles than last year and to find delight in simple every day happenings!

Two Thousand Eleven awaits you as a year full of new and amazing opportunities to smile, laugh and be yourself!

Wish you a Very Very Happy New Year 2011!

Get into more thought provoking material to increase happiness and enjoy a livelier life:

- http://authspot.com/thoughts/lifetime-impresions/

- http://socyberty.com/society/everyday-happiness-day/

“Doing Christmas” for a family — of young children or extended family with high expectations and rock-hard traditions — is akin to mounting a stage production with a month-long running time at the Metropolitan Opera. Basically, you’re entire December is gone. For many, the “to do” lists come out even before Thanksgiving – the kickoff – and go into high gear when the last plate disappears into the dishwasher after the big meal. Christmas decorations emerge from dusty attic bins and plans start being enacted. Numerous details are added onto the already full calendars. As the authors of “Unplug the Christmas Machine” Jo Robinson and Jean Coppock Staeheli put it, women (mothers in particular) are the “Christmas Magicians”. How many people have recalled their childhood Christmas experiences with descriptors like “magical” or “wondrous”? It’s the women, again chiefly the mothers, who make that happen. Is it all worth it? I, for one, am beginning to wonder. Not being a natural extrovert and one who loathes obligatory, on-the-clock shopping (love shopping otherwise) and chaos in general, I can’t stand the busyness of the Christmas season. By this I mean the heavy traffic, obnoxious and stressed drivers, crowded malls (I was smart enough not to even go inside them this year, thank God), dealing with children’s expectations, spending extra money and wondering if there’s enough to cover expenses, often feeling “behind”, and always feeling a sense of trying to recapture that magical sensibility through doing certain things, re-enacting certain traditions. I do love decorating for the holidays but I don’t like doing it on a timetable. Am I creating wonderful memories for my children? Is Christmas really all about that — does Christmas have to be about that? Perhaps we’re redefining Christmas. I’d rather do that than survive it.

The day after my children got out of school, I took them downtown to a homeless ministry soup kitchen where we delivered nine loaves of pumpkin bread to enhance the daily lunch served to some 200 homeless men and a few women. Naturally, the kids resisted, citing rights to the Wii for their first school-free morning, yet eventually complied and actually had some fun in the process. I could tell they felt a bit awkward being in the crowded industrial kitchen with strangers, employees and volunteers alike, not to mention observing the rows of rough-looking souls at the cafeteria tables in the old, undecorated, warehouse-like dining room. But hearing the kitchen manager preach a message of hope and love to them and hear their vigorous Amens and laughter, was heartening to me and, I think, a tiny bit life-altering for them. Afterward, we went outside to view the urban kitchen gardens from which the workers harvest some of their fresh produce and fruit. The boys wrestled on the lawn and rolled down the hills. My husband says it was a way to burn off their inner tension and feelings they didn’t know how to put into words. I will say I think it helped put their holiday into better perspective especially stories like “A Christmas Carol” (albeit the Muppet version). The effort it took to bake those loaves, deal with their resistance, haul them downtown, interact with the kitchen staff and food recipients all in the cold, was worth the effort, more than half the rest of my holiday responsibilities. We didn’t entertain this year or attend any parties. We spent Christmas day just as a family of five. That simplicity was worth every bit.

http://www.culturalcreatives.org/questionnaire.html

Cultural creatives are responsible for many of the better ways and conditions of life.  They believe that citizens should probably be informed about changes in society, its food and food by-products, new methods and taking care of the environment by any means necessary.  They are great supporters of culture and arts, truth, education and people being conscious about everything in life.  When ever there is change in society that has made an impact on how we get to express ourselves and or when laws for instance goes into effect that demands labels of serving side be put on our products, it is likely that someone who is a cultural creative had something to do with it.  For detail information about cultural creatives, log onto the link below to see all the wonderful changes being a cultural creative can be in your life.

http://www.culturalcreatives.org