Editor’s Note: This is a post in the new series, Simplicity in Action. If you’d like to submit your story of how simplicity has worked in your life, please read more here. You can write about anything from decluttering a junk drawer to simplifying your diet. Let your small and big changes inspire others.
Alan
In 2010, I gave up a high salary and successful (in the usual sense of the word) corporate career in London and moved with my family to a small village in the countryside, changing our way of life completely.
We simplified our lives and downsized our home, primarily so that we could spend more time with our children. I have always been troubled by the fact that so many people work really hard to raise their families but without really seeing them. Then when the children leave, the parents finally retire – i.e. when it’s too late to spend time with them.
I wanted to figure out a way to spend more time with my family while they were growing up instead of missing out on most of that due to being at work, even if that just ended up being a career break.
What actually happened to trigger this thought was when one day, I looked down at my son who was 9 at the time and it just occurred to me that it felt that it was only a moment ago that he was 5. It was that moment particularly that persuaded me that even if we just took 1 year then it still had to be worth it.
What we found was that simplifying our lives like this has brought us so much more. It’s not just more time together but a whole new and rewarding way of life that continues to surprise and inspire us in ways we hadn’t fully appreciated before living it.
In short, by removing everything from our lives that we don’t want or need, we have made so much more space for the things we enjoy and everything that’s really important to us (both physically and mentally).
For example, we have replaced too many TV channels with more time spent doing other things (like going for walks in the beautiful countryside). We have replaced having a freezer with having no freezer and buying fresh produce as and when we need it from the local village shop. I could list about 200 of these ‘replacements’ but you get the idea.
The result is that we are happier and healthier than ever and despite giving up the corporate career, we’re OK financially too because we’ve actually simplified our lives financially as well.
We even wrote a book about our journey, To The Country We Go…
To finance our lives we live within our means, which is not at all difficult given our new way of living. We have a few location-independent projects which we do completely on our own terms with the emphasis being firmly on protecting our new way of life. For example, I do some 1-1 consulting via Skype but like to keep to no more than 3 clients at any one time. I have plenty of time to give the clients, but also spend very little time chasing business (well, none) and this fits in perfectly with our lifestyle.
Once you get going prioritizing stuff, it becomes very liberating and we’re now very keen to keep clutter to a minimum.
You don’t have to move to the countryside to simplify your life. Just remove everything you don’t need and you’ll find you’re left with so much more space to live, to breathe, to decide, to enjoy and to appreciate the things that really mean something to you.
Plus the more you do this, the more you will ‘fine-tune’ what you really want, and then you get more time to really enjoy whatever that is for you.
Read more from Alan at Life’s Too Good and follow him on Twitter.
Isn’t it interesting that the equation to a good life is always spend less than you earn…and yet it’s such a hard lesson for so many to learn. I enjoyed your story Alan!
Thanks Sandra,
yes – it’s weird, living within your means gives you so much space and freedom yet it’s so easy to buy things you don’t need – the media and I guess the general public perception doesn’t always help but personally, I’m very happy with this lifestyle 😉
… and I’m still tempted to buy things I don’t need sometimes (but usually don’t)
I’m glad you enjoyed reading this Sandra, thanks for commenting!
take care & best wishes,
Alan
I guess I try hard to not hear my husband when he says he is working too much to really notice the kids growing up. The lure of money makes me want to ignore what is a major reality. We are missing our kids childhoods.
Thank you for sharing.
Hey Stephanie,
thanks for the comment and for your honesty – it’s a tough choice to make and the lure of money is very real indeed, but there are more important things in life and normally the fear of losing money is something we blow up to be a bigger impact than it really is – e.g. what if your husband took a 1 year sabbatical to spend time with the kids and then went back to work? I say it’s worth it – when I look at my kids even now when I have all of my time with them, I still can’t believe how quickly the time passes!
take care & best wishes,
Alan
Loved your story, Alan! I believe it’s so important to prioritize what really matters in our lives and then do more of that. Time with family, slowing down & focusing on healthy choices is what it’s all about.
Thanks Kim, I really appreciate the comment & glad you liked it,
take care & best wishes,
Alan
Alan, great story and thanks for sharing it. Seems like you were able to step away from the corporate and busy world, but still have a little work in it through your consulting. That’s a nice way to have income but not be buried by the day to day stress of full time corporate job.
Hey Andy,
thanks – and you’re almost right except that the kind of consulting I do these days isn’t the same kind of ‘corporate’ consulting that I used to do (though in theory I could) – there is quite a big key difference, these days I consult on my own terms which means I am very happy to say no and strictly limit the number of clients I have at any one time to 3 (because I value my time).
I also only work with people / companies I really want to work with and who really want to work with me.
So in that case you’re right, it’s a nice way to have income, though to be honest, I do miss certain aspects of corporate life (not enough to go back to it though, it doesn’t measure up at all to my current situation).
Good points especially about being able to pick people and companies that you want to work with. I guess where I was going with my comment is that you are still leveraging the knowledge, consulting processes, and other skills in your new lifestyle. You’re applying them differently, but you don’t have to completely step away from what you knew or did before.
Now I need to sit down and read through your eBook.
You’re right – that was the one minor ‘bother’ with my new lifestyle, it seemed a shame to put all of that experience and knowledge (as well as wanting to help people with both) behind me – so you’re absolutely right, finding a way to still use that experience, still help people and do some kind of ‘work’ (though it really doesn’t feel like work) was actually quite monumental for me.
If I’d just retired and went walking in the fields every day with the dog, something would be missing 😉
thanks for the comments and the kind words & feel free to give e a shout if there’s anything I can help you with (I notice you’re now on our list so welcome!),
take care & best wishes,
Alan
You’re right – that was the one minor ‘bother’ with my new lifestyle, it seemed a shame to put all of that experience and knowledge (as well as wanting to help people with both) behind me – so you’re absolutely right, finding a way to still use that experience, still help people and do some kind of ‘work’ (though it really doesn’t feel like work was actually quite monumental for me.
If I’d just retired and went walking in the fields every day with the dog, something would be missing 😉
thanks for the comments and the kind words & feel free to give e a shout if there’s anything I can help you with (I notice you’re now on our list so welcome!),
take care & best wishes,
Alan
Alan, Great guest post. I am envious of you but will be joining you sooner then later! How did your friends and family respond to this choice? My wife’s last day of work is this week and I am working to get to that point where we have simplified our lives enough to where I can leave my well paying but miserable job for something that is more morally rewarding. When I talk to my friends/family about how simplifying our lives is the goal and it will allow me to leave my job they all give me a weird look/vibe. Like you must be CRAZY to give up your salary and benefits to go try to find a job at a farm or dog shelter(examples). I myself still have doubts but I think THEY are crazy to spend there lives…or even miss out on their lives all for the lure of money!
Hi Brian,
thanks for the comment and your situation sounds VERY similar to mine. I gave up a career which wasn’t even that miserable but I can safely say it was completely worth it. It still feels weird to be honest thinking of my ‘other’ life because my priorities have completely switched and some very weird things have happened, particularly when I consider my attitude towards money. It hasn’t changed that much in terms of how I spend it because I’ve always been pretty down to earth when it comes to spending money and never really liked luxuries but the big difference is in earning money – i.e. I don’t automatically get a salary every month, in fact I get no salary whatsoever, but every penny I make, all of which is ad-hoc, through investments or by specific project is for me, one of my own ventures or my family (apart from the bit I have to give to the government).
Anyways, I hope it all goes well and I wish you all the very best. If there’s anything at all I can help you with, let me know and if I can help, I will,
take care & best wishes,
Alan