Make your life about embracing the good instead of escaping the bad.
You don’t have to quit your job to live a simpler life. If you read blogs about minimalism and simple living, you might notice that it seems like everyone quits their job, travels the world, writes a book and lives the life of their dreams.
Living your life on purpose does not require you to have a blog, quit your job, travel the world, or even practice yoga. A simple life looks different for each of us.
Even if your 9-5 isn’t your dream, it might be the way you provide health insurance for your family, pay off debt and save for college or retirement. Can you still start working towards your dream and make slow, deliberate change to recreate your life? Yes. Does that mean you have to quit your job and declare your freedom to be a success? Absolutely not.
If you like your job, but are feeling stressed…
- Commit to a lunch hour. (Leave your desk/workspace)
- Take a day off
- Try a cooking class or learn a new language
- Volunteer
- Exercise
Celebrate with people that did quit their day jobs, but don’t be discouraged from living more simply if you work for someone else.
If you don’t like your job, start planning. What would it take to find another job or to work for yourself? It might take a year or more to be in a position to make that kind of change, so why not start your search and make your plan.
If you want a new career…
- Pay off your debt
- Start an emergency fund
- Determine how much money you really need to fund your simpler life
- Take classes or educate yourself if you are considering a new field
- Start a microbusiness
- Hang out with other people doing what you want to do
- Be patient
You know what’s best for you and your family, and you know that what’s best can change over time. What is best for you today may be different in six months. What is best for you might not be best for me or anyone else.
By paying off your debt, reducing your expenses and craving less instead of more, you can start to make choices based on something other than the almighty dollar.
The simpler your life becomes, the easier it will be to define the next step.
