Note: I drafted this piece on creating a simplicity statement back in January 2016 as we were preparing to renovate the smaller home we had recently purchased and expected to move into in April 2016.
Having spent a week in a 1000sq ft condo in Kauai this past week, I was reminded I can live with a lot less than I thought was possible. Home for less than 24 hours, my initial urge was to begin phase two of releasing. Instead, I resisted the urge, or maybe I was just suffering from jet lag, and instead opted to seek out some articles that might help me better define my goal in this minimizing process we had embarked on. I reasoned that if I can’t articulate the goal, I won’t know when we’ve reached it.
In my search I was lucky enough to come across a blog posting by Shawn Tuttle, on creating a simplicity statement.
A simplicity statement, as defined by Ms Tuttle, is a “personal declaration of what a simplified life means to you.”
More intentional living is what we were seeking and I could easily see how this personal declaration in the form of a simplicity statement could help me further get my arms around our goal. In creating the statement Ms Tuttle suggests you consider some particular questions, which I encourage you to read in her posting. While the questions were thought provoking I found I connected more with this statement she made, which was directed at those of us struggling a little with the process:
“If you have difficulty getting to the heart of it, think of a time when your life was simple. Describe what you liked about its simplicity. Did it have to do with your mental state, physical stuff (or lack thereof), or how you spent your time? Which feelings would you like to recreate? Which situations would you like to recreate?”
The first of the two times I immediately recalled was when my husband and I were first married and living in small spaces. My career as a CPA hadn’t gotten too crazy yet and my evenings and weekends were generally mine, with the exception of “busy season”. Because we lived in small spaces and it was just the two of us there wasn’t much in the way of upkeep or cleaning to be done. Because we didn’t have much disposable income or the space to store stuff, we didn’t own that much that needed to be cared for. We lead a simple but enjoyable life, spending quiet evenings together, walking, riding bikes, reading or just hanging out. I fondly recall my two crafting hobbies at the time, counted cross stitch and calligraphy, neither of which required many supplies.
The second of these times was when our twins were about 15 months old and we were living in an 1800 square foot house in Colorado. Raising twins was challenging, but because I had left my demanding career to be a full time mom, I was able to focus on my family and keeping house, both of which I loved! We didn’t have a lot of money to spend on stuff and we maintained a fairly simple life, hanging out with friends and their kids, going on long walks, reading and gardening.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to put the pieces together here. We had:
1) Lived in smaller spaces which required much less upkeep than what came after with larger homes and yards,
2) Possessed fewer things, from kitchen spoons to automobiles and therefore had to care for and maintain less,
3) More time to spend with our most important people.
As I completed this exercise I noted this is one of those times in life where it’s beneficial to be older because I have all those years of “experience” to support me in crafting my statement. So that said, here’s what I ended up with:
My Simplicity Statement: I live in a smaller space, in a walkable location closer to the city and continually experiment with owning less and committing to only what truly speaks to me. Doing so provides me more time to take care of myself and nurture the important relationships in my life. Doing so allows me to be a better steward of the environment. Doing so gives me more opportunity to explore who I am becoming.
End Note: Rereading this draft in January 2018, I can’t say that I’ve physically consulted my simplicity statement numerous times in the past couple of years, but the process of creating it grounded it in my psyche. I can tell you that my husband and I have spent countless hours over the course of the past couple of years discussing our goals and assessing our process and our progress to date which further ingrains it. I look forward to revisiting this exercise in the future to see where it takes us.
Do you have a simplicity statement or something comparable that helps steer you in the direction you are seeking? If so, I’d love to hear about it. If you haven’t created a simplicity statement yet what comes up for you in reading this?