It’s okay. We all do it. We judge things we don’t understand. But…a simple life is not a burden, it’s a blessing.

Brett Wilson, mega millionaire from the show Dragon’s Den couldn’t have put it more eloquently in advice to his son:

If you want to have a happy and easy life, have simple needs

Those are not his exact words, but you get the sentiment. Creating a simple life is about creating a life you can enjoy without too many things getting in the way. When you complicate your life you have to spend time dealing with the complication.

Here’s an example:

Person A maintains 2 cars, a 3000 square foot house with a hefty mortgage and eats out every lunch and several times a week because they don’t have the energy to cook. To maintain that house and the job for it, they have to have a full wardrobe and various communication gadgets.

1. car costs – $25,000 each over 5 years or $500 monthly
2. car maintenance and insurance – $500 monthly
3. mortgage & insurance costs – $2500 monthly
4. eating out – $500
5. wardrobe & extras – $500
6. gadgets & communication – $500

Okay, that’s $5000 and it doesn’t even cover a full budget. It’s not an unreasonable estimate.

Person B doesn’t maintain a car, instead they go use Autoshare and work from home several days a week. They bring lunch and entertain guests at their 950 square foot house, which they rent. They maintain a minimum casual wardrobe with used items at about and control their gadgets to internet, skype and a cellphone.

1. transportation – $200
2. entertainment – $200
3. housing – $1500
4. wardrobe – $50
5. communication – $150

Okay, that’s about $2100 a month. A big difference. Person B has simplified their life and their needs. They are probably much less stressed and have a better chance of saving money and earning equity than person A. Person A is likely going into debt further each month!

Who would you say has a life that is a burden? Probably person A. Oh, and the carbon footprint of person B is substantially lower than Person B. They are making a difference in the world by the lifestyle they choose.

So, before you think simplifying your needs and cutting costs is a burden – think twice. Simplifying is very liberating. It buys you time and energy, something missing in society today!

This is a general rule for anything to do with my life. In simplifying, it gets me the answers I need.

simplifying creates clarity in all things

I know it’s a bold statement, but let’s look at why!

When you simplify, it creates room for something new. It allows you the space to move forward, whether the space be in your mind, life or the material world.

my definition of simplifying – the art of removing something to lighten your burden

So, if you simplify, you are removing a process, getting rid of stuff or eliminating information that you know longer need. In doing so you have create one less thing to worry about.

If you rinse and repeat, it allows you to see more clearly. You know longer have the burden of maintaining one or multiple things.

Word of caution – just because you removed something, doesn’t mean you need to add something new.

Try it.

Try decluttering. Try making a process easier by removing steps. Free up your time, money and free up your mind.

Get the clarity you need….just by simplifying.

I’m not talking about the sixties drug craze or a sci-fi adventure either. I’m talking about real people that walk around and are oblivious to their surroundings.

pay attention, don’t be a zombie!

Okay, I’ve ranted for long enough. What am I talking about?

In any given day, people look tired. They make themselves seem important.

They have no time for anything.

Well, almost anything.

The world is about a quick fix of consumption – data, communication and purchases. The vast majority seem distracted by media, communications and devices. People walk with heads down while texting or talking.

They aren’t taking in the day and paying attention to the world around them. They bump in to people and become careless. I call them a hazard.

I think life is like that too. Pay attention to your surroundings and you will enjoy the world around you. You won’t be a hazard. The world will be a bit better.

it was peaceful a few years back

People talked and walked.

They looked where they were going.

They didn’t put themselves and other’s in danger by walking across the street without looking.

They didn’t drive while talking on their device.

It was quieter.It was safer. It was less convenient but…we managed, and we were more productive.

When people were talking with you, they talked to you without interruption. That was called courtesy. And it was productive, because conversations got finished without concentration being broken.

So, why the rant?

If you want to be more productive and courteous, try using your device in an efficient manner. Pick the appropriate time to make calls and send texts. You don’t always have to respond in order to get an immediate fix.

Slow down.

Enjoy life.

Respect the people that you are with.

You can have your cake and eat it too…just do it effectively. You’d be amazed at the difference it will make in creating not only a calmer environment but a more productive one too!

It’s important to constantly take an inventory and changing how you do things. Each time you do, it is a step towards a more simple process and therefore a more manageable and enjoyable life.

You may notice that many people stick with the norm. They don’t test the boundaries and improve the quality for their community by reviewing how many blogs should you have or looking at countless questions they could ask.

Simplifying gives you a chance to review and make changes in your life.

It promotes growth.

There are countless bloggers out there that try to satisfy their audience with long winded articles on a frequent basis. In the world of information overload, this is too much.

I try to minimize my word count. I don’t care if the search engines rank me higher or lower (well I care but not based on the size of my article).

I prefer to offer simple bits of information that you can digest and use. So I try to keep my content to under 500 words, preferably under 300.

This takes practice, which challenges your mind and improves your skills. The end result is a better and easier world for you and all those around you.

Take the time to simplify everything you do and you will notice little improvements everywhere that can make a big difference in the bigger picture to the people you touch and share your life with.

Over on the yurtopia project I talked about the rewards of life: life sacrifice and reward

At cope with life I’m asking for adoption reunion stories: adoption reunion stories

With a them for quality on have a niche day, the topic was how much is too much: how many blogs should you have

And here on simply stephen I talked about family and friends: do you take time for family and friends

Do you take time for friends and family?

There. I’ve asked.

Now why do I ask. Green, simple living is about taking the time to enjoy life in the here and now. It is all we have. Your future can’t be predetermined, no matter how much you plan or worry.

Spending time with the people you care about or pursuing the dreams and passions is something that we should all actively partake in. Time is fleeting. Before you know it, it will be gone. Unfortunately, the people you love will be gone at some point too. Make sure you build lasting memories with them.

This weekend is my annual event at a cottage in northern Ontario. I have attended almost every year for well over 2 decades. I look forward to the festivities, though each year becomes more and more tiring. I wouldn’t miss it for the world though. It’s what makes life special.

Take time for your friends and family. Create your memories. Don’t let life pass you by.

There. I’ve said it. Enjoy.

the yurtopia project: the road to minimalist living

cope with life: adoption search and reunion

have a niche day: consistent posting – is it really important?

adoption search and reunion

So without further ado let’s take a look at last week:

Monday, July 12, 2010 on the yurtopia project: the yurtopia project is under way

Announcing the launch of the yurtopia project website, exploring various forms of green simple and alternative living.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010 on have a niche day: niche blogging technical difficulties

The life of a blogger isn’t easy. Life in general has it’s share of obstacles in fact. Dealing with difficulties is just a part of the process. Embrace it.

Thursday, July 15, 2010 on cope with life: overcome limiting beliefs

Beliefs get in the way of progress. If you want to overcome obstacles, you will need to overcome your beliefs or at least take the time to review them.

Friday, July 16, 2010 on simply stephen: good things come to those that make an effort

Without a little bit of effort, the dreams and goals we all desire wouldn’t happen. There is no easy button!

Stay tuned for this weeks postings and updates on the simply stephen network.

Today’s post is a short life lesson on the simplicity of perseverance and effort.

In the past few months I have had countless obstacles and barriers to make the changes in my life.

Each of them required effort to get the desired result that I wanted.

There is no easy button

Here’s a look at a few obstacles I had to overcome:

• limited internet connectivity
• selling my stuff to have a minimal and mobile life
• laptop repairs to get mobile computing
• getting a new car on the road
• learning linux “again” after a 5 year absence
• cultural and religious barriers

And dozen more time constraining, money limiting and personal beliefs or conflicts that needed to be reviewed.

Instead of running away from each of them, I had to make the effort to move forward.If I wanted it, I had to take the actions to make it happen. Nobody was going to do it for me.

My actions were the exact thing that kept me from or helped me to move forward. Without perseverance and dedication to the desired result, it would have been impossible to achieve any of it.

Everyone gets stucks sometimes. We all become stagnant.

But the choices we make and actions we take to move forward are what separate us from the pack and help us to move forward. Good things happen to those that help themselves.

I encourage all of you to take the next step and then continue on until you achieve the good things you want.

Take action!

It’s not as hard as you think. I promise

Take a peek on have a niche day for today’s article: niche blogging technical difficulties

From now on…the simply stephen network will be a just that – a network of sites. All of them related to simply stephen.

Simplicity is sometimes staring you right in the face. I was struggling with maintaining a half dozen websites. It was a lot of content creation.

You know what – my sites are about life.

All of them.

So I have broken them down in that way. It will now be possible to write several good quality articles each week without overwhelming myself by writing several articles for each site.

Most days I will now be able to post an article. I will direct you to the appropriate site and will give a quick recap here.

They include:

1. the yurtopia project – exploring alternative lifestyles
2. cope with life – how to cope with life obstacles
3. have a niche day – a day in the life of a blogger (an introverted and ethical perspective)
4. living on a dime – how to save money (and still be green)
5. simply stephen – green simple living (philosophies and ideas on green simple living)

That’s a much more manageable workload that will increase the quality of posts and expose you to the various aspects of living. If you are interested in a single topic you can visit that site exclusively or get the whole gamut by checking out simply stephen.

Today, check out cope with life and go with the flow to experience life.

I have been absent for a couple  months…here’s why!

Some events happened that forced me to review the question “what do you want to do when you grow up?”.  I always answer “I don’t know, I never want to grow up.”And I still haven’t.

But I always grow – sideways and every way possible.

here’s the skinny

My landlord had been harassing me (a life issue nobody should put up with). It was making work impossible. The last couple years was about discovering a happy balance of mental and physical health. There were some very serious health issues to take care of. As I overcame these life obstacles, life pursuit started to come to the forefront. In fact life in general has became a priority.

Now I live on the edge in many ways. But drastic change calls for drastic measures. I am happy when I’m exploring. Perhaps I’m in my true element.

I’m generally pretty darn green and live a non consumptive lifestyle. I consider myself a minimalist and non-conformist. I often tell my friends all I need is my guitar, car and comput-ar (cooking, reading, traveling and nature are nice too). I realize the car isn’t that green but I work it into a pretty green life and Canada is a very large country.Things don’t give me a lot of satisfaction – my friends, family and blogging community do.

It’s my purpose to share my life experiences to help other’s learn and grow and to reduce suffering and struggles  – I won’t be apathetic.

So………….

• I stopped blogging
• I reduced my information intake (including reducing my feeds)
• I stopped twittering and minimized computer use
• I gave my landlord 30 days notice
• I sold the majority of my stuff (and I’m already a minimalist)
• I decided to pursue life and observe blogging from the sidelines

In short…I have various life issues that I can share with the world and I want to take the steps to put these things in place. I wanted to review how and why I blog. To take the time and focus on blog quality not quantity.

I have experienced life issues such as adoption and adoption reunion that I want to write about.It was time to take the plunge. My eBook on adoption reunion is finally in the works after 16 years (since my birth family reunion).

I am also interested in alternative living and have many ideas that will reduce our global impact. I wanted to live various alternative lifestyles and practice what I preach in a more active way, so I’ve gone mobile.

I’m traveling across Canada in both directions, visiting my family in Moncton, New Brunswick and friends scattered all over. In the winter I will visit my daughter, friends and family in Europe while seeking out alternative lifestyles and projects along the way – I call it The Yurtopia Project and I will blog about it. This includes:

• simple living in my typical minimalist style
• visiting meditation retreats and places with humanitarian people
• couch surfing, house-sitting and various creative methods of finding lodging
• camping and sleeping in my car (one reason I kept it to keep warm and safe)
• woofing (working on organic farms) and volunteering for socially responsible projects
• visiting with friends and family

live life

It’s also important to spend your time living – sitting behind a desk and writing won’t create the kind of real experiences and stories. Anyone can read a story and research information but to live it….that’s another story.

Reading information from the web and learning ideas from the news, television, books, articles, web content and various forms of information is one directional and has a habit of creating a one way flow – information overload.

We need to stop information intake to create new experiences (or at least limit it sometimes).

a funny thing happened along the way

Guess what! As soon as I started my journey at the end of March – life happened.

And things changed. While selling my stuff, I met a very special person right away. And things changed again. Suddenly my plans needed adjustment because this connection was a life changing event. We come from two different worlds but…sparks flew and will continue to grow into an everlasting flame.

Now I needed the tools to get things going. I had to fix my laptop and car to get mobile. I needed to have a more minimal attitude. I converted my little car into a camper. I needed to make sure I could eat, sleep, blog and most importantly (wink) play guitar.

My friends needed help to fix up their house before they sold it – and I stepped up to plate. Helping them for the first half of both May and June. This delayed things. Getting my computer functioning (and converting to Linux, since I want to promote community living) was a challenge. Getting internet access has proved to be more challenging but I’m finally on top of things.

In between I visited a vipassana meditation center for an 11 day silent retreat – another life changing event and something that I highly recommend. I wanted the tools to keep a clear mind and remain calm. I met amazing people, yep even though we didn’t talk for 11 days, including a singer/songwriter and someone going through adoption reunion. What are the odds!

Then more life happened…out of the blue, my parents offered me a newer model car, well taken care of from a friend. Typically my relationship is strained and my parents let me struggle and learn on my own (a good thing most of the time), so I was very overwhelmed with the kind gesture. The newer 2002 fully loaded, standard transmission Toyota Corolla is amazing but it delayed my already challenging journey.

Finally, I’m on the road. But the first 3 months have been amazing. Now I’m living the dream. I’m in Moncton visiting my birth family and interviewing them for my eBook. I miss my soul mate back in Toronto. I am looking forward to the journey though. It will be amazing to see what transpires.

I will be writing on a frequent basis, but spreading it out across my blog network and focusing on life – green alternative living, coping with life, living on a dime, the blogging life and a few personal interests like a cribbage book (another kinda living).

I’ll share it all from simply stephen and add some tips and tools along the way. Expect to see a lot more consistency and a little less in the way of content. It will all relate to simply stephen in some way. My time will be spent living the 4 hour work week and focusing on life. Something all of us deserve to do.

Oh…and btw, I missed you guys.

every day should be earth day!

Our planet and resources are finite. Clean air, water and food are something we deserve and should consider every day. Just like the “pleasantries” at Christmas time, it is important to move beyond a one day or one week celebration.

Taking the time throughout the year will make a greater difference in the long run.

In the meantime…earth day has an amazing capacity as a catalyst for change. It brings over 190 countries together with 1 billion active participants.

that’s huge!

What a wonderful thing when the world becomes one, like it is meant to be. People all over the world connecting because of a common concern instead of our differences. We are all the same…yet different and earth day allows us to embrace all the important things.

Let’s remember that throughout the year as we interact with mother earth and the people around us.

Peace & Happy Earth Day.

1. Blogs - you are reading one
2. Business - instead of just a brochure or magazine (Forbes is a perfect example of a transition to online media)
3. Marketplace – an example would be Betavine to explore all things mobile (brought to you by Vodaphone)
4. Education & Alumni – check out Classmates for just one ways we connect to our roots
5. Support Sites – a good example is daily strength but business and interest groups have support structures too.
6. Public Information – here’s one from the City of Toronto
7. Government Sources – like the National Literacy Trust in the UK
8. Expert Resources – such as the David Suzuki Foundation on all things green
9. Professional – for instance Tapped In for Teacher resources.
10. Social News – a couple big ones include Digg & Newsvine
11. File sharing – photos, videos, presentations like Flickr, YouTube, Scribd
12. Wikis & Collaborative or Open source Projects – okay, let’s just think about Wikipedia & WordPress
13. Social Bookmarking – like Delicious
14. Social Networks – the big one is now Facebook
15. Micro-blogging – the other big one Twitter
16. Answers and Questions – how about Answers & Ask
17. Forums (private and public) – Steve Pavlina comes to mind as one of the busiest forums and websites out there helping people cope with life issues
18. Message Boards – have a look at the Lonely Planet
19. Chat Rooms – like Talk City
20. Feed Sites & Readers – take a look at Bloglines
21. Learning sites – Take a look at Lynda for some great tutorials
22. Social Network Aggregation – like Ping.fm
23. Broadcasting - one of the big ones is ustream
24. Review Sites – these can get pretty targeted but take a look at cnet for digital reviews and downloads
25. Entertainment sites – varied with sites like Meta Cafe for your amusement
26. Communication and Messaging – ICQ (i seek you) has been around since before the modern web
27. Personals & Dating – many of you have heard of Plenty of Fish and the thousands of other dating by genre communities
28. Common Interest – anything and everything like care2 for people that care about the world
29. Jobsites – there are thousands of job seeking sites and networkers can go to LinkedIn
30. Goal Sharing – on sites like 43 Things
31. Article Sites -  the most popular being ezinearticles
32. How To - how about eHow
33. Local & Global Events – at places like meetup
34. Mobile Communities – with the buzz recently being on Google
35. Publishing – Hmmm, somewhere like Amazon comes to mind
36. Social Search – maybe something like Mahalo
37. Analytics – again Google comes to mind but there are many
38. Community Software and Tools – again think of Google docs but there are many of collaborative and community softwares…I mean many
39. Classified Communities – with the most famous one that hasn’t changed it’s look or feel since inception, Craigslist

If you want to get a really good view on just how many Web 2. 0 communities there are take a look at gotoweb20 for a complete index of applications.

So as you can see this list can go on and on but I gave you 39 steps to finding community online. Go and seek it but careful not to let it detract from your work, it’s addictive.