__________________________________________________________________ Making Lives Simpler Practical News and Tips for Living the Life You Truly Desire __________________________________________________________________ August 2000 Volume 4 Issue 4 __________________________________________________________________ IN THIS ISSUE: I. It's Your Definition II. 5 Quick Tips to Defining Your Life III. 5 of Their Tips IV. 5 Quick Tips to a Free Tips eBooklet V. References _____________________________________ I. IT'S YOUR DEFINITION Simplifying your life is simply about what you want your life to look like and what you want your life to be like. There aren't any predetermined rules or definitions. There are an unlimited number of possibilities and realities. However, my goal is to start and nurture a creative process which will help you think about what you desire, and then assist you in taking the steps that will accomplish your life's desires. Hearing about other people's lives can stimulate your own ideas. Maybe you'll have the same desires; maybe you'll have the opposite. Either way means you've begun to think about what kind of life you truly want for yourself. For instance, K.C. recently wrote me about some of her life simplification goals. First, she moved from a quaint old house in Portland, Oregon to a tiny apartment in New York. Now that's quite a lifestyle change! But K.C. says, "It's so much easier to straighten up just one room compared to cleaning that whole big house! And another benefit to a small place is there just isn't room for non-essentials." She also wanted to do away with the worries and responsibilities of car ownership, and her new life offered that as well. "It is so incredibly nice not having to worry about a car payment, auto insurance, service and repairs," she says. "Another goal," she continues, "was to simplify my finances by earning more combined with (having) less expenses and paying off ALL my debt. I succeeded in doing that by becoming a live-in nanny on Park Ave, and I achieved that goal within seven months. Today, I'm a receptionist at a company in New York City and living in a small studio apartment in Brooklyn." "This lifestyle, my life, now allows me to use my time, energy and money for things I've always wanted to do. I am quite content and equally excited about the many opportunities that await me in the near future." K.C.'s life may not be for you, and that's just fine. Try taking some time today to start sorting out what life would be right for you. It's all about deciding what would make you happy, make your life easier, and then taking action to make it all happen for you. Linda __________________________________ II. 5 QUICK TIPS TO DEFINING YOUR LIFE 1. Give yourself the gift of some daily quiet time so that you can get in touch with your own inner voice. Listen with your heart, not your head. 2. Take note of which things drain your energy, and which things fill you with energy. Look for ways to eliminate or change those things that are draining your energy, and utilize more those things that easily energize you. 3. Review your beliefs about your life and notice how they have or have not served you. Explore the benefits and drawbacks of each one and choose which beliefs to keep and which ones to modify or remove. 4. Make a list of the things you can do right now to accomplish your dreams and desires. 5. Then, take the first steps to create the life you truly desire! __________________________________ III. 5 OF THEIR TIPS 1. "Every child, woman and man should possess license to speak or sing in his or her true voice" -Joyce Maynard 2. "Your dreams can be realities. They are the stuff that leads us through life toward great happiness." -Deborah Norville 3. "The most common despair is...not choosing, or willing, to be oneself, but the deepest form of despair is to choose to be another than oneself." -Soren Kierkegaard 4. "If you believe in your heart that you are right, you must fight with all your might to do it your way. Only dead fish swim with the stream all the time." -Linda Ellerbee 5. "Let the wind blow through your hair while you still have some." -Dave Weinbaum __________________________________ IV. THE OFFER STILL STANDS In my last few newsletters, I offered the first edition of my tips eBooklet "101 Tips to Simplify Your Life" (a $5.00 value) at a nominal cost of just $1.00 ($2.00 U.S. for international orders) as my gift to you for your support of my work over the years. You can still take advantage of this offer through the month of August. Here's how to get your copy today: 1. Prepare a self-addressed business size (number 10) envelope with 55-cents U.S. postage. (For orders outside the United States, your postage is included.) 2. For U.S. orders, please Include $1.00 for taxes and handling. For international orders, please include $2.00 U.S. to cover postage, taxes and handling. Make checks or money orders payable to "Simplify Life." 3. Mail to: Simplify Life, PO Box 1480, Dept MLS, Poway, CA USA 92074 4. Order soon as the offer is good only while supplies last. 5. Sorry, Simplify Life cannot be held responsible for lost or misdirected mail or cash lost in the mail. _________________________________________ REFERENCES To find more resources or to order these go to http://www.simplifylife.com/reference.html The Simple Life by Amy Dacyczyn and Joe Dominguez (Reading Room 1 - Define Simplifying Your Life http://www.simplifylife.com/stratgy1.html) Best selling authors Amy Dacyczyn (of theTightwad Gazette), and Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin (of Your Money or Your Life) share their thoughts on how to untangle the complications of modern living, take control of personal finances, re-order your priorities and begin living the kind of life you choose. Hundreds of tips and a hefty resource guide make this one of the better guides. Life Mapping: Finding your Vision for The Future by Bill Cohen (Reading Room 3 - Decide What Your Want Your Life To Look Like http://www.simplifylife.com/stratgy3.html) Bill Cohen shows us how to achieve personal satisfaction and determine goals in our lives. With Cohen's practical exercises we learn how to create our own personal "Life Maps," determine our real beliefs and principles, and then match them to appropriate goals and activities - while maintaining our integrity and our souls in the process. _________________________________________ MORE ABOUT "MAKING LIVES SIMPLER" Linda Manassee Buell is a full-time Personal and Business Coach, and author of the audio tape, "Simplify Your Life, 7 Simple Strategies for Doing What You Love to Do." She has also recently revised her helpful eBooklet, "Simplify Your Life: 101 Ways to Create the Life You'll Love." To order your personal copy by check or credit card, just go to http://www.simplifylife.com and click on Shop the Store. Anyone is welcome to subscribe to "Making Lives Simpler." To subscribe or un-subscribe, send an e-mail to requests@lists.webvalence.com with "subscribe MakingLivesSimpler" or "unsubscribe MakingLivesSimpler" as the subject. (Be sure there aren't any spaces between the words MakingLivesSimpler.) This mailing list is confidential and will not be sold, traded, or bartered. Linda's e-mail address: Linda@simplifylife.com Linda's Website: http://www.simplifylife.com "Making Lives Simpler" (c) 2000 Simplify Life All Rights Reserved