7 Ways To Simplify Your Life l S1E026

Linda Orsini: 00:00:08

Hello and welcome to a call for love. I believe the most powerful gift you can offer yourself is to give and receive love more freely. I'm your host Linda Orsini meditation guidance spiritual coach. Everyone has the desire to be seen, heard, respected and loved. The journey to becoming more connected to your greater purpose lies within the ability to live from the deep source of love within you. Let's begin.

Linda Orsini: 00:00:39

Declutter your mind, simplify your surroundings and find peace admits the busyness of life. Yes, I'm your host Linda and in today's episode, we're going to explore the seven steps to simplify your life and live with a lighter heart because that's a call for love living with a light heart full of joy and light. To begin, I would like to share with you that in 2018, I went hiking along the Camino trail. We did a portion of it with my sister Patricia, her son Peter and his now wife, Isabel, we had a fantastic experience. And this is a reflection that I wrote from July 15 2018. I would like to share it with you today because it really sets the premise for today's podcast. Hiking the Camino trail is about so many things, and one being the knapsack you carry. When I was at home, it didn't seem to matter what I put in my backpack. But now that I'm carrying it, it's a whole different story. My pack weighs anywhere between 10 to 20 pounds depending on how much water and food I'm carrying at any given time. At home, it didn't seem like much. But now everything counts. No, I did not need everything I brought. I wish I didn't bring half the items I brought, what do I really need anyways, every item, every unloading and then repacking is filled with disillusionment, and sometimes even resentment about why the item is even necessary. As I walk kilometer after kilometer, my possessions become my burden, figuratively and literally, every time we stop and becomes another opportunity to reevaluate what is necessary versus luxury. So much of my time now is about what I can let go of, in order to make my journey lighter on the Camino and in life. So often I find myself looking at other pilgrims to see the load they are carrying. If they are carrying a day pack, and filled with envy, as I realize they have used a service to portage their bag forward to the next stop. Then I see others with a lighter backpack. And I find myself envying their wisdom and knowing they need less. I have done neither. I haven't sent my bag forward and I didn't pack lighter. I just struggle which is comical in and of itself. So my daily mantra has become, what excessive baggage am I carrying on my journey during the Camino trail, and more importantly, in life. This brings me to the message today, how can we simplify our life so I was walking the Camino trail and I did bring in extensive baggage. I really wanted to make my goal moving forward to live simpler to live lighter in all areas. Today, I'd like to share just seven you could probably list so many more but seven steps to simplify your life and live with a lighter heart so that you don't have to carry excess luggage. Excess Baggage my mother always used to say you can have baggage but you don't have to carry it. I always love that quote from her because it's really reminiscent of what I would like to emulate in my life. Number one, simplify your life by minimalizing your wardrobe just like I did with my backpack from the Camino trail. I would like to simplify my wardrobe. I've been going through this for several years. And I do love clothes. I have to say I love clothes, especially comfy clothes like yoga clothes. I just find they fit really well and I feel very great in them and you only want a wardrobe where you feel great in it. You don't need excess clothing. I like to every I guess once a year, I like to turn all my hangers the reverse way of where I naturally hang them on the hook. And then I see what I haven't used during the year. Therefore I can eliminate those and reduce my load, simplify my wardrobe. Just one little tip, maybe you could simplify your wardrobe. I know that when you have a backpack, as I did in the Camino trail, walking the Camino trail, I had limited choice, it was so easy to wake up in the morning and choose one of two outfits, it was really liberating, wasn't it Steve Jobs who wore the same jeans and the same T shirt all the time to eliminate that mental anguish of what you had to wear every day is actually a really brilliant tactic, something that you may want to consider. Number two, simplify your life with a digital detox. Do you not feel that our lives are consumed by social media technology? I know mine is. And I really have to be very conscious of this digital detox. Am I great at it? Absolutely not. If you asked my husband, he would roll up probably roll his eyes. So this is something that I am daily working towards. Because the more that I am on my podcast, sharing this information with you. And in my business, and in my studies, I have really actually been on my electronics more than ever before, which is not a great thing. It's something that I'm being really mindful of a digital detox might mean then once a day, or at night, or on weekends or on a special event. It's something that you really want to consider and really decluttering your inbox. I know that I just today deleted everything from my downloads, and there was hundreds, hundreds of items. When you don't see it as a tangible item. It really, really collects. And it becomes burdensome for your computer. And I don't really want it, it feels like a drawer that looks really tidy on the outside. But when you open it up, it's a real mess. Having a digital detox is a really great idea for simplifying your life to live with a lighter heart. Number three, simplify your subscriptions. So this goes along with the digital detox. I thought I would write down all my subscriptions, when they renew, how much they cost. And the passwords just so that I would have a record. I was completely astonished and actually sickened by all the subscriptions I had. It was mind boggling. I was not happy. And I really had to reassess. And that's the point of writing it down or on the computer. That visual really allows you to see what you are subscribing to. It is a lot. We live in a subscription world and listen, some of them are invaluable. I would never ever give them up. And some you can really streamline your subscriptions, not only to save you money, but to just simplify your life and just create a balance of ease and not and mindfulness. You don't want to have all these subscriptions for what you're not using. Make everything count value over volume number four. This is one that my son and his girlfriend will really comment on. And this is simplify your life by streamlining your food supply. And when I mean food supply, I know that foods right now are extremely expensive and not everyone's cupboards and fridge are full to the brim. But I bet you there's a lot of food lying around your home that is old, stale or outdated. I know that we are condiment family like we have ketchup and maybe two three kinds of mustards and salad dressings and mayonnaise and all those things

Linda Orsini: 00:09:37

and they pile up in our fridge when they're not necessary. By simplifying your food supply. You can be healthier because it allows you to focus on unprocessed foods that are rich in nutrients and free from additives. By minimalizing our consumption of extra foods canned goods and processed foods, we can really improve our health by shifting our focus to those whole plant foods, the whole foods that contain the essential nutrients, and are free from all those additives, making them a healthier choice all around. I know as a school teacher during lunch times, or even snack, I would see a lot of students bring in their Lunchables and all their package goodies. And honest to goodness, it was all I can do, from really just taking it off their desk and throwing it in the garbage. Honestly, I can't believe the packaged goods that children go to school with. And I'm not blaming parents, because life is really busy. But really, honestly, and truly avoiding as much process and packaged foods as possible, is not only smart, but it's healthy for your body. I know that those artificial ingredients, and sugars, and preservatives and coloring and food coloring really can significantly impact your health, your attention span your focus. And we don't want that we want to live healthy. So I'm a strong advocate for holistic well being. And that encompasses the mind, body and soul taking care of our health and our bodies is so important. This is the vehicle that our soul lives in. This is the vehicle that carries us each and every day. So have you ever considered what you put into your body? I know as a call for love listener, you are very conscious of what you're thinking in your mind. And therefore I presume that you're very conscious of your food choices. And that's what we want to do. We want to make educated decisions. And that's always mean that we're going to eat perfectly No, but it does mean we are more conscious of what we put into our body. And we eat healthier Whole Foods more often than those packaged goods. And I've heard and I'm sure you've heard too, to stick to the periphery of the grocery store where all the fresh produce and ingredients are located. By sticking to the outside perimeter of the grocery store, you're going to get all those natural fresh foods. And yes, you may have to go to the grocery store a little bit more often. But just imagine you're in Europe, and they go to the grocery store, often because they are walking back and forth from their home to the cafe to their work. They want much more than us. I'm going to speak for myself here in the suburbs of Ontario, Canada. So buying fresh foods more often healthier all around. But I know it's not always easy, easier said than done. But by simplifying your food supply with healthy foods, really create success for a healthy body, which in turn creates a healthy mind. Number five, simplify your life with the power of known. Saying no is an act of self care and self empowerment in this step is really about reevaluating your responsibilities and your commitments. Especially if you're feeling overwhelmed and stress. When I'm overwhelmed and stressed, I really back off, I slow down and I say no more often to catch up to be more grounded, and to feel better because when things go crazy around you, it's not good for your mental health. You really want to practice the power of NO and NO is a complete sentence. You know when you say no, it is honoring yourself. And guess what? Yes, you can do it kindly. I say to my coaching clients, you can say no with kindness and compassion, and you do not have to feel guilty. There is so much to talk about in this area, setting healthy boundaries. Setting healthy boundaries is paramount because when you show up with a clear vision and clear intention, you can actually be of more service to others. I love this quote under promise and over deliver. I really tried to live by it. And also I try not to commit too far in advance because I find my life is very fluid now. It's not so rigid, and things come up. So I only try to schedule what I really know I can Follow through with. And sometimes that means saying no. Number six, simplify your life by cultivating authentic connections. This involves decluttering, not just your physical and digital spaces, but also nurturing your meaningful relationships. When you learn to say no and clear out the unnecessary clutter in your life, with the physical items, and the relationships in your life, you create more space. This new fan space allows for authentic relationships to blossom, and will bring you greater joy. Do you ever ask yourself if the connections you are making with others support your growth and uplift you? I love this statement. What grow and glows you I find this quite powerful. I often ask myself, if there's something in my schedule or I'm asked to do something, I there's the two criteria, does it Grow and Glow me it can be both or it can be or so grow is it going to grow me as a person is it going to grow me as a steward of this earth. And glow is it could not just nurture my soul just you know going for a walk outside or going in that in the kayak or doing something of the sort especially since as I'm recording this it is summer, what grows and glows you. So by seeking out relationships that help you grow and glow, you can become the person you aspire to be. They say that you become the average of the five or six people you spend the most time with. And that is definitely true. I know for me, it's important to invest time and people who nurture your growth and contribute to your happiness. These connections will uplift your spirit and lengthen your heart. I know that you of course as a call for love listener want to live in your highest essence, that not only means honoring yourself, but also giving that forth. So moving on to number seven, simplify your life through surrender. As you embark on the journey of simplification, it's really beneficial to let go control and surrender to what it is, if you can. The art of surrendering is not always easy, that's for sure. But it involves accepting the things we cannot change and finding peace in the present moment. It requires letting go of perfectionism and embracing a sense of ease and joy. Really, for me surrendering means finding stillness and turning inward, connecting with my inner self. In this podcast, I've included bonus episodes on meditation, as a powerful tool for surrender. You can find the link to three bonus meditations in the show notes. Additionally, I've added some meditations to the Insight Timer app, which has been a significant accomplishment for me, it's really helped me to grow to grow in my art. I love meditating. And I love even more guided meditations. So organizing myself to share these meditations on the Insight Timer platform, where there are many other guides has been a very powerful experience and really stepped forward for me. If you're interested in exploring the benefits of meditation and how to incorporate it in your life, please please reach out to me, I am actually going to be offering a course or two on how to meditate, how to get started, how to be inspired through meditation practice. So keep an eye lookout for that in the fall.

Linda Orsini: 00:19:21

Basically, meditation is a practice that really you do not want to let slide by you. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea. But in all honesty, there comes a point in your life, where meditation will be something that you possibly seek out. Because when we are living in a high vibration and really busy and really on top of the world, meditation might not be something that you are looking for. But let me tell you when hardships come and things are not as rosy meditation can be that some pour it for you, to hold you in that place of just softness to allow those challenges to flow to you through you and from you. It is the skill that enables you to continue to move forward with more grace. And you want to possibly consider learning meditation when things are good, so that when things turn around, and they're not so good, because that is the cycle of life, you will have that foundation to draw upon. There are so many benefits to meditation. And actually, I think I'll create a podcast episode dedicated to discussing the benefits of meditation in the future. But in the meantime, if you would like access to all the meditations so far, and a call for love, I will put them in the show notes, and a link to the Insight Timer wiki, you can find a growing list of meditations there that I have led. And of course, there's so many wonderful meditation guides out there, find one that speaks to your heart, find one that really allows you to tap into that inner stillness and that inner source of oneness within you. And whoever that is, then that's a gem, hold on to them, and then allow that to be your guiding force. I hope you found these steps to be helpful on your journey towards a simpler and more meaningful life. While I've chosen seven steps, you can customize them to fit your need, because there are probably 77 steps that you could find to simplify your life in countless areas, especially in our modern world. Simplicity is something that I actually strive for. And if you looked around my home and you saw all my array of crystals and other things I collect, you might not think I was doing so good in that department. However, I am on the path moving forward of really trying to simplify, I do not want to, as I said in the Camino trail be really burdened by the material items I carry. It's really about living lighter, lighter in our heart, and lighter in our world. And we want to really reduce our environmental footprint which is also so incredibly important to not only me, so many others, and our world, our earth that is really struggling right now. Ultimately, it's about creating space for what truly matters. I really want to thank you for being part of this journey. Always wishing you abundant love, peace and joy. From my heart to yours. Namaste