Why we need to simplify life: In the current situation, we have chaos everywhere. There is so much information, so many philosophies, so many distractions, and so much uncertainties about all areas of life like relationship, finances, and politics. In such a difficult time, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and get distracted from the mainstream and essence of life. That’s why it’s more important than ever, to simplify life to live meaningfully.
What are common distractors: In my article, how to simplify life, I have written some basic steps to avoid common distractors. The biggest influencer is the worldwide accessible open social media. In addition to it, human ego makes things more complicated.
What is simplest checkpoint to avoid distractions: The simplest thing I an think of is to scan your decisions from the lens of ego-check. For example:
- Do I want to get that pair of jeans to show off or do I want it because I like the band, the comfort, and durability of it?
- Do I want to become a famous writer who has maximum number of instagram followers or do I want to write because I like writing and I want to help people with my thoughts?
How to create a simple structure to follow: Bringing clarity to life is as important as oxygen. We need a vision for our life, to structure the life in a simpler & a purpose driven way. I had other thoughts about simplifying life further and relating it with Maslow’s law and seven spiritual centers of the body. Here is how I related my earlier defined areas to Maslow’s law and seven spiritual centers:
| Maslow’s Law of needs | Seven centers | My areas of life |
| Physiological Safety Social | Root Sacral Heart | Foundation (Fitness, Finance, Family) |
| Esteem | Solar Plexus Throat Third Eye | Forward (Skills, Learning, Achievements) |
| Self Actualization | Crown | Freedom (Autonomy, spiritual liberation) |
Explanation of life goals:
- Foundation: I realized that my basic goals of fitness, finance, and family (including friends and society) are related to a basic foundational needs to live life.
- Forward: Forward is a name given to efforts we do, to build our self esteem. I like the word Forward as it has a push for an action to look forward to. We can also call it taking actions or doing karma for anything in life. For example, look forward to:
- Learning to continuously build skills to achieve goals and enjoy.
- Advancements & Achievements by expressing (doing) in areas like leadership, writing, technical, and other as per our profession and interest.
- Freedom: It is about transcending the journey and becoming free. It can’t be achieved unless we have a strong foundation and strong self-esteem.
What is a north star goal: We need a north star goal in a word so that we’re not lost into multiple goals. I found it very satisfying and simple to come up with one word, to describe my life. For me, that one word is, Freedom. For me, it means freedom from foundational things like: freedom from diseases; freedom by saving for retirement and other life needs; freedom from family needs by transcending to the world as one family; and finally, freedom from my mind or desires.
What’s next: I’d like to explore what stops us from taking actions to live life we imagine. Stay tuned to read more on it.
References:
- Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/
- OnePointAhead, https://onepointahead.com/
One Point Ahead 