Simplicity is the highest form of human sophistication. Yet we over-complicate the most simple things. We over-complicate situations. We over-complicate moments of life. By removing everything in your life that is unnecessary you create the space for the things that actually matter. What would it look like if you let go of certain people in your life and the toxicity that they bring, that have prevented you from accomplishing your goals in 2024? If you let go of it for three months what would it look like? If you let go of some of the behavioral patterns that you have that have prevented you from achieving all your goals in 2024, like letting go of binge-watching TV shows for a complete Saturday and Sunday, or coming home and just laying on the couch and not doing anything for the rest of the day? What would it look like to let go of that?
#1 Simplify the Choices in your Life
Many of us today live in a constant state of overwhelm. There is too much information, too many options, too many distractions, too much clutter. There is research on something called Decision Fatigue. When companies want consumers to have so many options we get tired and just pick one. Simplify the choices of your life. Simplify the amount of decisions you have to make on a daily basis. Create a world in which what is important to you is what gets addressed and tackled. When you allow your mind to say, if I let go of this person or this situation or this thing I’m able to do more, to accomplish more, there is a freedom that exists in it. Now imagine the action of letting go, the creation of simplicity in your life.
#2 Will it matter in 5 years?
Overthinking causes stress. Stress makes us want to escape it. We end up going towards unhealthy coping mechanisms. The more we avoid making decisions, the more we get stressed, and it is an endless vicious cycle If something you’re stressing about right now is not going to mean anything next year or five years from now stop stressing about it. The five-by-five rule says that if something won’t matter to you in five years, don’t spend more than five minutes worrying about it. The five-by-five rule helps to let go of unnecessary distractions so that we can focus our energies on the things that matter.
#3 Write your own Eulogy
You might think that’s a little bit too dark or too depressing. But talking about death doesn’t make things more depressing – it’s a reality of life. It is something that we need to experience. A type of therapy called Existential Therapy focuses on our search for meaning and how we can continually recreate ourselves as the meaning of life changes for us. Thinking about dying awakens a person. Writing your own eulogy can consist of writing things that are very commonly included in eulogies. What type of family member they were, what type of character they had, how they showed up in society, some of their quirky little personality traits, inside jokes and so on. If something doesn’t make it into your eulogy, like if something you’re stressing about right now doesn’t make it in your eulogy, then why should it matter right now? Yet we consume and over-consume and hyper-consume ourselves with things that don’t matter, distractions that prevent us from happiness.
Simplify, Simplify, Simplify
People chase the weirdest things in search of happiness, fulfillment and contentment when everything you have to be happy and joyful already exists inside of you. Buying a $200,000 car, or a $40,000 watch or a $1000 outfit will not make you happier. It is ok to enjoy them, but don’t ever be fooled into thinking that that’s going to make you happy. Don’t ever think that if you get this person in your life all of a sudden all of the sadness and trauma and everything you have is going to go away. It won’t go away unless you do the deep work to realize and understand that you are the source of your happiness and contentment. You will not find it anywhere else. So simplify your life.
At Buckeye Recovery Network, we teach many different techniques to step away from addiction and step forwards towards sobriety. If you are committed to making 2025 different, take the first step by calling us. We believe that every person is capable of making progress on their journey. We are committed to helping and supporting those who are struggling with addiction, as well as their families, to learn to become healthy, happy individuals and families. Call us now to get started on your journey.
