As you exist in this world, you do not only live by yourself but among other human beings like you. Living such a life that is intertwined with so many others, may make it a bit complicated to live at times. You are to abide by society’s norms, people judge you on what you say or wear, sometimes you do not perform well because of the harsh criticisms of those around you, or maybe you cannot tell a person you love him or her because you are afraid of losing that person as a good friend. All of these situations make our life complicated. Sometimes we are so enveloped by the complication of life that we forget that we really just have to live it simply.
“How can I live a simple and peaceful life?” This question may pop into your head right now. If the way to living life is that simple, how does one do it? For starters, enumerated down below are ten ways on how to help you live a simple and peaceful life:
1. Block out the negativity.
Allow yourself to hear criticism but only if it is constructive. Nobody needs negative words that do nothing but crush your self and soul, that is why one of the first things to do in order to have a simple and peaceful life is to block out the negativity. No matter what you do or how you act, you can never please everybody because somebody will always have something bad to say. All you need to do is plug that out and mind your own business. You do not need the words of someone who does not know your life, for as long as you are not stepping on anybody else, you do not need that negative aura.
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2. Be more patient.
As William Langland in Piers Plowman once said, “patience is a virtue”. It is true that all good things come to those who wait. Be patient in all the aspects of your life like waiting in line at the grocery store, waiting for a callback from your audition, or waiting when to strike during a game of chess. Patience gives you the time to think about things and more importantly, it helps you prevent conflict. If you allow yourself to be hot-tempered, you would be feeding yourself negativity every day. Things didn’t go your way? Be patient. Remember, you cannot control everything.
3. Cut ties with toxic people.
By blocking out negativity, you are also cutting ties with toxic people. You may have a hard time identifying the toxic people in your life. Anybody can be a toxic person, even a close family member or your boyfriend or girlfriend, as long as that person brings you nothing but sadness and lowers your self-esteem, then he or she is nothing but a toxic person. Toxic people bring you down, they do not believe in you, they criticize you for the littlest things, and they will tell you that you will never amount to anything. Never fear because you do not need them! Be strong enough to face these people and show them the door out of your life.
4. Always choose kindness.
In a cruel and dark world, always choose to be kind. Your life does not need any more problems, especially those that are made by you. Be kind to people you meet even if they are complete strangers because you never know what kind of struggles they are facing every day. Be kind to the animals you see because like people, they are also to be respected. Be kind to the people you know because even if they do not appreciate it, they will take note of it. Kind people are peaceful people. Why? Because they never start any trouble by choosing to be kind.
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5. Get rid of being materialistic.
This one might be a bit difficult especially now that we live in a world that is ruled by the images we build for ourselves in social media, but if you truly want to live a simple and peaceful life, you have to remove the trait of being materialistic. Stop buying a brand new smartphone just because everybody has it, you do not need to take a vacation every week and post it on social media just because everybody else is doing it, and no, you do not need to dress in expensive clothes to be beautiful. You may be happy for a while but after this, it will leave a hole in you that will make you want more and more. If you want to live simply and peacefully, “de-clutter” yourself from material objects.
6. Resolve conflicts.
Conflict-free life is a peaceful life. Avoid fights and if you can, prevent them from happening. But if the conflict has already occurred, then try your very best to resolve it by dealing with it maturely. A simple and peaceful person likes to live guilt-free without saying harsh words to anybody nor inflicting pain on somebody else. Do not hold grudges also because grudges only make you feel heavy and you will carry that burden throughout the rest of your life unless you deal with it.
7. Do one good deed every day.
Good deeds can be as simple as watering your plants or helping a kid get his kite back. By doing good deeds, you will not only make your life fulfilling but also help those who are around you. A good deed every day keeps the negativity away. Being positive is important when you want to have a simple and peaceful life and the good deeds that you do help keep the optimism going. Life is already full of bad things complicating people’s lives, counter this attack by doing a good deed.
8. Simplify your life as much as you can.
Some people like living in the countryside because it is much simpler. You do not need to move in order to have this experience because by simplifying the way you live, you can already have a simple life. If you have a small backyard, you can start planting vegetables and fruits so that you won’t have to buy it anymore, you can go solar to be more environmentally friendly, or you may recycle and reuse things to reduce your trash, and you can also simplify by being friends with the people who matter, meaning you do not need to have many friends. These are only a few of the many ways to simplify your life.
9. Follow your heart.
Only you can make your life simple and peaceful. If you keep listening to other people or if you keep allowing other people to rule over you, then the life you will lead will most probably be a complicated one. Why? Because the decisions you make are not yours, therefore, you do not where you want to go. Always remember to follow your heart and do what you think is best for you. You may make mistakes along the way but that is the way of life, the important thing is to know how to get up and learn from it. Experience is the best teacher.
10. Know and love yourself.
If you do not know and love yourself, then you will live your life not knowing who you really are and you will keep filling that empty hole inside you because you do not love yourself. In order to have a simple and peaceful life, you must first be at peace within yourself. Ask yourself some questions. Do not be afraid to know your weaknesses and rejoice with your strength. Because everything outside you can be hectic and complicated, but inside you, you are perfectly composed, simple, and peaceful.
Many people will tell you how to live your life but it is up to you and how or where you will take its course. Living a simple and peaceful life is not easy, but it is possible. People tend to make things complicated when they shouldn’t be. Do not be afraid of simplicity. If you love someone, tell him or her. If you really want that job, work hard for it. If you want to be a dancer, practice more. You can do it! Never allow doubt and negativity to stop you from having a simple, peaceful, and fruitful life!
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Nice article