Define the word wealth. How much money do you have to have in your bank account to be considered rich? What if riches and wealth have nothing to do with the money?
What if wealth is doing what you love, what fills you up and brings you joy. The key to being truly wealthy is rethinking your definition of wealth. For so many, when we say the word wealth our first thoughts automatically go to money.
However, if you remove the money equation from your definition of wealth there are many ways you can achieve great wealth through a lifestyle of simplicity. You can immediately begin to increase your riches when you understand these five simple truths.
1. Understanding True Value
Things that affect us most have a daily impact on our lives. To truly determine something’s value in your life, you need to imagine subtracting it from your life. What would your life be like if you removed your free time if you no longer had your family or friends, or even free time to spend with them or do the things you enjoy?
The same principle can be applied in reverse. Think about the cost of the things that are currently filling up your life. What if you begin to subtract all the excess clutter from your life.
Imagine subtracting the time you spend cleaning, maintaining, storing and caring for your excess possessions. What if you subtracted the distractions created by unnecessary stuff.
When you begin to remove the clutter and excess, you realize the positive impact less has on your life, and how much you actually gain. More time for your family, friends, the things you value most.
What if you subtracted the distractions created by unnecessary stuff. When you begin to remove the clutter and excess, you realize the positive impact less has on your life, and how much you actually gain. More time for your family, friends, the things you value most.
By eliminating the excess, you are able to clearly see that your true wealth is not found in your possessions, rather it is found in your relationships and your experiences. These things are invaluable and priceless.
2. The Value of Time
What would you say is your single most valuable asset? Your house? Your stocks and bonds? Investments? What about your time?
I think most of us would agree that time is, in fact, our most valuable asset. Time is also, our most fleeting asset. Once it is gone, that is it. You can never get it back. Once you spend your money, you can always go out and make more money. The same is not true with respect to time.
Just as a percentage of your money is spent on various expenses, your time is spent on various activities. While there is a certain amount of our time that must be budgeted for commitments that are not necessarily bringing us joy, we can choose how we use, or budget, the remaining time.
Everyday choices shape how our time is used. When we allow an excess of stuff in our life, we must spend part of our most precious asset in caring for, cleaning, maintaining, and/or storing that stuff.
When you begin to eliminate the excess from your life, you will gain freedom. You will free up the time you must spend dealing with your stuff. With this free time, you are able to budget your time on the things that truly matter to you, things that bring joy into your life. This is where true riches exist.
3. The Value of Less Stress and Greater Health
Something equally as valuable as your time, which is outside the money equation, is your health. Here I talked about the ways excess clutter affects our physical health, if you have not read that post, you should read it now.
Essentially, clutter has the effect of overloading your senses and making you feel stressed, you miss place items, waste time looking for things, and have general feelings of overwhelm.
There is also an association between the clutter people have and their excess weight. Yes, it’s true, clutter can make you fat. Check it out. In addition, too much clutter can result in excessive dust and animal dander exacerbating allergies and asthma symptoms.
However, all of the negative effects of excess have a positive counterpart. Living a simpler lifestyle actually improves your health. Think about it, all the physical things that can negatively impact your health are being removed. You have time to cook, eat healthier, get outdoors, exercise more, you will be calmer and lower your blood pressure.
As you improve your finances by purchasing less, stress is further eliminated.
Life is so much richer when you have your health.
4. The Value of Peace and Contentment
When you begin to eliminate the excess clutter, your home becomes a place of order, rather than a place of chaos. With the clutter gone, you can focus on creating an atmosphere of peace and comfort. As we begin to focus on the positive aspects of our home, we soon realize that we already have everything we truly need. This alone brings a great sense of peace and contentment.
Our possessions no longer define us. We are able to choose to live with less, not because we have to, but because we want to. By making the choice to live with less we end up with more time to focus on what is truly important. Living a life defined by intentional choices is what most long for. This type of peace and contentment can never be outvalued.
5. Financial Improvement
A large part of a simple living lifestyle is not only learning to live with less but to be content as you live with less. As you learn to desire less, you will of course shop less. When you spend less your debt decreases and savings increase. Win, win, win.
Simple living will truly increase your riches in a way that will make others long to have what you have. Give it a try today. Need some help on where to start, check out this article here.
Erica says
This is beautiful, Krystal. I agree with them all – and find extra comfort and value in #4.
I’ll be tweeting and stumbling this!
KristalMarie says
Thank you so much Erica, I agree #4 does contain the most value. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!