by CS Team
“An intentionally simple & enjoyable reading experience.”
We all know that our world offers a plethora of ways in which information floods into our awareness. Social media feeds are chock-full of posts, events and offerings. Email inboxes are inundated with subscriptions and solicitations (some signed up for by choice, many by spam). Brains and bodies are overwhelmed with energy that has a “Do this/you need this now!” flavor. Yuck!
A group of beautiful souls are giving us a soothing new way. Joshua Becker of Becoming Minimalist, Brian Gardner of No Sidebar, Tsh Oxenreider of The Art of Simple, and Rebecca Cooper of Simple as That have combined their brilliance and expertise in simplifying life and created the digital publication Simplify Magazine. This mindful offering is solely supported by its readers, which means no icky ads or filler content, just straight forward, valuable wisdom and knowledge.
We have been inspired by the powerful sharing in this online magazine. We hope you find comfort, ease, relief and hope. You can get the Simplify Magazine now and also check out their Facebook Page.
We hope you embrace a simpler life and way of being in this world.
Marla & Kate
by CS Team
Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own
“The first step in crafting the life you want is to get rid of everything you don’t.” – Joshua Becker
We could not agree with this sentiment more. As many of you know, the last few years Marla and Kate have been on their own downsizing journeys. It started as sacred accountability with each other to clear out the unsupportive “stuff” and ultimately became our own versions of minimalism. This can look and feel very personal. It is *not* about living with nothing, but living with what means the *most*. Personally, we are loving having less stuff and less stress!
We want to introduce you to one of our favorite messengers – Joshua Becker, the creator of Becoming Minimalist.com. This is why we follow him and want to share him with you –
- He is a family man who walks his talk.
- He knows what life is like here in America with all the temptations and distractions.
- He consciously chose to change his life and the life of his family.
- Joshua gives simple guidance that creates real change.
We are thrilled about his new printed book The More of Less.
“…this is a book about owning less—but it’s more than that. I have practiced and studied and written about owning less faithfully for the last 8 years. This book contains almost everything I have learned about it. It is both inspirational and practical. But this book is about more than owning less. It is about passion and generosity and learning to pursue happiness in more fulfilling places than the acquisition of money or possessions. It’s not just about owning less stuff, it’s about living a bigger life because of it.”
Read more from Joshua or go straight to pre-order it.
“Pre-order now and also get FREE access to Uncluttered. Uncluttered is a 12-week online course with videos, interviews, webinars, articles, weekly challenges, accountability, and community strategically packaged for one purpose: to help you declutter your home, own less stuff, and find space to live the life you want. The course sells for $89, but anyone who pre-orders my new book can register for the Spring Edition for free. It is my gift to you—a special thanks for being one of the first to buy the book!
To redeem your gift, pre-order The More of Less (print or ebook) before May 2 through your favorite online retailer. Your purchase is your registration. Visit the Uncluttered Registration page with your receipt and use the number to complete the registration form.”
We want YOU to experience the FREEDOM that comes from surrounding yourself with the stuff, the people and the actions that support you. This is your life and your choice.
We would love to hear from you – Marla, Kate & Team
by CS Team
What’s all this talk about minimalism?!
Minimalism is a very personal thing. At it’s core it means mindfully choosing to live simply with less possessions in order to have more time, more financial freedom, more health, more fun, more of whatever you want your life to truly be about.
We’ve been what we call “aspiring simplists” for quite some time now, but a few months ago we became “aspiring minimalists” after having the privilege of hearing a couple of minimalists speak at the NAPO Conference. Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus, aka The Minimalists, shared with us their journey from six-figure salaries, 50+ hour work weeks, big houses full of possessions, fancy and pricey cars, failing relationships to a lives of minimalism. We grabbed and gobbled up their book Everything That Remains and it has become our main resource.
Check out a recent post from them…
“There isn’t an invisible committee of maniacal minimalists somewhere conspiring to force everybody to get rid of their material possessions.
Like your stuff? Keep it!
Find value in that wardrobe teeming with unworn clothes?
That closet brimming with mismatched bath towels
That basement abound with un-played-with toys?
That garage stuffed with collections of trinkets?
That shelf overrun by dusty DVDs, CDs, VHS tapes?
Great! Hold tighter if you feel so inclined. Permission granted.
You have permission to keep anything that adds value to your life.
And you have permission to keep anything that doesn’t.
But you also have permission to let go.
You have permission to clear the clutter.
You have permission to remove the excess—the clothes you don’t wear, the junk you don’t use, the things you hold on to just in case—and focus on what’s truly important to you: health, relationships, passions.
Either way—you have permission.
Of course, you don’t need anyone else’s permission—only your own.”
We couldn’t agree more about permission. This is your life and we want to encourage you in living it the way your HEART most desires. Getting support from different places is very helpful. We’re not meant to do this life on our own. We hope you find valuable guidance and wisdom from these fantastic men.
For those of you living in or near to Salt Lake, we’d like you to invite you to join Marla at a FREE event that Joshua is hosting, called The WordTasting Tour. Some very special people will be sharing about minimalism, travel and more. Another one of our favorite minimalists, and Salt Lake local, Courtney Carver of Be More With Less, will be joining. Get your FREE Tickets.
Big love and support to you!
Marla, Kate and Team
by Kate Fehr
We all love choices, but at what point is variety a burden rather than a blessing?
Courtney Carver of Be More With Less posted an inspiring article about simplifying decision making in some top areas of our lives. As I read through it, I just kept taking deep breaths and realizing it really can be simple. I’m going to be sitting with this over the next week or so and really clearing out even more things, commitments and demands on myself.
My top 3 areas to simplify from her article are…
- Choose fewer items at the grocery store
- Undo your to-do list
- Pretend the internet is broken
I invite you to read her article “Maybe Variety isn’t the Spice of Life” and see if it sparks a little simplicity inspiration in your life.
