Choosing Less

February 9, 2010

Choosing less is a daily challenge for everyone, regardless of where we are. We all have a lot of stuff. We all have the same challenge, whether we are living in a city or on the countryside. We are living in a culture that values “More is Better”.

To be honest, I sometimes hesitate about what to do next. Why? On the one hand it is rather tempting to turn my back on everything and start all over again. I am dreaming of a simple life on a sailboat and exploring the world, traveling all over the place or residing on a tropical island, away from civilization. Not the way Tom Hanks lives in Cast Away, but rather a modest beach shack in Samoa or Tonga, like “Big Z” in Surf’s Up.

Palms line Lalomanu Beach in Western Samoa. Photo:lonelyplanetimages.com

On the other hand, it’s probably easier to follow the hurdle and give in to the world of excess. And it’s probably true that a century ago it really was easier to step away from civilization and live in the woods or in some remote location. On top of that, in our modern society, it becomes harder to say “NO!” to all these great restaurants, luxury shops, new cars, gadget hypes, second homes, etc. The need for more is winning more supporters everyday. Even in remote locations they are dreaming of our western lifestyle.

Is it really possible to choose for less and to simplify our lives?

Yes, it is possible! Although I admit I sometimes even like the excess and luxury, it is a conscientious choice to choose less. For me it’s about Living Simply and Less is More. I know we can change in different ways and that one of my goals is to Slow Down. It is also clear to me that choosing less is not about plunging into poverty. What I am really longing for is a better quality of life. Remember, eat the chocolate first :-)

I want to focus more on the fun in life, rather than on being inspired by the “More is Better” way of life. I deliberately choose simplicity and more meaning in life instead. And you know, saying “no” to some of the excess, means saying “yes” to other opportunities that have more and lasting value. Or to put it in the words of John C. Maxwell: “Learn to say ‘no’ to the good, so you can say ‘yes’ to the best”!

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Slideshare

February 6, 2010

So many times I’ve talked about Slideshare during trainings and workshops, but it seems that still too few people have heard about it.

Slideshare is basically a website where you can upload and share all your Powerpoint presentations. Also pdf files and Word documents. Besides sharing your content and your message with the world you can also keep them private or share them with your innercircle only.

Why should you use it? Well, you can learn a lot from the newly updated presentations. On top of that, I sometimes use it for sharing my slides after a speech or event. People find it easy to go over them again or even download them.

By uploading your documents you will improve your visibility to a bigger audience. If people are researching your topic, they might find it on Slideshare. And did I mention it’s free?

Another benefit is your improved Google rankings. Thanks to Slideshare your presentations will be positioned high(er) in the search results. You only need to define your keywords well…Many people spend fortunes on Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and with Slideshare you can profit from their rankings for free. They take your presentation to a new level on Google.

Oh, did I tell you about LinkedIn? You can integrate your presentations through Slideshare into your LinkedIn profile. Have a look at my LinkedIn profile to see an example. It improves your profile and you are sharing some added value to people who might be looking for you…

Next on my list is the possibility to create slidecasts. What’s that? It’s merging one of your presentations with a Podcast. So, you actually create a new document with integrated sound. Very nice to explain to people what they are seeing…

Finally, you can also follow others or be followed (like Twitter) on Slideshare. Very interesting if you want to be on top of things. Follow your favourite topics and people on Slideshare as well. Who knows, you might build a following yourself too!

And to really wrap it up, I am showing you how you can perfectly integrate your Slideshare presentation in your blog.

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We Change

January 6, 2010

“Things do not change, we change.”

- Henry David Thoreau -

What if I would invite you to a “Walden”-vacation, where you recreate Thoreau’s world famous 19th century retreat? You’d have to survive without your mobile, computer, internet, tv, car, Twitter and to make it worse also without electricity or indoor plumbing (sic!). Of course, you’d be carrying your own luggage, preferably a backpack. The planned excursions include starting a camp fire, sleeping in a tent, enjoying the beautiful scenery around you, getting closer to nature, creating friendships for life, contemplating on your life, setting up an action plan and doing nothing. Also enjoying the silence is an all-time favorite! :-)

Would you sign up? Thoreau did. And he enjoyed it. When I walked my camino to Spain, I enjoyed it too! I came a lot closer to nature those days.

Anyway, all this to tell you that Thoreau longed to simplify his life, free himself from distraction and find more meaning in life. He believed that by changing his environment, he would change something inside of him. A couple of weeks ago I changed my environment also. And it worked! More flow, more results and I started 2010 as a happy camper :-)

As you know, we sold our house and we’ll change our environment again. I am looking forward to it!

So, are you ready to simplify your life? What are your next steps to change your environment?

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ICD Scraper

January 4, 2010

In this blog I’ll explain you the link between Windows 95 and deicing my car.

It’s wintertime. Fun with snow and ice. Yeah! Unless you need to use your car and it is covered in ice and/or snow. Ice scraping!

Of course, when you don’t need stuff, you give it away or sell it or place it somewhere else. I have placed my ice scraper so well, that I don’t recall where it is. Yes, very handy in these winter conditions. :-)

So, I came up with a Genius Shortcut for this situation. What happens if you don’t have an ice scraper? I took out an old cd, which happens to be one of my Windows 95 licenses. I don’t use it anymore, so I started to use it as an ice scraper. I must confess, it worked perfectly well! Of course, I used it upside down, so if it gets scratched, it’s only on the printed side, but it didn’t.

The cd (and you can use any (old) cd or dvd) is still usable if I want to. On top of that, I invented a new word : the ICD Scraper (eye-sea-dee scraper), it’s simply a cd that is being used as an ice scraper.

So, enjoy ice scraping next time with an ICD Scraper instead :-)

image source : http://ow.ly/SA90

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Slow Down

January 3, 2010

“Our culture puts a premium on speed, deifying this notion that faster is better, that you must fill every single moment with activity. There’s a powerful taboo that makes “slow” a dirty word. In this hyped-up world, we need to keep an eye on our personal speedometers – it’s very easy to do things fast just because everything else around you is going fast, without even considering whether or not it makes sense.”

- Carl Honoré -

I agree with him we are living in a world of speed. Also with my Genius Shortcuts and lifehacking fun I am speeding up activities, skills and results. This is what most people are looking for, besides a meaning in life, but that’s a different story :-) So, yes, I like speed. Why? Because it creates more time to have fun. More time to relax. If a boring activity takes me 4 hours, why would I be bored for 4 hours? What if I can do it in 1 hour with maintaining the quality of the results? I have 3 hours to slow down or do something else what is important to me. What’s the point in being frustrated for another 3 hours? None!

This also means that I certainly see the value of slowing down. With my focus on simplicity, finding the Genius Shortcuts and improving the fun we have, I know I am speeding up most of  (all?) the time. And I like it, because it brings so much joy and fulfillment. And did I mention the extra time? Right, to do whatever we like with it…This means slowing down tremendously! So, indeed, Carl is right when he talks about the impact of speed. He sees it from the pressure people are putting themselves under to get more and more. The difference is that most people never take time to slow down! Indeed not the right way to go…

Carl also talks about slowing down because of the impact on others and on our own body and mind. When he speedreads a bed-time story to his kids, even skipping a couple of paragraphs, we all agree that the most relaxing part of the day for his kids is hurried up by him. They know the stories inside out and question him about certain details in these stories, like “What happened to Grumpy?” If you only talk about 3 instead of 7 dwarfs in Snow White :-)

You can see how this became a wake-up call for him. And again, he was rushing too much instead of slowing down and take time for this  intimate and tender moment with his kids. So, he decided to change all that. He went on a business trip soon afterward. During that flight the first thing he did was doing nothing. Just sitting there and do nothing. Thinking about it, “wasting” time to reflect. By the time he got of that plane, he decided to take action and do something about it. He came up with 2 questions :

1. How do we get so fast?

2. Is it possible or desirable to slow down?

I’d answer the first question with my Genius Shortcuts.  Finding simple tricks that speed up the process and get the results faster. This means you can choose what to do with that extra time you’ve created. My choice is easy : more fun, more time to slow down and enjoy life. And that answers his second question. For me it is desirable to slow down. In fact it is a prerequisite to enjoy more!

By slowing down at the right moments we eat better, get healthier,  have more fun, are more relaxed and we get things better done. We work better and get better results, in fact a better life. How surprisingly :-)

You see how Carl and I are on the same wavelength here. To give you an even better perspective, have a look at his inspirational talk at TED. Enjoy it and take some time out to watch it fully!

After watching this, what action(s) are you going to take to slow down? Let us know… and take your time :-)

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Just Play

December 30, 2009

We typically spend less than 20% of our time doing what we like or even doing some work that is meaningful and enjoyable. At the same time we spend over 50% of our time doing work that is boring, meaningless and unsatisfying.

So, when I tell people that I turned this around and do exactly the opposite, most of them look at me with a puzzled face. They either don’t get it or don’t believe me. Luckily some do and these are the ones that are open to change and improvement.

Having said that, I came to the conclusion that most people are really stuck in their everyday situation. The sad part is that they know all this. So do you, right? Why are you stuck? Why are you settling for it. Why are you doing the stuff you are doing?

I want you to have a life full of dreams, possibilities and meaning! You deserve it! And sure, it might not be the easy way, but at least you’ll have a life… It takes clarity, focus and commitment to build it and to enjoy it.

Most people don’t know how to step out of their every day life. They don’t know (it anymore) what it is to really enjoy. Or to really play and have fun. So, one of the first steps in setting yourself free and stepping outside of your current framework is to Just Play!

By just playing, you start to rediscover the joy of fun, laughter and good times. Start with playing a game you liked as a kid or invite some friends over and play any kind of game. By playing we release tension and relax more. We get into the habit of smiling and fun. Imagine what our world would look like if we all had more fun…

So, would you commit to do something of fun this weekend? Would you commit to Just Play in 2010? Even if it doesn’t set you free, at least you’ll have a great time, right? Let me know what kind of fun you love to have, we all might enjoy it…

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Living Simply

December 27, 2009

Almost every day I have a conversation with someone on simplifying our lives. For most people it is very hard to understand that we do not want to continue in this “rat-race”. Of course, we still want a full life, but sometimes it is getting ridiculous. We have tried more and more of everything, only to find that life has not become easier, better or even what we hoped for. We are continuously running from one thing to another. More people, more fun, more money, on and on. We sometimes long for the day that it won’t be so busy. And who’s planning all that? Right, we are!

During these last months Tonia and I had several discussions on where our lives are going. Especially during her walk to Santiago. We came to the conclusion that we are making it too difficult for ourselves. Our lives are too complicated. There must be a simple way to change all that. Where is the Genius Shortcut here? :-)

So, it all changes now! We are committed to simplify our lives. How do we simplify the details that make up our lives? And aren’t those details important? Not anymore…We are thinking in a different kind of abundance now. We are downsizing and reorganizing our lives towards a continuous process of joy, freedom and contribution. To give you one example: with the extra money we are saving on our (new) house, we can travel more, explore more cultures and enroll for extra trainings. We are spending the same amount, but in an optimized way. Another example: some of the extra money we make on our house will be donated to a charity. Third example? While our monthly running costs are downsized, we can easily take another time-out or sabbatical when we feel like it. We no longer need months of savings to cover for us, while we are somewhere else enjoying more.

You see, we are looking at things in a different way now. We are living simply and at the same time achieving more. Less is more!

So, what could you do to simplify your life? Have you thought about that? Now would be a good time :-)

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Reuse Bananas

December 24, 2009

Yes, as bananas are dear to us through our “Go Bananas” project, I was surprised to find a blog article about the reuse of banana peels. The only uses I knew, was using it to fill the compost or to see people slip and take a fall. Now, there are at least 7 extra Genius Shortcuts to reuse your banana peels. For once, I did not try them out, so try them at your own risk :-)

1. Help Your Garden Grow: Bananas are naturally high in potassium and encourages plant growth. Use banana peel or puree entire banana and bury with soil.
2. Shoe Polish: Use the peel to make your kicks nice and shiny.
3. Stop the Itch: Rub the inside of a banana peel on a bug bite helps itch relief.
4. Pain Reliever: The oil in a banana peel will help relieve the pain from (sun)burns and scratches.
5. Wart Removal: Tape a piece of banana peel on a wart, continue until it’s gone.
6. Make Houseplants Gleam: Just like peels can shine shoes, they can also be used to make the leaves of plants shine.
7. Removing Splinters: Similar to wart removal, tape a piece of the peel over the splinter. The enzymes will help dislodge the splinter and heal the wound.

Of course, I did some extra research and found a couple of extra Genius Shortcuts for reusing bananas:

8. Tender Chicken: Bake skinless chicken breast with a banana peel over the top. It replaces the skin and keep your chicken more tender.
9. Teeth Whitener: Rub your teeth with a banana peel for 2 minutes daily.
10. Face mask: Mash up a banana and put it as a mask on your face for 20 minutes. Works even better with yogurt and honey added.

So, now you know everything you need to Go Bananas! :-)

Sources:  re-nest, curbly

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but

December 22, 2009

We all have reasons and excuses for not doing something. We often find more contra than pro. So, we don’t do it. But, what if you want to do it? But, what if it would change your life? Eminem says it right when he sings : “Look, if you had one shot, or one opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted. One moment Would you capture it or just let it slip?” My question is, would you just let it slip? Let’s hear your excuse(s) :-)

Anyway, here is another brilliant commercial about the “BUT”-word. Plenty of reasons not to play ball…Pay special attention at the last one. Then think again. What’s keeping you from achieving your goals? So, get on with it and “Just do it!”

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Less is More!

December 21, 2009

A classical title for my plea to stimulate simplicity.

Life is complex if you want it to. Can we make it simple again? Sure! Just let go of some of your activities and luxurious materialism. Easier said than done? Probably. So, what can you do to make your life simple again? Simply give up more!

To set an example, my wife and I decided to sell our house. We are moving to a smaller house. Of course, we can make a lot of excuses for not doing it. At the same time, we did create a list of what it can and will bring us instead. The most important one for us is freedom! We want to create more freedom, so we can travel more, invest more in personal growth and help more people. By downsizing we can actually save a significant amount extra every month. Of course, we’ll be happy in our new home too! And this doesn’t mean we’ll buy a dump :-)

So, how does it work? Here is a fictitious example :

Value of the house : 300,000 €

Mortgage : 150,000 €

Net : 150,000 €

New House : 180,000 €

New Mortgage : 120,000 €

Own Means : 60,000 € + costs notary, energy documents… 20,000 € = 80,000 €

Net Profit : 70,000 € (=300K – 150K – 80K)

With 70,000 € you can buy yourself quite some freedom :-) And yes, I know, it’s just a fictitious example, just fill it in for your own situation and be amazed how much “extra” freedom you can get by downsizing.

On top of that, if you invest this at a 20%/year rate (ask me how), you’ll double it after 4 years! Of course, you can also spend 10,000 € this year and gain 12K € next year (@ 20%), of which you can spend another 10K € to enjoy your freedom. And you could do this every year. In my world spending 10K € on extra freedom is fantastic! Oh, by the way, you could repeat it yearly. And you might consider giving away 10% to your favourite charity too : 1,200 €! The remaining 800 € will probably cover extra costs, taxes and partially inflation, right?

So, now that I’ve shown you how to do it, what steps are you taking to simplify your life? Sure, it takes courage and it doesn’t have to be the same plan we are executing, but I am sure you can downsize easily too. So, let me know which actions you are taking…

PS : if you are interested in buying our house, have a look at Immoweb (Dutch).

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