MinimalistPath

The thing I wish for everyday is that more people would take their life in their hands and run with it. Life is so short that any day we are not striving to be better or to enjoy it more is a day wasted. Living longer is a goal we should all run towards while making the most of the time we do have on this planet.

7 Minimalist Actions to Live Longer

• Be Care Free – Making sure you have food on the table is important. Stressing over a million things a day should be addressed. Ask yourself each time you feel stressed if what you are being stressed over is that important.
• Walk Further, Drive Less – Going Car-Free is an awesome way to improve your health and reduce stress. Try taking walks to the places within a mile (i.e. the grocery store, gym).
• Simply Disconnect – Take everything that is connected to the outside world away from your life for 30 minutes minimum a day. Here are 7 Simple Ways to Disconnect from Everett Bogue.
• Eat Healthier – There is no reason to take years off your life by ingesting crap. Try a vegan diet to improve your mood and add years to your life. I am going to test this soon.
• Just Relax – There are a million and one things that always need to be done. How about doing nothing for 5 minutes and just relax? A stress free life is a longer one.
• Write – Put that pen to paper daily and get some words out. You will start to relieve stress and tension as you express yourself. It takes 10 minutes daily, but adds years to your mental capacity.
• Be Active – Run around. Be a kid. Climb a mountain. Run a race. Do something outside daily to gain health benefits and enjoy the benefits of a beautiful landscape.

These 7 tips are not confusing or difficult or too challenging. They are just actions we tend to overlook daily. Apply them to your life and make this life the best. It is your only one.

David Damron
The Minimalist Path

Back in the post 15 Ways to Become a Minimalist in 2010, from January, I mentioned I was going to discuss a topic as the title Pray LESS & Do MORE entails. This may end up being the most controversial article at The Minimalist Path, but please do read through the entire article with an open mind. Before jumping to crucify me, I, by no means, am saying that you should give up your religious or spiritual practices altogether. This article is not a religious bashing one. I simply want to help you improve your productivity.

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If you haven’t yet, click here to check out PROJECT M-31 …

Now, enjoy the article below….

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Until the age of 18, I strongly followed the Catholic faith while obtaining my kindergarten through twelfth grade education at private Catholic schools. Throughout this time, I learned life skills that I still apply today. With those skills, I learned that if anything was wrong, I could turn to the heavens and ask God for help.  This habit hindered my growth and development. It wasn’t until I minimalized my prayer and took action towards life solutions that I began to see more progress at accomplishing my goals.

I have been an atheist for 8 years. For me, doing this allowed for focus towards accomplishments to grow. By PRAYING LESS, I started to realize I could and should DO MORE. My religious up-bringing was helpful in that it generated positive relationships and understanding. However, the prayer always seemed to be my way of establishing an excuse and blaming another. Whenever something wrong occurred to me, I would pray to the heavens and hope that my wishes would come true. Often, I relied on this god to “answer my prayers” and they ended up not coming true. By no fault to any god, man or woman was this, but my own. I was the reason my accomplishments were not as I dreamed. My actions or lack thereof generated what ended up being predictable results.

When those entering the world of minimalism think of becoming a minimalist, much of the focus is on the physical things in life. What we, as minimalists or those just looking to simplify the chaos of our lives, must understand is that our thoughts, manners, beliefs, and actions can also be simplified. If we take more accountability for our success or failure and not rely on others as much, we can minimalize unproductive time and maximize all actions.

This article is not meant to down religious beliefs. It is to point out that despite all of our hopes and dreams, there is no one but the person in the mirror that will light the fire of progress or, in this case, productivity. It is up to you and I to make success a reality. The longer we wait for our prayers to be answered, the likelier it is they won’t.

Please do share your thoughts in the comments section…

My apologies for going over 400 words….

David Damron
The Minimalist Path