IN THIS ISSUE:
 
I. Were Things Simpler Then?
II. Five Quick Tips
III. Their Tips
IV. References

When you think about the past, do you think of it as it being a "simpler time?” You know, that time before computers, fax machines, cell phones, e-mails, pagers and all the other high tech tools that are supposed to make our lives today “simpler.” Do you think about the “good old days” of parental respect and authority, safe schools and classrooms, or freedom of movement without constant watchful and prying eyes?

When I think about my own past, I think about my youth. It’s then when I realize that time wasn’t really so simple at all. I recall the assassinations of President Kennedy, Senator Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King. I remember the Civil Rights movement, the Vietnam War and protests in the streets. My own high school times couldn't have been farther from simple. I went to school with forced integration busing and race riots in my school that put us all in a “lock down” mode with the halls filled with police and police dogs.

We know the world today is certainly not the simplest of times either. We live with the fear and tension of terrorism, we suffer from the disappointment and breach of trust from big business, we fight drugs in schools, try to incorporate technology into our daily lives and more. But the world will always have its craziness, its letdowns, its illogicalness, and its hectic and confusing pace. If you’re living in a personal daily whirlwind, the events and challenges of today’s external world can catch you and whisk you along for a sometimes unpleasant and bumpy ride. So just what and where can the simpler times be found?

Simpler times happen when you visualize and then create them. In some of my earlier newsletter issues this year, I talked about boundaries and creating a life based on your own expectations and not on the expectations and demands of others. I talked about standards and taking a good look at the some of the things you are doing and ask yourself why. It’s from these choices you make daily and the way you respond to external factors in the world that you can create your own simpler times.

Choose your worries and concerns carefully; discard the rest. Be true to yourself first and you will naturally be true in your dealings with others. Remain alert; remain aware. Keep things in their true and proper perspective. Simply put, keep it simple.
Linda

1. Realize that while there were some very good times in your past, things were not always simple. We tend to remember more the better times than the bad, and that in itself is not a bad thing.

2. Realize that there are some very good times in your life right now. Strive to focus more on thinking about the good times than the bad.

3. Be aware of what is happening in the world today. Sort out what is of the most concern to you and your life and what is not. Avoid creating negative scenarios of things or events that probably won’t happen to you at all.

4. Determine what you want in order to make your life, and times, simpler?” Create a vision of that and begin to put it into effect, one small step at a time

5. Remember that making your life simpler may affect the others in your life. Just keep boundaries in mind and don’t allow their complications to clutter your daily life.

III. "THEIR TIPS"

"Many of us unconsciously create drama in our minds, expecting the worst from a situation only to have our expectations become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Inadvertently we become authors of our own misfortune. And so we struggle from day to day, from crisis to crisis, bruised and battered by circumstances without realizing that we always have a choice... What if you began to expect the best from any situation? Isn't it possible that you could write new chapters in your life with happy endings?...Suspend your disbelief. Take a leap of faith. After all, what have you got to lose but misery and lack?"

Sarah Ban Breathnach, A Daybook of Comfort and Joy by Sarah Ban Breathnach
"Real life isn't always going to be perfect or go our way, but the recurring acknowledgement of what is working in our lives can help us not only to survive but surmount our difficulties."

Sarah Ban Breathnach, A Daybook of Comfort and Joyby Sarah Ban Breathnach

IV. REFERENCES

To find more resources or to order these, go to
http://www.simplifylife.com/reference.html

Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy by Sarah Ban Breathnach
(http://www.simplifylife.com/stratgy1.html)

Daily thoughts and insights on getting in touch with your authentic self. Thispractical, inspirational daily guide provides a meditation or exercise for every day of the year to help pare down our lives and clear through mental clutter. Breathnach's Daybook features 366 essays penned from a woman's perspective.

Don't Sweat The Small Stuff and it's All Small Stuff by Richard Carlson, Ph.D.
(http://www.simplifylife.com/stratgy2.html)

Simple ways to keep the small things from taking over your life, Carlson’s handbook reveals 100 ways to calm down in the midst of your incredibly hurried, stress-filled life.

Living in Balance: A Dynamic Approach for Creating Harmony & Wholeness in A Chaotic World by Joel Levey, Michelle Levey
(http://www.simplifylife.com/stratgy1.html)

A balanced life equals health--mental, emotional, and physical. "Living in Balance," written by two experts on the subject of balance, offers a synthesis of ancient wisdom traditions, such as mindfulness, with cutting-edge research on peak human performance, to show readers how to master the art of balancing within an environment of rapid change.

MORE ABOUT "MAKING LIVES SIMPLER"

Linda Manassee Buell is a full-time Personal and Business Coach, and author of thetipseBooklet, "Simplify Your Life, 101 Ways to Create the Life You Love,” the audiotape,"Simplify Your Life, 7 Simple Strategies for Doing What You Love to Do,”the revised edition of the workbook, “Simplify Your Life: A Journey of Personal Discovery,” and her latest book, "Panic and Anxiety Disorder, 121 Tips, Real-life Advice, Resources & More." To order your personal copy of any of the above by check or credit card, just go to http://simplifylife.com and click on “Shop the Store.” Anyone is welcome to subscribe to this free newsletter, "Making Lives Simpler." There is no subscription fee, and the mailing list remains confidential. It will not be sold, traded or bartered to any other parties. To subscribe or un-subscribe, send an e-mail to requests@lists.webvalence.com with "subscribe MakingLivesSimpler" or "unsubscribeMakingLivesSimpler" as the subject. (Be sure there aren't any spacesbetween the wordsMakingLivesSimpler.)

You can also subscribe or un-subscribe at my website, SimplifyLife.com. Just click on

Making Lives Simpler and follow the directions.

Linda's e-mail address.
Linda's Website can be found at: http://www.simplifylife.com

The contents herein are solely the opinions of Simplify Life and Linda Manassee Buell.