Month: July 2022

If you’ve checked out my “start here” page, you already know that I believe that the journey to live more simply involves three steps: 1) make choices; 2) set priorities; and 3) let go.

I also believe that simplifying will change your life.

But even though we’re talking about simplicity, I’m well aware that walking through these steps is not going to be easy.  In fact, in many instances, it’s going to be downright hard.

Let me tell you the story of my most recent simplifying decision.

If you know me at all, you know that I’ve been in education for as long as I can remember.  I think I was around ten years old when I knew I was going to be an educator.  When I would play with the neighborhood kids, I would always insist that we play school, and I would, of course, be the teacher.  (I was a bit bossy.)

There was never any doubt that education was my career track.  I love teaching, and for the most part, I have loved my students, my colleagues, and my career.  I’ve taught in public schools, private schools, and homeschool.  I’ve taught students from kindergarten to college age.  I’ve taught math, and history, and even Spanish; but my real passion has always been teaching music, and that’s how I’ve spent most of my time since 1991.

In 2019 I was given the opportunity to have my dream job: teaching choir to middle and high school students in our small but vibrant local school district.  It was the culmination of all my years of preparation, and I couldn’t believe how fortunate I was to have the position.

I loved it.  LOVED IT. I saw myself in that job for at least ten years, building a great choir program and making great music.  I didn’t want to work anywhere else, or do anything else.  An added bonus was that my teaching allowed my husband to pursue his passion as well, as a full-time pastor of a small country church.  It was the best of all worlds.

Except that it wasn’t.  There were other factors in my life that complicated things.  For one thing, we still have six teenagers at home.  All the kids still living in our home have been adopted from countries around the world, and several of them have physical, or emotional, or intellectual disabilities.  Even those that don’t are dealing with issues of abandonment, and loss, and attachment.

In addition, I didn’t have the ability to devote myself to ministry, which was something I really felt was important. My school job took up most of my time and energy, and there just wasn’t much left to give at the end of the day or week.

I took a good, hard look at my priorities and realized that the way I was living my life didn’t match what I had decided was important to me.  Although if you had asked me, I would have said that my family was a higher priority than my job, that wasn’t reflected in where I spent my time and energy and emotional bandwidth.  Looking from the outside, any observer would have concluded that my job was my highest priority.

So, I made a choice…..a HARD choice.  At the end of the school year, I resigned my teaching position so that I could devote myself more to my family and the ministry.

Let me tell you, even though there are some complications to that decision–like the fact that we no longer have my income or the health insurance that employment provided–it has simplified my life in so many ways.

First and foremost, my stress level has decreased tremendously.  In fact, as soon as I made the decision, I felt as if a weight had lifted from my shoulders. I now have the time and energy I need to deal with the things at home that need my attention.

It has also freed me to be able to do some writing, which is something I have wanted to do for a long, long time.  It’s amazing how your mental state changes when you are allowed the time to be creative!

Also, it allowed me to go to Africa for three weeks with my husband, without the mental stress of knowing that I was going to need to work even harder to get ready for the school year when I returned.  It was the first time in all my trips there that I felt totally relaxed and able to focus on the work God has called us to there.

Now, I’m not saying this is going to be EASY.  Only that it makes my life more SIMPLE.  I made a choice based on my priorities, and then I let go of the need to receive validation from being a teacher.  I embraced my new opportunities that came from not teaching full-time.

I tell you this story to illustrate how these concepts have changed my own life for the better.  I’m still learning how to simplify my own life, and this is only one step in that process.  In no way am I saying that anyone should quit their job!  I am saying, however, that if you are feeling stressed, and overwhelmed, and emotionally drained, it’s probably time to look closely at your priorities and see if your life lines up.

I know this is a lot bigger than decluttering your house, or living with a smaller wardrobe, or getting out of debt.  We’ll get to those things in future posts, I promise.

And there’s no “correct” order in which to do things.  Maybe in your own journey to simplify, you need to start much, much smaller.  That’s okay–you do you!  What I want for you is to learn the skills you need to simplify your life and let go of the stress.

I started big, because I needed to.  I was overwhelmed and couldn’t accomplish anything else until I got this right.  I looked at my priorities, made a choice, and let go.

What choice can you make today to simplify your life? It can be as big or as small as you choose.  Look closely at your priorities and see where you need to make a change, and then let go!

And I would love it if you would leave me a comment and tell me what simplifying step you took today.

Blessings, Mindy