Can living a simple life really attract wealth, love, abundance, peace, and joy? I can speak from my experience, it has. I use the word “attract” because achieving what you want should feel effortless, rather than like a grind.
As you begin to live with simplicity, you will start to notice that things appear to just go your way. It’s as if you’re a fish swimming with the current rather than swimming upstream.
Living a simple life is anything but a boring life. It is a lifestyle that grants you the ability to experience everything you want to experience. When you’re ready with an open mind, let’s dive in!
Your natural state is to live simply
As far as I can remember, I have always been living a simple life. I grew up upper-middle class. (I get it, I’m lucky to have been born into that position because some have it worse). For which, I am grateful. I seemed to have everything I need.
I always got the presents I wanted on Christmas and birthdays. I got to go on the occasional vacation with my family. I was always fed and never complained about not having food (except when you looked in the pantry and complained to your parents that there was nothing to eat even though there was plenty).
Life as a kid was simpler times. You may have had this experience too. Even if you did not come from a middle class household, you may remember still feeling like you could make do without having much or found enjoyment in the smallest things.
That was our natural state before the world… PROGRAMMED US! *Cue the scary music…
DUN DUN DUUUUUUNNNNNN!
The World Programs you to prevent Wealth and Prosperity
As I’ve gotten older, I was surprised to see the lengths that people go to in order to earn a higher income or the things they are willing to sacrifice for the sake of fame or riches. Chasing the millionaire dream can be deceiving. However, I found the opposite to be true; living a simple life grants you wealth and prosperity.
What is programming? Well, it’s the set of beliefs that the world pushes onto you as you get older. You don’t have control over this. A lot of it is due to karmic influences (past-life decisions you made that brought the situation back into your life), and your mind absorbs the programming subconsciously. It’s like being subliminally programmed; you’re not aware it’s happening.
The world, or the collective ego (everyone’s ego combined) of the world, does not want you to live the life you want. It wants to deter you in any way it knows how. So, programming you with negative thoughts and belief systems is a sure-fire way to get the job done.
belief in “hard work” prevents you from The life you want
How many times have you heard from a parent or teacher that only through hard work can one become successful. I’m here to say that’s hogwash and poppycock! Belief in hard work will only bring… guess what? HARD WORK!
To gain the life you want (one of peace, love, abundance, wealth, joy), we must first understand that everything that comes into our lives is due to what the mind is believing to be true. We need to dismantle all the negative programs we learn as we get older and go back to the mind we had when we were kids; back to when times were simpler.
My man, JC (Jesus Christ), said it best:
“And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.“
– Matthew 18:3, Bible: King James Version
As I interpret this, Jesus is stating that you will not enter heaven (heaven being a state of infinite peace) unless you de-program yourself from all the negative belief systems you’ve accumulated over the course of your life.
One of the best ways to de-program yourself is living a simple life.
Simple Steps to Living a Simple Life
Attracting the things you want is not complicated. Actually, we’ve been over-complicating this process our whole lives. Understand that the world does not appear as it seems. It’s really the striving for gain that has pushed the things we want farther away. When we allow ourselves to be non-attached to outcomes and desires, good things will automatically flow to us.
1) Your Value does not come from “Things”
It is silly to believe that we are objects or physical things. When we place importance on a house, car, clothes, hobbies, career, money, travel, or even our body, we move farther away from who and what we actually are.
Your source of value comes not from what you own or have, not even from what you do. Your value comes from the internal Self. The very essence of what you are is your value and is sufficient. When we can understand that and can spend more time getting in tune with our internal nature, the things on the outside seem to matter less and less.
As we care less and less on the external, the external rewards us.
2) Be a Creator not a Consumer
Write a list of all the things you want. Then write a list of all the things you bought in the past month. Now write a list of all the things you want to create. If your wants and the things you bought outnumber the things you want to create, then you know there is room for growth.
We are so used to consuming that we never actually take the time to think of what we can create. The times we do think of something to create, our ego reacts with “ughhh but that’s too much effort.” This is a sign to do the thing you are resisting.
Even if you fail, it doesn’t matter. Forget about succeeding. Create for the sake of creating. At the very least, it will keep your brain sharp and will be a stimulating challenge to keep you a competent human being. The things you can create are limitless as long as you can jump over the mental hurdle of “I can’t.”
3) Learn to Live on A Little
Once your basic needs are met, there really isn’t much you need. I always felt as long as I had food, shelter, and my creative outlet, I’m fine. I’m content. Anything I’m given after that really is just a plus.
As you learn to live on very little, you typically always have the funds to spend if you need to. It’s very hard for a spendthrift to actually get what they want because they are always broke. They may regularly spend money on small things, but can never afford big things like a house, vacations, cars, etc.
I’m not saying you need to become a monk and live in a monastery (unless you want to, who am I to judge?), but I am saying to discern what your actual NEEDS are and what are just WANTS. Cut out the WANTS and you will have your basic needs met and some leftover money to save, invest, or spend as you wish. Everything else becomes a plus.
4) Value Moments With Those You Love
After my son was born, I learned that I care very little about myself. Kids will do that to you. They bring a ton of meaning to your life. My wife will ask me what I want to spend money on if I could spend it on anything, and all I can say is, “Nothing really. All I’d want is to see the look on our son’s face when he is experiencing something new for the first time.”
I like to envision the look on his face when we’re touring a new place on vacation, he’s trying a new food and loves it, or he sees some incredible feat being performed at a show or event. To me, that is priceless and fills my heart with immense joy!
5) Be Responsible with Everything you’re Given
Look at everything you own and everything you will have, and realize that wealth gained is not what makes life enjoyable. Wealth handled with responsibility makes it enjoyable.
There is no shortage of millionaires who squandered their wealth and ended up broke or in even worse situations. Your thought after every dollar earned should be, “What is the responsible thing to do with this money?”
Maybe you’ll save it, invest it, spend it, or give it. It all depends on the situation and your capacity to discern the right thing to do in those moments.
6) Be grateful for the experiences that didn’t cost a dime
I have had experiences of fine dining, travel, and ritzy events, and still none of those experiences come close to the one’s that have been free or cost very little. To this day, I value my wife’s home cooked meals more than any wagyu steak or seafood tower. My favorite clothes were bought from discount department stores. And my favorite activity is to go on walks in charming areas (neighborhoods, towns, shopping areas).
The best activities are the ones that YOU enjoy, not because society says, “These are expensive, that’s how you know it’s good.” I can turn an average car ride into a pleasant meditation session. That’s better to me than poppin’ bottles at a club in Ibiza.
Let the Wealth and Prosperity Flow
As we practice these steps to live a simple life, you’ll start to notice an effortlessness and ease to everything. Life doesn’t seem as difficult as it once was. You don’t care whether you have something or not. In that space, success, abundance, and wealth will all begin to flow to you.
The moment we begin to cling to something, we push it away; but when we become non-attached, we start to operate like a magnet.
It does not mean that things won’t flow out of your life. Things will come and go. Some will stay for a lifetime, while others may leave in heartbeat. The point is that it does not faze us anymore. We allow God/Higher Power to dictate what it wants for us, and I can assure you, it is the ultimate good.