Last month Thom came across an article in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) with a headline that said, “Everybody Says You Should Downsize. Everybody May Be Wrong.” We both found that statement to be so incredulous that we had to reread it. And we weren’t alone in our surprise. Most of the other comments online also questioned many of the negative points offered in the article. Clearly the author herself had not downsized and it was also obvious that her focus came from an outdated definition of the concept. Naturally that got me thinking that maybe most of us approach the topic from the wrong direction to begin with. Instead of thinking of it as “down” sizing—maybe we should consider it to be “right”-sizing. And once we get the label right—it is much easier to consider the real benefits that come from living a lifestyle that is right-sized from the beginning. [Read more…]
2014–Reflections on Life, Simple Living and Happiness
At the end of every year I have a habit of going back and reviewing things that worked well in my life in the last 365 days. I think it’s useful to explore the actions, mindsets and understandings that have enhanced my well-being and happiness—and recognize those that didn’t, so they can be modified And because a big part of living SMART 365 is staying conscious, awake and aware—this practice might prove valuable for all of us. I’ll start by sharing a few ideas that increased the quality of my life in 2012. [Read more…]
Googling For Good
Happy SMART Day Everyone!
Do you Google? Or do you prefer Bing, Yahoo, AOL, Ask or any of the other search engines available? Even if you use one or more of them every day, have you ever thought about how they continually direct our thoughts? And although there is an amazing amount of information out there, without the means to find it—it might as well not be there at all. That’s why Googling, or how we use any search engine, is a great metaphor for how we go about looking for those things we say we want and need in life. Plus, not only are our Google searches a mirror to what we think is important and worthy of our attention, it may also be SMART for us to remember that what we search for, we most often find. [Read more…]
SMART Living 365 Recommends Your Local Public Library—For Free!
Happy SMART Day Everyone!
During the last couple of months SMART Living 365 has made it a habit to recommend a website or resource that brings richness to our lives. Most of our recommendations have been online businesses or charities—but today’s recommendation is something many people (at least those that live in the US) take for granted. And while some of our readers are international, and not every US citizen lives in an area with a large library system, we still want to point out the amazing benefits many of us can regularly use to increase the quality of our lives—and it’s mostly free! That resource is your local public library.