When I started to simplify and reduce things in my life over fifteen years ago it also spilled over into other areas. I realized that it was a mindset and not just a process and a practice. Fewer better things became a philosophy for living a mindful life.
Today it’s just part of who I am and how I think, live, and work. It’s a mindset with a clear process and daily practice. My drive to keep things simple is to constantly free up time, attention, and creative energy for better things.
But don’t confuse simple with easy because it’s not. Nothing worthwhile in life is easy, it’s kind of a natural human law. Everything meaningful takes effort and hard work, it’s just that when we are reaching mastery that it looks and might feel easy.
But before simplicity can arrive, there is purpose, passions, and powers. Purpose is of course who we are and why we are here, passions are our interests, and powers are our skills. If we know these three then we are getting closer to fewer better things.
“Our crisis is no longer material; it’s existential, it’s spiritual. We have so much fucking stuff and so many opportunities that we don’t even know what to give a fuck about anymore.” – Mark Manson
The great thing with the ethos of fewer better things is that it allows you to build a simple system and solid foundation for living your purpose and passions, practicing and extending your powers, from anywhere in the world.