The concept of “Less is More” is a strong central thread in Know Can Do! (which I have talked about in recent postings here and at MWAC), and it has permeated my thinking in a few ways. I am quite sure it was the reason this book jumped out at me with a “pick me up!” voice I could almost hear when I was in Barnes & Noble day before yesterday.
Ask yourself: Did you really have to have that venti white chocolate mocha from Starbucks yesterday (and almost everyday)?
Did you really have to wait and get all worked up about those x#!!* elevators when the staircase was right across the hall?
Could you live better with less?
As the author explains about her book:
"Would it be possible to live without the designer coffee, the Kate
Spade Bags, the technology that was a part of my every day existence?
Could stripping away some of those items and habits make me a
appreciate what I was so fortunate to have? I created a plan. Each
month for one year, I would choose one of my favorite things and give
it up cold turkey for one month. This would become my year to live
better with less."
More as described by the publisher’s blurb,
"Who better than a professional clutter and space control expert to
write about doing with less? Serially, during the course of a year,
Carlomagno gave up alcohol, newspapers, shopping, dining out, taxis,
cell phones and television for one month each. Writing in an easy,
anecdotal style, she describes what she gained from each sacrifice.
While forsaking alcohol during January, for example, she became aware
of the peer pressure to drink. Subsequently, Carlomagno ordered her
favorite dirty martini only when she really desired one. In April she
ceased her daily reading of the New York Times
and found a new appreciation for poetry; she also joined a reading
group. A July spent abstaining from TV and videos allowed time for
nightly walks, listening to music and completing chores around her
apartment—activities that had previously been crammed into the weekend.
Carlomagno’s reactions to her renunciations, which overall, she feels,
enriched her emotionally, make for entertaining reading, although only
those who can afford such indulgences as dining out frequently will be
able to enjoy the luxury of doing without them."
I didn’t buy this book, for there were others that made the cut during that visit, however I found myself thinking about it again this morning:
If I did the same thing ”“ cut out something I really don’t need, just one thing a month for twelve months straight, what would disappear from my life?
For Carlomagno it was,
- alcohol
- television
- newspapers
- cell phones
- taxis
- dining out
- coffee
- cursing
- shopping
- elevators
- chocolate
- multi-tasking
What kind of things would disappear from yours?
From Book Yourself Solid: How to Talk About What You Do
Preface: In alignment with the “Less is More” coaching I have been learning from the Know Can Do! philosophy, this is a review of just one chapter of Michael Port’s Book Yourself Solid, and a contribution to Joyful Jubilant Learning’s