1. Simplifying Life

Simplifying life means distinguishing what we can control from what we cannot, lightening our thoughts and reactions, freeing ourselves from the burden of the past, and fully living in the present moment. Inner simplicity opens the door to serenity and lasting happiness.

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Summary:

Simplifying life means distinguishing what we can control from what we cannot, lightening our thoughts and reactions, freeing ourselves from the burden of the past, and fully living in the present moment. Inner simplicity opens the door to serenity and lasting happiness.

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Many people say they want to simplify their lives. Yet most continue to complicate it a little more each day.

Over time, I’ve noticed something quite simple: discomfort often goes hand in hand with complexity. The more our lives fill with constraints, tensions, and worries, the more we lose our lightness and serenity.

Conversely, simplicity is almost always a source of happiness.

But if simplicity is so desirable, why is it so difficult to achieve?

What Depends on Us and What Doesn’t

To start simplifying life, we need to distinguish between two types of difficulties.

On one side, there are those over which we have no control: certain circumstances, material constraints, or events we cannot avoid.

On the other side, there are those we can influence.

Much fatigue and discouragement come from trying to change what is beyond our control.

For example, some people live far from their workplace and must endure a long commute every day. It’s exhausting, but moving immediately isn’t always possible: finding a new job, a new home, and organizing a move takes time.

Family life can also create this sense of complexity. Having a spouse and children brings many joys, but also responsibilities and a real mental load.

Faced with these situations, we sometimes feel that life has become too complicated.

Should we change everything?

Not necessarily.

Inner Simplification

When certain things cannot be changed, one essential possibility remains: change how we experience them.

Before trying to transform the circumstances of our lives, it is often more effective to begin with inner work. This means learning to simplify our perspective, thoughts, and reactions.

I have seen people whose lives transformed without their external conditions really changing. They had simply shifted the way they saw things. This internal shift was enough to lighten their existence.

Simplifying does not mean ignoring life’s difficulties. It means learning not to add unnecessary complexity to what is already complicated.

Simplifying life is about simplifying our thoughts, judgments, and reactions.

Freeing Yourself from the Burden of the Past

Adults almost always have good reasons to feel internally complicated. Everyone carries their story. Some were hurt during childhood, others have gone through difficult experiences.

No one reaches adulthood completely intact.

Every human has something to overcome in life. For some, it happens relatively easily. For others, the process is longer.

It’s normal to be marked by the past, but spending your whole life trapped in it is dangerous.

We don’t have centuries to live. We have just one life to live.

This is why detachment and letting go are so important. Simplifying life also means learning not to cling endlessly to what has hurt us.

This often involves forgiveness: forgiving others, but also forgiving ourselves.

Over time, painful memories gradually lose their power. They appear less often, last shorter periods, and affect us less deeply.

Our inner life becomes calmer.

Returning to the Essential: Living in the Present

Once this work is done, we can think back to the past without it weighing on the present.

Because the only reality we truly possess is the present moment. The past no longer exists, and the future does not yet exist.

Constantly dwelling on what is finished is letting the past poison the present.

Detachment isn’t just a spiritual concept. It is also a very practical form of wisdom.

We arrive in this world empty-handed, and we will leave the same way.

Simplifying life may simply mean learning to fully live what is already here.

Article 2 : Accepting What You Cannot Change

Article 3 : Living in the Present

Article 4 : To Be Happy, Should We Desire Less?

Article 5 : Forgiveness

Article 6 : Cultivating Gratitude

Article 7 : The Wealth of Less: A Way of Living

Article 8 : Focusing on What Matters

Article 9 : Building Resilience

Article 10: Cultivating Healthy Relationships

Article 11 : Being-true-to-yourself

Article 12 and last : Lasting Happiness Can’t Be Bought

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