I feel bad for not sharing recently in my blog but so is life and what I often read from other bloggers, we just get tied up in our own little worlds. I have been busy basically just enjoying life, mostly because of the reading of great books and wonderful blogs and websites. This taking in of a new knowledge has been very eye opening and allowed me to truly understand that less is more.
These are my current goals
-Getting my finances on track completely and being focused on wish spending while maximizing my savings percentage of take home income.
– Decluttering our home, selling the extra stuff in our lives and gradually working towards a simple minimal life
– Spend more time outdoors, being in the beauty of nature and what Vancouver Island has to share has been amazing. Great times with my family so far and I see so many more in our future.
– Continually staying positive, be grateful and use what simple Buddhism or Zen philosophies
The great books I have read lately that I think you will enjoy…
Early Retirement Extreme by Jacob Fisker
Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin
You Can Buy Happiness by Tammy Strobel
The biggest thing I can offer is fill your mind with a great selection of information, take what you can from it, set simple goals and just smile. Oh yeah, and go for a walk or bike ride right now!
Cheers
Those are some good books to shift things around to focus on what matters! Well played sir. I’m sure you’re already reading Mr. Money Mustache’s blog, another good resource. We truly can have it all in this day and age.
I have read every single post probably 3x over at MMM , part of the inspiration to radically change our lives.
His writing has reaffirmed out path many times. Such a great voice and philosophy on living. I do need my nice mountain bike though… 🙂
The bike is a quality purchase that provides transportation, excercise, entertainment and education through adventure. Good quality products will last a long time and what seems like an expensive purchase will far outweigh the costs it eliminates as time goes by. As for employing all that I have read on so many great blogs, I do what I can day by day slowly making little changes and trying to develop lasting habits. I do have a wife and two teenage children so there is more than just me to work on. I would love to move into a small house, my motorhome (yes a large possession I am torn on selling to downsize) but I need to make realistic changes how and when I can, I guess my goal is a 5yr window right now once our youngest graduates high school. Who knows, maybe we will move into a little cabin before then.
It took my wife and I years of scrutinizing our lives to get to where we are now. Certainly a team effort – she is the pack rat. I don’t want to own much more than two pairs of pants, my bikes, a computer, a camera and my van. 🙂
A small mother-in-law apartment, rather than our 1,800sf home, may be in the future. Or maybe we’ll just stay nomadic and house sit all over the place. Options and opportunity are unfolding day by day!