My love for simplicity came to me both naturally and slowly. A very, very long time ago I came across information about the way Japanese people arranged their homes. I had a book of pictures that my aunt and uncle brought back from Japan where they were stationed after World War II.
The simplicity of those homes seemed perfect to me; the way homes ought to be. So maybe the desire for simplicity was just innate in me. As time went on I was overtaken with the messiness of raising children. There's not much desire for simplicity in their hearts and minds and I lacked the energy to even try to create it. In addition, there's a good chance I have attention deficit disorder and am a basically messy person. So, for most of my adult life, my environment was cluttered to the max.
The effect of the clutter was that I felt stressed by it. It caught my eyes and attention constantly and although I always felt urged to do something about it, I was always on my way to do something more important.
Then more time went by and I had a 60 hour a week job and a sick husband who was not motivated to put things away. So the clutter remained and was only dealt with if I was having company. What usually happened was that I worked like a dog to get rid of the clutter on the day that company was coming and then was so tired while they were there that I fell asleep in my chair while they were visiting.
In my search for an easier life I eventually came across the concept of doing tasks in tiny short bursts, a little bit at a time. By setting a timer for anywhere between five and fifteen minutes, I was able to deal with clutter over a period of time. So in this latter period of my life, my environment is pretty simple.
It really is worth the small amount of trouble it is to spend five to fifteen minutes a day keeping things fairly simple. The result is that the inside of my head is quiet when I move through a room. There's nothing in my way. There's nothing to do in that room. I enjoy the spaciousness and clear surfaces. The fewer things that are in a room, the more I can enjoy the things that are in the room.
It makes a much easier life for me with time and energy for the things that are important. For me there is much beauty in clear, simple spaces.
Empowerment enhances the ability of individuals or organizations to make choices and transform those choices into positive outcomes. Empowered people have recognized their own value and strength and their capacity to handle life's problems. In turn they are better able to influence the course of their lives. With information and support, most people can find within themselves the power to direct their lives and reach their dreams.
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