Voluntary Simplicity, an Antidote to Worry about "The Number"

The press is filled these days with stories that focus on just how much one needs to have accumulated to "retire" successfully. There is even a book titled "The Number" that talks about how people are very focused on just how large this nest egg must be to sustain their lifestyle. We are bombarded these days with messages in the media urging us to plan ahead, invest and attend to accumulating more and investing more and obtaining more and never really ask...

What for? To what end? Is this what will make me truly happy?

There is fascinating new research in the positive psychology movement that shows truly that after basic needs are met that more money does not mean more happiness. Research shows that that accumulating is not the path to fulfillment.

So what does make people happy?

Research done by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the author of Finding Flow shows that being engaged in meaningful activities that use your skills and abilities leads to greater life satisfaction. Richard Johnson, PhD who has studied life satisfaction in "retirement" has found that having a life purpose and giving back, contributing to others, are key elements in life satisfaction. Cornell University conducted a study and it found what people miss most in retirement is purposeful activities with others.

So chasing the Number won't get you where you want to go.... what will?

An exciting alternative you might wish to check out is the Voluntary Simplicity Movement.

Wikipedia defines "Simple living (or voluntary simplicity) is a lifestyle individuals may pursue for a variety of motivations, such as spirituality, health, or ecology. "

People choose to live simply for reasons of social justice, personal taste, fairness or economy. It is also referred to as downshifting. An example of this, is moving to a smaller home after the kids are raised because you just don't need all that space. Shopping the resale shops to buy the clothes you need, recycling, basically focusing on experiences and relationships rather than accumulating things.

The movement has been around since the 1980's, Duane Elgin's book, Voluntary Simplicity is the book that started it all. But now with attention to global warming and people concerned about their carbon footprints and sustainability there are increasing opportunities to learn about it, and explore this lifestyle choice.

Here in Madison, Sustain Dane sponsors classes teaching ways to live simply.

There are classes starting this month!

Voluntary Simplicity Course forming - call Ann at 819-0689 if interested

Dates: TBD (sometime in April)

Location: TBD - west side of Madison, also Willy St. Co-op possible locations

Sponsors: Sustain Dane

Contact: Ann Scheerer 608.819.0689 Email: Sustain Dane
Web site: http://www.sustaindane.org


Course description:
This 9-session discussion course explores the meaning of voluntary simplicity, explores the material and psychology distractions that prevent us from caring for the earth, consider how life might be enriched through the practice of simplicity. Contact www.sustaindane.org for more information.

What is Lifestyle Planning and Why Would Anyone Do It?

Did You Know....

The average person spends more time planning their next 2 week vacation

than they do their lifestyle in "retirement?"

Yet with our bonus years of longer life and better health a person's time in "retirement" can last as long as their core career.

Lifestyle Planning Works!

Research shows that those who plan reach their goals and are more satisfied. don't leave your life up to chance.

What is Lifestyle Planning and Why Would Anyone do it?

Lifestyle planning as provided by 2Young2RetireMadison is a guided process where you identify your values, signature strengths, and life purpose to use a criteria for creating a balanced portfolio of life activities.

Getting to know yourself again and what really matters to you, helps you make choices among all the possibilities.

Have a partner? We help people create life plans that take into account individual and joint needs. Partners need to plan together so they don't grow apart, yet need space to grow as individuals too.

We help people look at all the different areas of their lives and set priorities and goals, all in light of their life purpose.

Research on authentic happiness and life satisfaction in retirement shows that people who have a sense of purpose; a defined life meaning and are involved in something greater than themselves are happier and healthier than those who do not.

So why would you engage in a lifestyle planning process?

As a psychologist, I know that the more clearly one envisions a goal the more likely your are to reach it. This is the essence of strategic planning in business, the heart and soul of sports psychology, and the secret of "The Secret". A strategic planner is asked to write down the details of an ideal day in the life of their company 6months from now, every detail of what will be happening after the change. A sports psychologist working with a baseball player in a funk, will have that player imagine a perfect swing that connects with the ball for a home run. The secret has you imagine the outcome so clearly that you can feel the experience.

We help people go through a process to imagine their ideal life in "retirement"...(I put "retirement" in quotes because we really need a new word for this phase of life, so many of us will work and stay engaged with the world). Doing this maximizes their odds of achieving those goals.

If you want more information try one of our teleseminars or classes- check out http://www.2young2retiremadison.com/ for more information.

I will be offering information in the blog on resources, agencies, programs, class all kinds of ideas for enriching your life.

Stay tuned and develop a life you love living.

Jan

2Young2Retire from life and always will be