NFIB

Getting Back to What's Real
12/ 04/ 2002

by Lisa Waddle

Look around and you'll see more and more attention being paid to the idea of simple living. From magazines to books to television shows, it seems Americans are discovering and embracing simplicity as a retreat from the stressed-out existence that has us all working more yet enjoying life less.

Simplicity is hardly a recent movement. Look at Henry David Thoreau, who in 1845 moved into a one-room cabin on the shores of Walden Pond. "Our life is frittered away by detail," he wrote in his journal. "Why should we live with such hurry and waste of life? Simplify, simplify!"

Don't be frightened away by Thoreau's example, though. It's possible-in fact, more likely-to live simply in the 21st century without isolating yourself in the woods with no electricity or running water. In fact, there's no one model of a simple life. Although that makes it harder to define, it also gives you more freedom.

"There are many different degrees of simplicity and you can get into it as far as you want," says Spencer Davis, who coordinates the Economics of Simplicity program for the national non-profit group Seeds of Simplicity, found online at www.seedsofsimplicity.org. "What drives the simplicity movement is a desire to find time and energy for the intangibles, like sleep, family, leisure and spiritual pursuits," he says. Sounds pretty basic, huh? And chances are, a simpler life is probably why you went into business for yourself to begin with. Because simplicity comes down to having control over your time, and what you spend it on.

Take a look at our feature story for some examples of small business owners who have succeeded by keeping their businesses and lives simple. And don't be intimidated in thinking it's too hard to live simply. Because that's just as contradictory as it sounds.

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This article originally appeared in the May/June 2001 issue of MyBusiness Magazine, NFIB's member magazine.

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