Most of us are living lives that are anything but simple. 

We have too much stuff.

We have too many commitments on our calendars.

We eat too much, weigh too much, spend too much, work too hard, and spend too much time staring at a screen.

The path to living simply is actually kind of…well…simple. 

It lies in the Hell Yes.

Now, what is the Hell Yes, you ask?

It’s the idea that you get to choose what gets a spot in your life and what doesn’t. And those choices should be obvious: Hell Yes or No.

• That blouse in your closet that is kinda pretty but gaps a little right between your boobs? Not a Hell Yes.
• The dance class that stresses the whole family out because your kid doesn’t really love it anymore and the trip there and back takes three hours right in the middle of dinnertime? Not a Hell Yes.
• Those random websites you’ve been scrolling for the last hour because you’re too tired to think of what you’d actually like to do? Definitely not a Hell Yes.

So our lives are filled with too much, and most of that stuff is just ok. We’re so busy digging through all of these ok possessions, going to our ok appointments, and spending our time doing ok activities, that there’s no room for our Hell Yeses.

And so, we need to embrace No.

• No, I don’t need to hold onto that blouse in case my boobs ever go back to their pre-kid size.
• Even though we already paid for the dance class, we don’t need to keep going if it’s making everyone’s life worse.
• No, I don’t need to go on Facebook just because I don’t know what else to do.

And gradually, as we say No more and more, we make space. We have room to walk as we clear out our possessions and room to breathe as we clear out our schedules.

And little by little, life looks simpler.

Try this now:

Grab a pen and paper or open up the notes app on your phone, tablet or laptop. Write the first thing (or first 10 things) that come to mind when you read the following:

“My life would feel less overwhelming if I said ‘no’ to…”

If you’re feeling stumped, consider this:

• Is there something on your calendar that needs to go away?
• Does a room in your home cause you stress because of all its clutter?
• Is there a habit you have that’s making your life worse?

Hold onto whatever you wrote down in this exercise because we’ll be making a plan to tackle it next.