Live More Simply

Tom Peters has an interview with Steve Shapiro about his book, Goal-Free Living:

The first thing is to clarify that sometimes we create these perceptions of what our needs are. There's a saying I like: "I used to dream of making the money that I now am struggling to get by on," or something to that effect. We get caught up in all the things we think we need--a bigger TV, a nicer car, a bigger house in a nicer neighborhood, and more. Sometimes if you just live a little more simply, you won't have so many needs.

One of the secrets in the book is to "want what you have." Once you really have a sense of appreciation of what you have, then you can move forward in finding things that may get you more jazzed up. It doesn't mean you have to quit your job. Sometimes it's just changing your attitude towards your job. If you're doing your job just because it pays the bills, that's probably not very satisfying. You're telling yourself, "I'm doing this because my life will be better in the future." But if you can create a powerful context for the way you relate to your job, you may find yourself saying, "I'm doing this because there's actually fulfillment today. And I can grow and develop, and it will take me to new and different places." Sometimes all it takes is a shift in attitude.

(via Emergic)