#1 October / November 2022

Over the summer Penny and I tackled one of those jobs that we all seem to put off - Sorting the Loft. 

It had not been a priority, with full work lives, raising 3 boys, church life and more.

Yet, things converged to such a degree, that somehow it had made its way up the priority list. We could just not escape it any more and 20 years + of ‘stuff’ now awaited us.

Now, I was pleased to see my Star Wars figures (immediately humming the theme tune and resorting to making the ‘wooooooom’ sound of a lightsaber) along with my old DT project (which still 30+years on one of my most accomplished wood creations).

Yet I also came across floppy disks, (yes floppy disks remember those) with my university assignments on and a copy of Microsoft Office 97 and 7+ years of receipts, waiting there ‘just in case’.

At that time, it dawned on me just how much we store and hold onto in our lives, without realising.

There is a natural accumulation in life, the more we do, the more we collect in memories, experience and in ’stuff’.  External factors and culture clearly pressure us to think that ‘more’ is the answer, and now seemingly there is an app for everything, so we easily add more to our lives.

Yet, our own internal insecurities can have the same effect. If we feel insecure we will hold onto things because ‘we might need it one day’ or fear a situation where we may not have a particular item available that will save us.

The danger of all this accumulation is paralysis both physically & emotionally, as we inadvertently end up spending most of our time and energy, storing, maintaining and looking after things, that no longer have value or relevance, to what we want to do or feel called to do. We lose momentum and grind to a halt, because we are simply carrying too much.

Does this sound familiar?

Well, just Like a Story, Life needs editing. 

When writing a book, an author accumulates lots of research content, forms a structure and then for the first draft they simply splurge out all they want to say on paper.

Imagine if they left it there, the book would be huge, it would not make sense and most readers probably would not make it past the first few pages let alone a chapter.

Our lives can look similar. 

But the author and team around them then edit the content, refining it down to what matters, what the minimum is required for the reader to picture themselves in the story and ultimately what will create joy and momentum for the reader.

We need to do the same with our lives, editing out those things that simply don’t add to our story.

My faith as a Christian, points me to a simpler life as ultimately we ‘brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.’ (1 Tim), so I am always looking for things that can help me embrace this.

Having a chronic illness has also shown me that energy and time are amongst our most precious resources and over the last 5 or so years I have had to edit a lot of things out of my life.

A concept or lens that has help me during this time has been ‘Minimalism’. Minimalism is a style or approach in which a small number of very simple things are used to create a particular effect.

Having both a more minimal mindset and focus has helped me significantly with this editing process, helping me carry less in life, with the aim of maximising the time and energy I have available to do what I feel called to do. 

Now for example, rather than saying to myself what do I need to make sure I cover every possible scenario, I simply reverse the question and ask myself ‘how can I make things as simple and as minimal as possible?’

This approach needs faith and does not lead to ‘perfection’ but it leads to momentum and progress.

Embracing some minimalism practises has been a game changer for me, leading to a more simpler life, a freedom & focus on what matters most.

In the videos below I share about the benefits of minimalism, the barriers you can face when attempting to live more minimally and I have given some practical examples of what I have changed in my life.. 

Have a look and then ask yourself the question - what can I edit out of my life today (to free up time & energy), that will help me do what matters most tomorrow?

I hope you find this helpful.

Every Blessing.

James.