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The Good Life Really Can Be Yours! Inspirational Reads Chapter 11

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As someone who has lived a frugal lifestyle for more than 20 years, I have mastered the art of free and inexpensive stuff, but I have also had plenty of time to see that life really isn’t about all the stuff. Life really is about living. Life is about people. Life is about experiences. Life is about finding the beauty in the ordinary, and life is about giving more than you get. It is embracing these truths that really is the secret to living the good life.

Wouldn’t we all like to live a life that is free from stress? I think we would. We look at those around us, and we so easily think things like:

  • If only I had that
  • If only I had enough money to have no worries about how to pay the bills
  • If only I could have kids like hers
  • I wish my husband looked at me like hers does
  • I wish…
  • If only…
  • Why can’t I…
  • You fill in the blank.

The truth is, life, with all its blessings and burdens, is ours for the taking. We get to choose what kind of life we live simply because we get to choose what we think, what we value, how we react, how we treat ourselves and others, and how we respond to the things planned and unplanned that come our way.

In living a life of intention…a life that has been filled with enormous blessings and also enormous trials and hardships at times… these are what I’ve discovered to be the things that can’t be bought.

Are you living the good life? 

These are the things I’ve chosen to fill my life with. And, it’s embracing these things that have proven to give me the good life.

good life

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Love

As my family has grown, love has multiplied. And, I have also learned how important it is to love yourself in an accept yourself sort of way. We are all so hard on ourselves, but I’ve learned how important it is to love and accept ourselves…and to have plenty of meaningful relationships and loved ones in our lives as well.

Laughter

There is really nothing like laughter. I’ve learned over time that it is so important to not always take life so seriously. It is important to kick back and laugh, to find the good in even the hard times, and that laughter really is the best medicine when life gets rough.

Memory making

Sometimes we need to say yes when we want to say no. Sometimes we need to weigh the memory making probabilities against everything else. It is so often in the small and seemingly insignificant things that the best memories are made.

People to be real with

Something else I have learned is that it is so important to our well being to be able to let our guard down and be real with someone. So often we all have to put our best foot forward, but sometimes it is so nice to not care about what foot is where. Having someone to be real with is one of the truths to living the good life.

Pursuing your passions

Passions. We all have them, and it is important to embrace them. Don’t put them off for another day. Don’t wait to pursue your passions until the time seems right or in some way better, and don’t wait until you can fulfill your passions completely. I have learned that even if you can only embrace a small amount of your passion, there is no reason to wait. Make it work in some small amount or to some small degree right now.

Learning new things

I think learning new things keeps us alive. It is what forces you and I to get up some days because learning something new means that our world is full of promise. There is nothing that is more of a drag than feeling like we are standing still, which impossible if you are making it a habit to learn new things.

Facing fear

Have you ever felt the exhilarating rush of facing your fear? It could be something that you’ve always been afraid of or something that you’ve always told yourself you couldn’t do. But, there is something that is so awesome about facing your fear head on. After you do, you’ll find it’s easier to face a different fear next time. It’s one of those things that gets easier the more you do it.

Hard work

Hard work gives a sense of satisfaction like nothing else can. Things we work hard for are only all that much sweeter when they finally become ours. Don’t shy away from hard work. Whatever it is that you do whether in the workforce, in your home, or within your community, give it everything you’ve got.

Giving and serving

Even when you feel like you’ve got nothing to give, find a way to give or serve others. Match up your acts of service with your gifts and talents, and you feel absolutely amazing when you give. Giving is always so much more rewarding than when you get.

A personal faith

For me, this couldn’t be left off the list. Having a personal faith to cling to carries me through times of trial and helps me soar that much higher from the mountaintop experiences. Faith brings everything full circle, and it is my faith that paints everyday life in vibrant colors. Faith is a secret to living the good life, and if you need to talk to someone about that, simply contact me through the contact form right here on the blog and I’d be happy to tell you more about it.

In reflecting over my 41 years of life, these are the truths that I feel to be the most monumental in my life. These are what I think are the secrets to living the life you want. That doesn’t mean that life is always easy, but focusing on these truths, filling your days with these gifts help counteract the challenges that you face. It is these truths that help you see that the good life really is all around you, even if you’re in the midst of a valley.

This post is reflection of the book we are reading as a book club community. This is the book we are reading.


Living Well Spending Less: 12 Secrets of the Good Life 

Here is a bit more about our book club…

inspirational reads

This book club is a way of encouraging others to carve out the time to read at a pace of just two chapters a week because I’ve learned that finding time to read never just happens on its own.

Generally, every Monday and Thursday there will be blog posts here with Monday’s Inspirational Reads somewhere in the title with my reaction to each of the two chapters for the week.

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