Less is More. A Summer of Simplicity.

This summer that's what I've been focusing on. I have always struggled a lot with over-committing myself, getting too caught up in things, having too many goals, and having too much stuff in general. This summer I decided one day to just call it quits with that hectic lifestyle. Less is more. Here are 5 ways that I've seen that phrase to be true in my life, and who knows, maybe you'll see ways that your lifestyle could benefits from any one of these simple, but drastic, changes!

1. Less Stuff = More Quality
When moving, I threw out 5 black trash bags worth of stuff. I share a 12 x 10 foot room with another person and I still had that much crap lying around. Well that's embarrassing. I also got rid of a lot of clothes that either didn't fit, or I just never wore. I sold them at Plato's Closet, and bought 5 staple items instead that I can mix and match to create literally dozens of new outfits for work. Now I don't look in my closest and see an abundance of clothes, but instead I see a lot of empty space. Just the way I like it.

2. Less Waste = More Productivity
Adios social media (except for a few exciting announcements that I had to go see for myself). I won't go into specifics because it's embarrassing how many hours I ended up cutting out every week, but lets just say that I definitely don't need any more hours in the day because I've got plenty. Also, every day I worked from 8am-2pm and was able to get all of my homework and studying done for my two online classes. This meant less to do after work, and more time to enjoy life.

3. Less Laziness = More Energy
I cut out soda almost entirely this summer, drank probably 5 bottles of water a day, ate a disturbing amount of fruit, and only ate pasta if it was whole wheat (surprisingly you can't taste that much of a difference). It's amazing how much energy you can obtain simply from taking the time to cook real meals instead of 'instant' options, or going out to eat. I also took the time to work out almost every day. I did Ab Ripper X and ran this summer and the amount of energy that it has given me is astounding.

4. Less Alone = More Community
So at this point, I've reached maybe 5pm every day. Contrary to my typical "leave-me-alone-I-don't-like-talking" attitude, I tried (emphasis on the effort, not the actual success of...) to be more social this summer. I spent a lot of time with my boyfriend and a lot of nights staying up late talking with my roommates. I couldn't completely cut out alone time or I'd probably go insane, but making memories with those girls is what I will remember years from now, not the nights alone in my room.

5. Less World = More God
The most important change. I think the most drastic change I noticed from avoiding social media was how much evil that cut out of my life. I could say goodbye to reading inappropriate things, seeing disturbing pictures, feeling envious, and just downright wallowing in a fictional world within a screen. I was literally only surrounded by strong Christians all summer. It's not often that I'm going to have that opportunity and it was worth taking advantage of. I grew leaps and bounds in my faith, and learned things about myself that I didn't even realize needed work until all of the distractions were taken away. There is so much to be said for having legitimate alone time with God. It's so easy to just live our lives and know the verses, say the right things, and go to church, without letting our faith drastically transform our lives. Sometimes less is more. Sometimes it's important to get away from the easiness of receiving Christian 'knowledge' (I say this in reference to the fact that I go to a Christian university and can't go a day without reading something pertaining to our faith), and instead bring it back to an intentional relationship with Christ. It's impeccably important to make our faith our own, instead of piggy-backing off of those around us. We can't grow outward if we've yet to grow inward. Imagine, how are you supposed to help carry a friend with a broken leg to safety, if you're paralyzed from the waist down? Okay, that's kind of a stupid analogy, but it kind of makes sense. I needed to take a break from getting involved in everything, and focus on getting my heart clean and ready to then go out and get involved. Just to clarify- I didn't do this for a long period of time. It would've been foolish to seclude myself without community and accountability. I just needed a little bit to really get my mind and heart back in the right place after such a hectic semester before I was able to start using the love of Christ to serve others, otherwise my heart would've been in the wrong place and the Devil could've gotten a foothold. Think: sabbatical. Except not. But you get the point.

We are to be wise the with money, time, and opportunities that God gives us.
We have been given much, and much is expected of us. What will you do with your time?
I'd urge you to consider if maybe, just maybe, less is more.