That first step

Cracking the walnuts.

Caution is in the wind. We're being advised to save our resources, spend our money - for the good of the national economy, and keep our heads down. Keep working, keep spending and don't change anything. Times will get better, they say.

Of course, times will get better but now is the perfect time to change. Change can make your life better while the bad times continue around you. Simplifying your life can make a big difference to how you survive this economic crisis. I'm not saying you should pack up and move to the country, I'm saying that whatever you're doing in your home right now - the way you shop, the way you cook and clean, the way you furnish your home, how you feed your pets, how you think, how you travel to work or school can all be simplified in a way to save you money and eventually, time.

Living simply is a good way to live all the time, not just in hard times. I know many people are coming to it now because it provides an optimistic direction and a light in the window in these cold dark times, but even when the economy turns around again, it will provide that, and more. Simple living is not just about being prudent with money, it provides a gentler way of living that is kinder to the environment and to the people who live it than the way we have come to live our lives now.

Modern life encourages us to be dependent on others. We buy our food, often already cooked, from a shop, we buy our clothes already made, we have someone cut our hair and 'do' our nails, we go to the doctor to ask what is wrong with us, a mechanic fixes our car, a train takes us on our journeys, someone teaches our children, magazines and TV tell us what we should wear and who we should look like; advertising dictates, products dominate, others decide. Obviously we shouldn't give up the convenience of modern life, but we should get back our independence. We should make our own decisions on food, cleaning, clothing, health and how we live. Almost everything you make yourself will be superior to what you buy in a shop. You will take care that what you include in what you make is healthy and not there just to extend the shelf life or make it smell better. Preservatives and flavour enhancers are there to benefit the manufacturers, not us. We do better with fresh, or home made.

This post is not meant to teach you what you might need to know but rather to encourage you towards change. I have written many posts on ways of doing things, recipes, developing yourself and becoming independent. Some older posts on these ideas are here, here, here, here and here. And read 50 simple things, which is here.

I don't expect anyone to change their life overnight. It's a slow process, one thing at a time, day-to-day kind of change. But generally you will find that changing one thing will lead seamlessly to other changes and before you know it your life change is underway. And I don't want to point you in one direction either - this life is different for all of us. Those older and younger, with and without children, working outside the home and working at home will all have different priorities and needs. So the point of this post is to help you think about change, to tell you it's possible no matter what you hear from others, and to encourage you to start. You don't have to live your life the way "normal" life is portrayed on TV or in magazines. Your life will be different to your friends lives, so don't model yourself on them. You and your family are unique, so create a unique life and piece-by-piece, slowly but surely, new possibilities will open up before you. It won't be easy, you'll work harder at first, but the rewards will be there for the taking.

So wake up, dive in, be bold, find beauty, slow down, give more, expect less, breathe deeply, take pride, value yourself, respect your work, do good, learn, grow, develop, lead, teach and become your true self, whatever that may be. Unravel the mystery of what your life can become by starting on that journey today. That first step is the hardest, but it's also the most important.