Radical Simple Living

We all develop a "self image" of ourselves which evolves throughout our lives. Defining ourselves gets complicated because we spend so much time trying or being what others expect of us. The years pass and we may find that our self image has become blurred or even lost altogether. By adopting a more simple lifestyle we may go some way to finding who we "really are".

Our families, and our communities, all have traditions. Does living a simple life mean you have to embrace these traditions, or can you let them wither? Do traditions have any relevance or purpose in a simple life?

All of us can make changes to our lifestyle to live more simply, but what about the community you live in, and your online community and the country that you are based in? Sending out ripples can work!

Planning is important, but vision is more important still. Simple living will involve you in using vision to help secure your future.

Simple living involves solving some of life's problems, in fact any kind of living involves solving problems. Abraham Maslow might just help us out on this one!

In this episode I discuss your relationship with the land. Even if you don't own land, this relationship is one of the most crucial factors in your life! Also, the terrible crime of wasting the land - it's happening all around us!

In this episode I use a tartan to explain all about agrarianism! You will need to listen to find out more.https://youtu.be/UQ9NaqjeDGU?si=kp53rP61Vz3QOHHn

We are all influenced, from cradle to grave, but between those two landmarks we need to take control ourselves and keep influencers at arm's length!

We all complain that we don't have enough time, but are we putting off things that we need urgently to do?

We all know that simplicity has many positive consequences, but is the opposite thing, complexity, actually bad for you, and bad for all of us?https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/small-town-usa/202401/is-dysfunctionalism-the-new-norm-in-modern-life

In Sweden those difficult weeks between Christmas and Easter are called "Ox Weeks". Find out what they are, and what to do about them!

Energy is expensive and always has been, what can we do to keep warm and keep the lights on. Some thoughts from Sweden in Midwinter.

We all get tired; we all need energy to do what we have to do. In this episode I discuss lack of energy and some things that might just help.

“It's no good trying to get rid of your own aloneness. You've got to stick to it all your life. Only at times, at times, the gap will be filled in. At times! But you have to wait for the times. Accept your own aloneness and stick to it, all your life. And then accept the times when the gap is filled in, when they come. But they've got to come. You can't force them.” ― D.H. Lawrence

We all need to plan. We need to plan for what we expect, and for what we don't expect. We need short-, mid-, and long-term plans. We need to keep simplicity at the heart of those plans we make! Not to plan ahead is asking for problems!From "Advices and Queries"  Britain Yearly Meeting"Try to live simply. A simple lifestyle freely chosen is a source of strength. Do not be persuaded into buying what you do not need or cannot afford. Do you keep yourself informed about the effects your style of living is having on the global economy and environment?"

We often think of boredom as a negative force in our lives, but my argument is that boredom is a gateway to creativity and invention! Harnessing the power of boredom, in your life, and the lives of your children, will pay dividends!Please feel free to contact me RadicalSimpleLiving@gmail.com

We don't have any idea of what the future holds! That doesn't mean that we don't need to be ready for whatever events come our way. In this episode we explore strength, security, being calm and steady, being prepared and keeping aware.

Living in difficult times is nothing new, and trying to live a simple peaceful life is not new either. What do when these things work against one another, and our lifestyle is threatened? What makes us react in the way we do, and can we change? Part one of two podcasts in which I explore these issues.

You cannot live a radically simple life without a steady, simple core within you. Steadiness, contentment, hope, certainty, and a feeling of being at home are all important. The Podcast explores how to develop your own core beliefs and values to give you strength and determination in these challenging times.https://radicalsimpleliving.blogspot.com/Books mentioned in this podcast,Franny and Zooey - J.D.SalangerThe Little Friend - Donna TarttThe Goldfinch - Donna TarttAdvices and Queries - The Society of FriendsContact me at RadicalSimpleLiving@gmail.com

Progress has become an empty word. It is used by people who want to sell us something, people who want us to join something, or people who want us to vote for something. What is progress, and what happens if you don't want it?RadicalSimpleLiving@gmail.com

What the future really holds in terms of the economy, stability, the environment, and our personal wealth. All this plus something I've been meaning to chat with you about, lagom!

A house is not a home. You can buy, or rent a house, but you need to make a home. how can your home be a place of simplicity and joy?https://radicalsimpleliving.blogspot.comContact me at RadicalSimpleLiving@gmail.com 

Simple speech is an important way of communicating what you mean, but it is also a way in which your simple life is displayed to others. Good language, bad language, and hiding behind words.RadicalSimpleLiving@gmail.com

Changes to your lifestyle can make all the difference. In this episode I discuss big changes, and little changes, to move towards towards simpler living. How far do you want to go? How fast do you want go?radicalsimpleliving@gmail.com

The end of Season One - summing up what's been said, what needs to be done, and how to make progress towards radical simplicity!

A major factor in a radical simple lifestyle is looking after what you have. Look after your things, look after your plants, your animals, your family, and yourself. listen to find out more.

Summertime in Småland, southern Sweden. Simple living here is always good, but summer is always the busiest time of the year, here's why....... 

Sometimes things go wrong. Some of these are big things that wreck, or take lives, and many are little things that we need to cope with. How can we do this?

We all have to work. Paid or unpaid, job or career, hate it or love it, alone or part of a team. Our attitude to work determines our success in simple living just like everything else!

You can make the decision to make you lifestyle more simple, but if you have children, or grandchildren, can you motivate them to join you, or do you end up dragging them, unwillingly, along?

Without a doubt, the hardest part of simple living is being part of, or forming, a community.

Many people recognise the importance of rewilding, but most of us leave it to someone else to do. The truth is that you can play a part even if your garden is small, or you have no garden at all!

When we are young we are all idealists, we want to change the world, as we get older we let go of these ideals, or put them on a high shelf, out of reach. Is it possible to live a life where ideals are important, but everyday living is still your priority? The simple answer is yes!The email for questions, to be answered on a future podcast, can be delivered on social media or to radicalsimpleliving@mail.com

We all use household appliances, but can we do without them, use them less, or use them more efficiently? If we can do any of these things we can save time, money and help save the planet! 

Living simply involves developing new ways of doing things. Selectively stealing, and modifying older ideas is the way forward. Why reinvent the wheel? Remember, you need to be very selective and search in many places.

The words "plain" and "simple" mean something on their own, but capitalize them and put them together, they mean something quite specific - Plain and Simple. Listen to find out more.https://radicalsimpleliving.blogspot.com/2022/09/plain-dressing.html

We all have changes in our lives, some are natural changes, some are the things we change ourselves, and some are the changes  thrust upon us! How we cope with these changes is perhaps the biggest challenge we have.

Part 2 of 2 about simple ways to look after your health, and how to keep those doctors away. Advice on what to do when things go wrong!https://radicalsimpleliving.blogspot.com/2022/10/radical-simple-health.html

Health is so important for every aspect of our lives. Simple living means putting ourselves in charge of our own health. (Part 1 of 2)

We all wear clothes for a variety of reasons. Simplicity in our clothing is important to us, and important for the planet!

Attitudes are important to simple living, or any living for that matter! Here are four attitudes to work on, and four to work on eliminating!https://radicalsimpleliving.blogspot.com/

Happiness can be so hard to pin down, but we should all be trying to do just that. What can simple living do to help you towards contentedness, joy, and that illusive happiness itself!

Nowhere in your home is simplicity more important than the kitchen. Cooking to produce good, nutritious, healthy, meals is at the very center of simple living!

One criticism of those who aim for a simple life is that they are really trying to live in a mythical golden age. In this podcast I argue that we all live in the past, and that's no problem, we just need to be very selective "cherry pickers".https://www.fulltable.com/vts/aoi/b/badmin/n03.jpg

Making your life more simple may involve you in making small steps in the right direction. These ten points are the stepping stones that will help you on your way to that personal revolution!

Why discuss eating when we live in such a troubled world? Because only by eating in the calm are we ready to face the storms!

In these difficult times it's hard to know how to make ends meet, and how to get what we need. In considering this dilemma we need to develop a little stoicism, and have some practical solutions! (We might even save some money.)

How do you define a nonconformist? Do you consider yourself to be one? Do you have to be a nonconformist to embrace radical simple living?

Whatever, and wherever you have the use of some land you can grow some food. Help feed your family, help reduce the stress on your pocket, help save the planet! Advice for large rural plots and urban homesteads.https://radicalsimpleliving.blogspot.com/

Living a simple life is much easier when we join up the components into a full, and more rewarding whole. If your life feels more 'Jekyll and Hyde' than 'Little House on the Prairie', here is how to make that change!

Even if you live in an apartment with no garden you can still produce a lot of food! if you do have a garden this episode has ideas about producing even more!https://radicalsimpleliving.blogspot.com/2022/09/growing-food-with-no-land.html