“When you live or work outside of your heart, there will always be a breakup, breakdown, or both.”
I couldn’t agree with Courtney Carver more. After all, it was only a few years ago that I was facing my own breakdown while my marriage was on the verge of a breakup. I knew my life had to change, so I set out on a quest for a simpler and happier life. Courtney had her own awakening when she was diagnosed with M.S. In her inspiring new book, Soulful Simplicity, How Living with Less Can Lead to So Much More, Courtney shares her story about moving from a stressful, cluttered, busy life that led to her devastating diagnosis, to a life with better health, more space, time, and love.
As a reader of Courtney’s blog “Be More With Less” and over three years into my own quest for soulful simplicity, this book didn’t teach me anything new. However, it did assure me I’m on the right path to simplicity and it also inspired me to keep at my quest. After stripping away everything that was unnecessary, Courtney is living with so much more; enjoying life on her terms, focusing on what matters most and brings her joy, living in the present, and loving with all her heart. That’s the life I want for myself.
Here’s an excerpt:
“I’m confident that because I got lost, disconnected, and turned upside down, I was able to come out even better on the other side and experience the kind of gratitude you just can’t tap into unless you know what it’s like to live outside of your heart. Not being yourself is exhausting and breaks you down from the inside out. Simplifying my life was the way I remembered who I was. When we hear about the benefits of simplicity, we immediately think of organized sock drawers, clean countertops, and tidy bookshelves, but it’s much more than that if you want it to be.
Remembering yourself, connecting with your heart, making you—these are all surprising results of getting simple. You used to know who you were, but all the stuff, obligations, and craziness of life got in the way and clouded your vision. Getting rid of everything that doesn’t matter allows you to remember who you are. Simplicity doesn’t change who you are, it brings you back to who you are. Simplifying your life invites you to start peeling back the layers of excess, outside and in. Once you remove all the things that have been covering you up and holding you back, you can step into yourself, back into your heart, and be you again.
My soulful simplicity started with making me, and once I had a glimpse of remembering who I was, what I stood for, and what made me smile, I wanted more. With each thing I let go of, I took another step closer to the real me. As I made more space, more time, and more love, I remembered me. Now many years later, I’ve become fiercely protective of the connection I have with my heart and soul.”
This book is for those on the verge of a breakup or breakdown. Each section of the book is packed with practical suggestions so you can create your own soulful simplicity and improve your health, build more meaningful relationships, and relieve stress in your professional and personal lives. Not sure if it’s right for you? Ask yourself if any of these statements apply to you:
- I’m often sick, run down or exhausted.
- I have trouble saying “no.”
- I have a closet full of clothes with nothing to wear.
- I check my phone as soon as I wake up.
- I spend my weekends “catching up.”
- I never put myself first.
- I self-medicate with food, shopping, booze, TV, or other distractions.
Although a book ultimately on minimalism and simpler living, Courtney doesn’t suggest you get rid of everything you own and move into a tiny home. In fact, she begins Soulful Simplicity with simple and loving suggestions, like to eat more vegetables and get more sleep. The suggestions build from there. Courtney provides baby steps to ending the exhausting cycle of go, go, go and more, more, more, all while weaving her own personal story throughout.
Soulful Simplicity will help you to look at the big picture, discover what’s most important, and reclaim lightness and ease by getting rid of excess things. I highly recommend it to anyone who has lost touch with themselves and is living outside of their heart.
