The Radical Act of Simplification

The Radical Act of Simplification

How Less Can Turn Into More

Advocating for simplicity—choosing "less"—can feel like a radical notion. In a society where status and acquisition define success, doing and having less is truly counter-cultural.

To be clear: I'm not advocating for asceticism or denying yourself life's pleasures. Nor am I suggesting we stop striving to be our best. What I am proposing is this:

We can make conscious choices about what we allow into our lives—and we can take a firm stand against complexity that adds little or no value.

This musing isn’t a lecture. Instead, it’s a glimpse into the inward shift I’ve experienced over the past twenty years—from:

• Seeking external validation → to living more authentically
• Accumulating for its own sake → to living with intentionality
• Striving for someone else’s definition of success → to embracing my own uniquely quirky path

Full Disclosure: I’m Still a Work in Progress

Writing about simplification when I have such abundance may seem contradictory, so let me be transparent:

• I own two homes and four cars—for just two people.
• I'm an owner or partner in three businesses.
• Books are my Achilles heel—I dare not count how many I have!

Make no doubt about it, I have more than most. I’m aware of that, grateful for that, and cognizant that with good fortune comes both obligation and opportunity—to use this abundance to help others.

But I’ve also learned this truth:
The line between abundance and excess is a thin one.

What We’re Really Doing When We Overdo

• We overschedule our time, chasing productivity hacks to squeeze even more into our packed days.
• We accumulate more and more “stuff,” which often brings more maintenance than joy.
• We keep pushing professionally—seeking career and financial growth—only to feel hollow and drained.

As Oliver Bennett puts it:

“Enough does not mean stagnation; rather, it represents a threshold—an entry point where genuine intentionality can begin. It comes about by saying no, not from a place of fear or limitation, but from a place of fidelity. Fidelity to the life you’ve designed, to the rhythms that sustain you, and to the priorities that your success was meant to serve.”

Simplification: A Sacred Subtraction

Simplification is not about deprivation.
It’s about subtraction—with intention.

It’s the deliberate removal of things, people, beliefs, and habits that no longer serve you. In their absence, space is created—for the life you truly want. Not the one prescribed by others, media, or marketers selling you a promise.

On my own journey toward intentional abundance, I've reclaimed:

• Time
• Energy
• Resources
• Sanity
• Myself
• My humanity
• Joy

Each decision has been deeply personal. For example:

Though I’m involved in three businesses, I rarely work more than 40 hours a week. Each venture is designed by me, for me—and fulfills a distinct need.

Books: A Tangible Shift

My love of books is well-known. In the past, I’d buy with wild abandon—leaving bookstores with ten titles at a time. Many ended up collecting dust, unread, and triggering guilt.

Now?

• I borrow from Libby and buy eBooks.
• I support used bookstores.
• I read, then share books with friends.
• I still purchase books from authors I want to support—and I write reviews because I know how vital they are.

Bottom line:
I read more meaningfully.
I keep only books I truly love.
I dust less—and share more.

The Truth: It's Easy to Add. Harder to Subtract.

Especially when society tells you to:

• Be more
• Consume more
• Achieve more

Radical simplification requires us to dismantle external noise—and get to the essence of what truly matters.

That requires:

• Contemplation
• Conscious choice
• Courage—to say no to others…and to ourselves

I don’t always get it right. But I’ve gotten it right more often than not. I’m guided by these questions:

• What if instead of more stuff, we had more soul?
• What if instead of making more money, we spent our money more consciously?
• What if instead of working more hours, we worked on what really matters?
• What if instead of bemoaning what we lack, we celebrated what we have?
• What if instead of comparing ourselves to others, we created and measured our own standards?
• What truly brings you joy, peace, fulfillment? How do you discard what doesn’t—and amplify what does?

A Radical Beginning

Radical simplification doesn’t happen in one fell swoop.

For me, it’s been:

• A series of deliberate steps
• A few stumbles
• Letting go of what I think others expect of me
• Returning to what feels true to me

It’s about clearing the clutter—physical, emotional, and mental—to create space and clarity.

And perhaps what’s truly radical is simply this:

Beginning.
Questioning.
Reclaiming.

Your self.
Your time.
Your life.

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