A great post for more simple living.

This was in my Zen Habits Newsletter today. I agree with it totally.

zen habits‏
From:
noreply+feedproxy@google.com on behalf of Zen Habits (zenhabits@gmail.com)
Sent:
Thu 5/28/09 7:51 AM
To:
kahlefamily@live.com
.ExternalClass h1 a:hover
{background-color:#888;color:#fff ! important;}
.ExternalClass EC_div#emailbody EC_table#itemcontentlist tr td div ul
{list-style-type:square;padding-left:1em;}
.ExternalClass EC_div#emailbody EC_table#itemcontentlist tr td div blockquote
{padding-left:6px;border-left:6px solid #dadada;margin-left:1em;}
.ExternalClass EC_div#emailbody EC_table#itemcontentlist tr td div li
{margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em;}
.ExternalClass EC_table#itemcontentlist tr td a:link, .ExternalClass EC_table#itemcontentlist tr td a:visited, .ExternalClass EC_table#itemcontentlist tr td a:active, .ExternalClass EC_ul#summarylist li a
{color:#000099;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;}
.ExternalClass img
{border:none;}
zen habits
The Art of Artlessness: On Living Simply and Naturally
Posted: 27 May 2009 09:12 PM PDT
“Simplicity is the essence of happiness.” - Cedric Bledsoe
Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on Twitter.
A lot of the complexity in our lives come when we try to keep up certain appearances.
A simpler, happier life can be achieved when we drop those appearances and just live naturally, without pretense or artfulness.
Let me give you just a few examples:
There was a time when wardrobe was important to me — I wanted to impress my superiors and so I had lots of (fairly) expensive clothes. Now that I’ve decided I don’t need to keep up those appearances, I normally wear shorts and a T-shirt and sandals to all of my meetings. I don’t pretend to be someone I’m not, and people can deal with me on those terms or not. I’m happier, and my wardrobe and life are simpler for it.
I’ve also decided that a huge, fancy house and beautiful luxury car are no longer important to me (not that I ever had either, but I did strive for them). Now I go for function, and I’m debt-free.
There was also a time when I tried to impress others with my knowledge, intelligence, competence. I’d try to show off, or take on more than I could handle, just to impress people. Now I worry less about this and instead just try to do the best I can in whatever I do. In the end, I’m more satisfied with the job I do, and with myself, and others seem to be happy with this as well.
Shaking off these pretenses, this atfulness, results in simplicity. It’s when we try to hold up the pretenses that things get complex. We’re also less honest, and less true to ourselves.
Learn to live a simpler, more natural life, and drop the pretenses one at a time. You’ll be glad you did.
A few ideas to get you started:
Dress: Do your clothes aim to impress? Do you have to keep a complicated, expensive wardrobe to maintain this image? How can you shed this need to impress, and just dress simply and functionally instead? I’m not saying you need to dress in rags (or wear sandals, as I do). But if you decide that you don’t need to impress anyone, you can drop a lot of your wardrobe “needs” and simplify things tremendously.
Grooming: I no longer worry about grooming as much as I once did. Now I have a shaved head, and my grooming tools are down to a reasonable minimum: soap, razor and shaving cream, deodorant, electric trimmer (for the hair). I don’t need hair products, aftershave, a comb, or many other grooming products. Of course, not everyone is going to shave their head, but going for a more natural look could simplify things: stop trying to look a certain way, and you can cut back on the number of grooming products and tools you use and keep.
Language: I know lots of people who use “impressive” language, often full of jargon or academic-speak or geek-speak. Well, that might impress some, but knowledgeable people know that you’re covering up a lack of real competence with complicated language. Speak simply, with plain language, and your real intelligence will shine through. You’ll also communicate better — a plus in my book.
Decorating: Almost every home I visit is filled with decorative things, perhaps meant to impress or convey a certain message about the home. I find that the simple, natural look is better — subtract as much as you can, until you are left with a minimum of simple, beautiful things. For example, my walls are covered by only three pieces of art (all done by my dad). Everything else in my house is functional furniture — no decorative anything.
Gifts: When we try to impress and keep up appearances, we can end up spending a lot of money on gifts, especially around the holidays but also on birthdays and other occasions. And while I think it’s great to show someone that you care with a gift, does it really need to be expensive? Can’t something home-made, or consumable, be just as nice? Or perhaps you can do something nice for someone, like a massage or chores or babysitting? Keep things simple, but show you care.
Work: Don’t do things at work to impress — you’ll end up doing things that are artificial and false, and often stretch too far and fail, or at least show your shortcomings. While there’s nothing wrong with having shortcomings (who doesn’t have them?), you should aim instead to do the best you can, not because you want to impress but because you want to feel good about the job you’ve done.
Transportation: Forget about an impressive car — go for minimalism and function. I have a van because I need one (yes, I have 6 kids, and yes, I know that’s not keeping things simple), but if you only need a tiny car, go for that. Or maybe you don’t need a car at all — can public transportation or a bike suffice? I’ve been walking more, for transportation, because I no longer worry about what people will think of me when I’m the only one in my town who walks places. As a result, I get more exercise, and I enjoy the outdoors more. Oh, and I help conserve resources a little more.
Devices: Do you have to have the latest and greatest gadget (the iPhone, the Palm Pre, the Android), not because you need it but because you want to show people you have it? I’ve done this many times. I bought a Macbook Air, telling myself that I needed a laptop (which I did) and that the Air was the best functional device for me because it was light and a Mac and fairly minimalist in function (I only need it for writing and Internet). But really I just loved its sleek and minimalist design. Pretension, not simplicity. Drop the pretension and get only what you need. (Btw, I don’t regret getting the Air — I really love using it and it works beautifully for my needs.)
There are many more ways you can live a simpler life by dropping artfulness in different areas. What areas have you changed by dropping pretenses? What areas would you like to change? Share in the comments!
“If your mind isn’t clouded by unnecessary things, then this is the best season of your life.” - Wu-Men
—If you liked this article, please share it on del.icio.us, StumbleUpon or Twitter. I’d appreciate it. :)

To Do and Not To Do...

I am taking a vow, I will start doing everything on my to do list and stop doing everything on my stop doing list.
My Stop doing list will come first:
I will no longer let my job hold me back from what I believe is my purpose.
I will no longer let my job keep me from hapiness
I will no longer depend on my job for my way of living (I really can't do much depending anyway)
I will no longer live my life to anothers' standards of success
I will no longer depend on others for my own happiness
I will stop looking for happiness where I have already looked (such as money, material possesions and food)


My Start doing list:
Live within my means
Live with what I have until I can afford what I want
Analyze my wants to decide whether I really want it (stop buying on impulse)

How to Make a Super-Cool Comic Type Picture Using Photoshop

I have been drawing comic-style drawings for the last few years. I find it kind of calming. This week, for my teaching blog I am going to teach you how to create one.


First you need a good photo to work with. I prefer close ups, a picture which shows a lot of detail.
If you don't have many pictures of your own, or pictures with good detail, I suggest joining a stck photograph web page. My favorite is stock.xchng

http://www.sxc.hu/

I found this picture there.

I love photos with lots of movement and feeling.

Once I have opened the photo in Photoshop, I like to "desaturate" it - basically this means make it black and white. You do this by going to Image/Adjustments/Desaturate.

Next, I like to take as much of the background out as I can. Simplicity is key to my work, I like clean lines and simple pictures which do not distract the viewer from the feeling.

Before you start cutting it up, make a copy of the layer. You don't want to mess it up without having an extra copy lyin' around.

An increadibly handy tool for cutting out the background is the magnetic lasso tool. You should keep a close watch on it though. If you have a busy background (such as the one in this photograph) the magnetic lasso may jeer off occassionally. Just take the regular lasso tool and clean up those spots.

Print the page. You can print it at the lowest quality you can as long as you can see the details.

Here comes the slightly controversial part: the part my Grandfather used to yell at me for... Take this print and do one of three things:
1. Use a piece of tracing paper and trace the outline of the shadows.
2. Use a light table to do the same. Side note: don't have a light table? Neither do I. What I use is a piece of plexiglass, and a cheap neon light. I have also used my glass end tables- just put a lamp under it and now you have a light table! Get creative, I'm sure you can figure it out.
3. Go the old fashioned route and actually sketch it. I do this rather often, seeings how my daughter broke my printer a while back.

Don't get too detailed, the object is to get a general idea of where the shadows and edges lie.

Next, take a black pigment pen (use those "uniball" liquid ink pens or felt drafting pens) and re-draw what you have done in pencil. Make sure you use a pen that makes a fine, yet black and CONSISTANT line. If you use a pen which is not purely black (like a standard ballpoint) parts of your drawing will be missed by your scanner. If you use a pen which is not fine, your lines will be too thick, and sometimes bleed. And, most importantly, if the lines are not consistant and black photoshop will pick up other colors in your drawing which leaves a lot of cleanup to do.
This is where my style comes through the most. I do a messy cross-hatch technique in ink. I do not fill in the places which require pure black at this stage; wait until it is uploaded on to Photoshop for that. I also do not fill in shadows unless there is ABSOLUTELY no detail in that part, or if I want to give the impression of darkness. I also use a filled black area in the pupils of eyes.

Erase the pencil slowly. Pay attention as you do so, in case you missed some spots with your pen. Should you miss some of the pencil, no worries! just stop, and draw it in with your pen.

When you are finished you should have a picture with very little more on it than black ink (or, as is often in my case black ink with a little harmless coffee spilt on one or two corners).

Scan this in to your computer, preferably in a black and white format. I typically tell my scanner it is scanning text; this keeps any little un-erasable pencil marks from showing up on the scanned product.

Save this file, and load it on photoshop.

That's the first half...
Stay tuned for the second, to be posted at a later date...

The List

I see the world as operating on certain conditions:
Spiritual
Romantic
Social
Mental
Physical

These are the areas which I intend on repairing in my life. As I work through them I will continually set goals and reward myself ONLY when I achieve those goals.

In the spiritual realm I want to:
Define in words what I believe as best I can. I do not seem to have a "church" per say which believes what I do in my heart. I currently attend with a congregation with very similar beliefs, but some of what I believe is different (possibly controversial) in nature to anything even these like-minded christians believe. My first goal is to write an essay about why I believe we are all forgiven. When I finish I will reward myself with a day of reflection to myself- I will go to Orvis hot springs for the day.

In the romantic realm I want to:
Find out why my mind is so tortured in this area. I am married to a man who loves me deeply. By all means I should be the happiest woman you could meet because of this. The man thinks I can do anything. I need to probe further in to why I feel this awful when it comes to love. Why does love suck for me? I believe part of my problem is that I carry a lot of my emotions without ever expressing them, even when my husband asks what is wrong. For one month I will tell him what is on my mind. I will blog this, however in a private blog (there is enough "romance" in blogs as it is) to keep track and be certain I am following what I say I will do. I will also write him a love poem. At the end of this month I will take my husband on a date, where I wil read the poem I have written.

In the social realm I want to:
Figure out what I am best at, what I am meant to do so to say. There are four things that really turn me on: researching/learning, teaching, writing and music. The music seems to be the odd man out, but maybe it isn't. Guess we'll have to see. I will write this blog at least twice a week, at least one of those two times will be a blog to teach others something I know. I love teaching! To reward myself I will purchase a new set of cd's (up to 5)

Mentally I want to be at peace. I do not expect to be this way at all times, but I want to try to be more and more peaceful. Right now I am like a raging river, I want to train my brain to be a calm mountain lake. Sometimes the water becomes cold, sometimes warm sometimes calm sometimes stirred, but mostly contained (with the exception of the stream that feeds it and leaves it). Right now I can't keep hold of myself, I am like a river. This month I will learn a one minute and a five minute meditation which I can do to help myself get to a middle ground between high and low. To calm myself and even out my mood when I am having a rough day. To reward myself I will take a two hour retreat in the park alone to breath and meditate.

Physical:
I am overweight. I have joined the 90 day Fit For SUCCESS Challenge. My weight goal is to lose 20 pounds through diet and excercise. I am joining a gym tomorrow. I am going quasy-vegitarian (again). I will be using the Shawn Phillips strength for life program. My workouts will be during my lunch hour. I am going to plan my family's meals one week ahead of time to make sure I am prepared to make a nutritious meal instead of something quick.

Introductions

I am a lost individual right now. I am bipolar. When I am not depressed, I am really uncomfortably on edge. I do not want to take medication for it, I want to learn to deal with it.
So I have tdecided to use my up stages to work on bettering myself and keeping my eyes on the end of the tunnel in the down stages.