To live simply means different things to different people, myself included. For example, I am not willing to forgo everyday conveniences like electricity, television, the internet or a few decent items of clothing — but some are. But I am willing to give up expensive sports cars, a mortgage I cannot afford just to try to impress people, extravagant vacations to far away lands, and going out to dinner every night of the week. Why am I willing to give those things up? So I don’t have to work 60 hours a week at a job I don’t like just to be able to try to pay for them all! There was a time back in the day when feel as though I sold my soul for money. Sure, I didn’t make a deal with the actual Devil, but I might as well of – I hated my job, I hated the travel I had to do for it, and I was becoming increasingly lethargic and unhealthy because of it. But hey, the money was good – and that was all that mattered, right? Until one day I said enough is enough, and walked away without a safety net. Something in me keyed me into the fact that no matter how much money I made or how much harder I worked, this lifestyle was not going to make me happy and I had to get out asap. So I did, and that was the beginning of trying to live a more simple life.

Ever since that day, I have worked to get away from the consumer-based lifestyle I had been trying to keep up with. I stopped going shopping all the time just because I was bored. I made due with what I had, for the most part, instead of buying a new “this” or “that”. I like living where there is no traffic, no keeping up with the Joneses, no “holier than thou” attitudes…just people living their lives as they wish, with no one getting in their business (or caring).

So for me, simple living is living the way you want to live without having to compromise who you are or who you want to be. By owning my own freelance business, I make my own hours and (usually) earn enough income to live comfortably. Am I going to get rich doing this? Nope, probably not. Do I feel the need to get rich anymore? Nope. I am doing things my way, at my new speed, and that is what we were after. That’s my definition of simple living. What’s yours?

While you can usually change your mind once you’ve started something, the fact remains that in the end there are no “life do-overs” for anyone. There are no second chances at life. You can change direction, forge a new path, or reinvent yourself several times over during a lifetime; but once that lifetime is over, you have run out of chances for good. The average life expectancy of a newborn in 2011 is 78.7 years. If you were born before this year, and chances are that you were, your average life expectancy is considerably lower. You may live till you are 100 years old or you may not — the average is somewhere in the 70-75 year range. Are you taking full advantage of the only 70-75 years you have?

There are days when I waste a lot of time and there are days when I am incredibly productive; I try to strike some sort of a balance where the scales are tipped towards productivity more than slackness. During my 20′s I spent a lot of time wondering what I should when I grow up; in my 30′s I have changed that to what should I be doing now in the present and not somewhere further down the line. “Down the line” may not arrive, so I want to be mindful of the present and how I am using this time I have now wisely. My current life choices are not conventional by American standards, as I:

• Don’t make as much money as I could in order to be self-employed and make my own schedule
• Want to see the country while living in an Airstream trailer for a year or two
• Eventually want to buy a large plot of land in the middle of nowhere to live on for good
• Currently share a tiny studio apartment with another person rather than a 2,700 square foot house, the average house size in the U.S.
• Minimized my belongings down to only the essentials while letting go of things that others may consider sentimental

It took me a long time to get here. Many mistakes, many missteps, and many bad choices, but I feel I am where I should be now at this point in my life. I am headed in the right direction, doing what I feel is right for me even when others disagree or judge, and I have realized just how important it is to do what you want in life when you want to do it. There are no do-overs, as once it’s done it’s done. What are you doing today to realize the dreams you have had for yourself for quite some time? There’s no time like the present; make it happen for you and you alone. You are the only one who lives your life and makes your choices, so make it count.