A 12-Step Guide to Living Simply
Linda Breen Pierce
2003
http://www.gallagherpress.com/pierce/index.htm
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“Normal” is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work, driving through traffic in a car that you're still paying for, in order to get to the job that you need so you can pay for the clothes, car, and the house that you leave empty all day in order to afford to live in it. -- Ellen Goodman

Building on in her earlier book, Choosing Simplicity, Pierce continues with a workbook aimed at facilitating the discovery of what simplicity would look like for you. Designed to be used in a study group or by individuals, she covers, one step at a time, the major issues involved in planning a simpler lifestyle.

This book is designed for individuals working alone, two people working together, or a simplicity study group of 8 to 12 people. The course is organized into 12 sessions: (1) Why simplify? (2) Do you own your stuff or does it own you? (3) Making friends with money, (4) Home is where the heart lives, (5) Where did all the time go? (6) Working with Passion, (7) Moving about at home and abroad, (8) Awakening the spirit within you, (9) Minding your health and well-being, (10) Finding joy in friends and family, (11) Embracing community, and (12) Caring for our home, the Earth.

Study groups can do all 12 lessons or they can select six or more to focus on at first, then decide later whether to continue with the remaining lessons. Detailed instructions on how to form and conduct a simplicity study group are included.

Simplicity Lessons focuses on not only what simplicity means for individuals and families, but also on the bigger picture -- what are the implications of simplicity for society as a whole?

Simplicity happens on two levels: the external and internal. Obviously, as people slow down the pace of their lives, they have more time and energy to engage in earth-friendly practices and to be of service to others. But something else takes place on an internal level. When we remove the material and lifestyle clutter from our lives, we seem to open up the space within ourselves for deep caring - caring for the earth, other people, future generations, and life on the planet. Simplicity brings out the best in humanity and facilitates the spiritual awakening in which we experience our connection to other people and nature. Once that happens, the deep caring follows.... In summary, simplicity helps people fulfill their deepest needs and aspirations, which in turn leads them to behave in ways that make this world a better place. Specific lifestyles of simplicity will vary enormously because what a person needs or cherishes is a subjective determination. Nonetheless, I have observed the following common lifestyle patterns and people who live simply:

1. Limiting material possessions to what is needed and/or cherished.

2. Meaningful work, whether paid or volunteer, ideally spending no more than 30 hours per week.

3. Quality relationships with friends and family.

4. Joyful and pleasurable leisure activities.

5. A conscious and comfortable relationship with money.

6. Connection to community, but not necessarily in formal organizations.

7. Sustainable consumption practices.

8. Healthy living practices, including exercise, adequate sleep, and nutritious food.

9. Practices that foster personal growth, and inner life, or spirituality, such as yoga, meditation, prayer, religious ceremonies, journal writing, and spiritually-related reading.

10. Connection to nature -- delighting and spending time in nature regularly.

11. Aesthetic beauty in personal environment.

12. Living in harmony with values and integrity. p.12-13.

Pierce provides many references for further reading and exploration.

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