Five questions with Barbara Jordan
Barbara Jordan
1. What does living simply mean to you?
It means the freedom to choose. It means having the time, space, energy and resources to intentionally live my life instead of my life living me.
2. Why is it important to you?
For each one of us, our time on this planet is limited. I believe we are here for a purpose and when life gets too cluttered, we can’t clearly “hear” what that purpose is and we waste the gifts God have given us on the “urgent, but not important.” It’s no wonder that when that is happening on a daily basis, you often hear people say “I am sick and tired of living like this!” I do believe that living “off purpose” makes us both sick and tired and is draining not only to ourselves, but for those around us. I not only want to add days to
my life, but as I’ve heard it said, “life to my days.”
3. What steps have you taken to live simply in your day to day life?
The first step was an internal one: realizing that my life was way out of balance and a sense of urgency that I needed to do something about it. Without a sense of urgency, we have a tendency to maintain the status quo, even when it is not good for us. The next step was to focus on what my priorities were in my life and begin to see those things that were taking me away from really living in a way that was consistent with
those priorities. I say my health is important, and then I find I am too busy to exercise.
I say time spent connecting with God is a priority, then I rush off in the morning to start my list of “To do’s” before I’ve taken any time to be quiet and listen to His voice. The next steps were to look at what was cluttering up my life and then begin to reduce or eliminate those. I needed a tangible “win,” so I started with things like getting rid of clothes I didn’t need, and books I’d probably never read again, and digitizing my CD
collection.
4. What’s been the hardest part of your simple journey?
The paradox that it is not simple to simplify. It takes time, energy, focus and sometimes money. I don’t like spending time clearing out old “dead” stuff, when I’d rather be spending my time on what’s new and energizing, yet I know if I don’t, it will keep getting in my way. It is disciplining myself to chip away at the goal of decluttering a little each day so it doesn’t seem to be consuming my life yet I feel enough forward movement to keep me motivated.
5. What advice would you give others who are on the living simple journey?
To know why you are doing it. Are you simplifying your life just to simplify? I’ve seen a lot of people get into this because it is “the thing” to do. So I would ask, what are you creating more space and time for? Is it something that is feeding your heart, soul and spirit? For some, that might be spending more time connecting in deep relationships.
For others, they feed their spirit by connecting more with God and nature. Or maybe it is the reward of using the gifts that you’ve been given to make a difference. Without a larger purpose, I believe the journey to simplify can become lonely or self-centered. For me, it is not only about emptying my cup; it is about creating the space so I can pour in and drink what nourishes me the most and gives me the strength and energy to be and do what I have been created for.
Barbara’s desire for simplifying came out of her need to create a healthy balance in her personal and professional life. She is married and has been blessed with a wonderful family and is passionate about “making a difference.” She works as the owner of a management consulting and executive coaching company, is a professional singer-songwriter and keynote presenter and started www.simplifi.de which is only possible through the on-going technical and writing contributions of co-writer Luke Wilson. She feels good about the progress she’s made on her journey to simplify since the question “where are my keys?” is no longer on her personal top ten list of most FAQ.
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