Five questions with Courtney Carver

Courtney Carver

1. What does living simply mean to you?

For me, living simply is a breath of fresh air. It is letting go of the pretense that you have to do it all, have it all and spend it all.

2. Why is it important to you? (finances, faith, politics, etc)

God. Family. Health. Compassion. Really living. Doing meaningful work.

3. What steps have you taken to live simply in your day to day life?

My journey to live more simply really started when I was diagnosed with MS in 2006. I really had to step back and decide what was adding value to my life and my health, and what was toxic. Slowly, I changed my diet and my lifestyle to improve my health and quality of life. What started as cutting meat from my diet, turned into cutting clutter, debt and the unessential to really enjoy what is important to me.

4. What’s been the hardest part of your simple journey?

The hardest part of my simple journey has been doing it slowly. I typically take an “all or nothing” approach to everything I do. I didn’t want to scare my family by single handedly overhauling our life, so I had to slow down and look at the big picture. Small changes, and gradual progress have ensured that my family is on board and the change in lifestyle is lifelong instead of a temporary fix. Instead of putting everyone in shock with drastic change, we can all see the benefit as we move forward to a more simplistic way of life.

5. What advice would you give others who are on the living simple journey?

A. Do it. B. Don’t worry if your friends think you’re crazy. Incorporate simple change as it works for you and your family and don’t try to do everything at once. Imagine your life with less stress and think about what your life could look like without debt or clutter. Once you have a clear picture of what that looks like, it’s challenging not to give it a go!

Courtney Carver is a 41 year old, aspiring minimalist. She’s (so happily) married, and a mom to a teenage daughter, and is ready to make big (and small) changes to live her life on purpose. She’s a writer and photographer. She loves yoga, creating simple meals and hiking and skiing in the Mountainwest. She also loves to travel and has her sights on a future in Mexico, living simply, on the beach. Simplify with her at www.bemorewithless.com

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Posted: July 23rd, 2010 by Jonathan D. Blundell
Read more in: Five Questions
Be More With Less, Courtney Carver, Five Questions, Five questions with

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