Jay N. Forrest

Simplicity is a lifestyle, while minimalism is one of its tools. Just so we're clear about this, minimalism is the tool and simplicity is the goal. Simplicity is a lifestyle of ease, peace, uncomplicatedness, and smooth functioning. Minimalism is just one of the tools of simple living. Other tools include organization, ritual, decluttering, budgeting, and digital fasting. Organization is all about having a designated place for everything, and then making sure everything is it placed in its designated spot. Every time. One of the most important tools of simplicity is ritual. Ritual is the habit of doing the same thing the same way in order to offload the task to muscle memory.  Decluttering is about discarding excess things, eliminating duplicates, and minimalizing your stuff. Budgeting is about simplifying your finances, paying off debt, and saving for the future. And digital fasting is about stepping away from social media and technology to detach and reevaluate its place in our l

Simplicity and minimalism, though similar, are not the same thing.  I would define simplicity as a lifestyle involving a reduction and simplification of one’s material possessions that frees one to lead a life that is more mindful, intentional, and purposeful. Minimalism is "Minimalism is a tool to rid yourself of life’s excess in favor of focusing on what’s important—so you can find happiness, fulfillment, and freedom" (Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus). The aim of simplicity is not simplicity for simplicity's sake. The aim is to be more mindful, intentional, and purposeful. Simplicity is a lifestyle that minimizes distractions and complications. Things don't get in the way of being. Minimalism is simply another word for decluttering or reducing our material possessions to the point of them no longer hindering, distracting or burdening our lives. The point is to only have those things in our life that help us fulfill our purpose of living a more mindful and

I read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondō. The method for minimalizing is to hold each item in your hands and ask yourself, "Does this part joy?" If it does keep it, if it doesn't get rid of it. I added Joshua Becker's method of asking, "Do I really need this?" These two methods worked for everything until I got to my books. Every book I own sparks joy, and I wouldn't have bought it if I didn't think I would need it. So, although I was able to get rid of some books, I still had hundreds. I know I would read all these books, so I had to ask two further questions. First, will I really read it? Or, will I really read it again? This helped me be realistic. There are many books I would like to read, but honestly, I will probably never read all of them. So pick the ones I really, really want to read. One way of determining this is to ask yourself the question, "If I get rid of this book, will I likely rebuy it?" If the answer is

Meditation is hard. At least it is for me. And I have been at this for decades. So here is my simple meditation instruction for those who don’t like meditating.  If you are sitting, make sure the palms of your hands are turned up. This is giving your body the clue to open up, be receptive, and relax.  Be completely present in the here and now. Relaxation is the doorway to mindfulness. As you breathe in say in your mind “open.” As you breathe out say in your mind “relax.”  Focus most of your attention, not on the words, but on the sensation of the breath entering and exiting your nose. Focus where ever you feel the breath the strongest. The nostrils, the nose, the upper lip. Whichever. As you breathe in, not only say to yourself “open,” but open your awareness to the world around you. Like a flower opening to the sun, open your heart to reality as it is, right now.  As you breathe out, not only say to yourself “relax,” but let the muscles in your body relax. Just let your body go limp,

Finding your life’s purpose is part discovery and part creation. You are here to make the world a better place than you found it. How you do that is harder to discern.   I wish I could give you a foolproof recipe for finding your purpose in life, but I can’t. Nobody can. It is unique to you. But I might be able to offer you a few tips.  The discovery part is to find out what you are good at, what you are passionate about, and how these fit into what the world needs. If you can get paid for it, all the better.  Now the hard part. Disregard all those things and do what you fear. If it is uncomfortable, good. You have to get outside your comfort zone in order to grow personally, spiritually, and professionally. Recreate yourself into the you that you envision yourself would be if all the world would just cooperate.  Now combine your self-creation and your self-discovery. Then follow the path that gives you inner peace. Go where that peace blossoms. The right path will not be easy, but you

The Conspiracy Theory Fallacy is a group of fallacies. That is why those who believe in a conspiracy theory cannot be convinced by the evidence. The theory is unfalsifiable.  The first fallacy is confirmation bias. This is the tendency to only notice information that confirms one’s prior beliefs. Things that don’t fit the theory are ignored or denied.  The second fallacy is called the furtive fallacy. This is when outcomes are asserted to have been caused by hidden misconduct by decision-makers. It does not merely consider the possibility of hidden actions but insists on them. It can lead to general paranoia.  The third fallacy is called the canceling hypotheses fallacy. This is when one defends one belief by proposing a second belief to explain the lack of evidence in support of the first belief. There is sometimes related to furtive fallacy.  People want life to make sense, and so they will grab unto a conspiracy theory to make sense of things. This is extremely dangerous, because it

Mere unbelief in a personal God is no philosophy at all. – Albert Einstein  Once you realize that a personal God makes no sense, and that the Bible is just another book by fallible men, then what’s next.  Atheism is not a religion, and it is no philosophy of life. Atheism is simply the rejection of the claim that an all-powerful, all-good personal God exists.  Most atheists move on to embrace Humanism. The Humanist Manifesto III states, “Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without theism or other supernatural beliefs, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good.”  But you won’t find much about developing your spiritual life here. It will not guide you into flourishing or reaching your full potential. From here some atheists adopt Stoicism. Some may even pursue a philosophical version of Daoism.  They are a lot fuller philosophies of life. But it is only in Buddhism that you learn about meditation,