How to Simplify your life
How to Simplify your life
Seven Practical Steps to Letting Go of Your
Burdens and Living a Happier Life
Tiki Kustenmacher
with Lothar J. Seiwert
and cartoons by
Tiki Kustenmacher
Copyright 2004 by Campus Verlag GmbH. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
ISBN: 978-0-07-178977-6
MHID: 0-07-178977-4
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Easy is right.
Begin right and it will be easy.
Continue easy and it will be right.
The right way to go easy
Is to forget the right way
And forget that the going is easy.
Chuang Tzu
Contents
Preface
Learning and Living a Meaningful Life
The book in front of you will become one of the most important books in your life. Of course, a lot of authors say that about their books. However, after many discussions, presentations, seminars, and intensive courses, we are convinced that this book will turn your life around fully in the best possible way.
This book is about the art of mastering lifeunlocking the full potential of your life, leading to happiness and fulfillment. The traditional word for this is meaning.
We are convinced that nobody can give you the meaning of life from outside; it is within you. You carry it within you like a bud. Living in a meaningful way involves developing your own potential in the best possible way and taking your place in society where you achieve the greatest development for yourself and societythe ideal balance between self-love and altruism.
If you follow the way of simplification explained in this book, you will find the meaning and destiny of your life. You will change inwardly and outwardly. Others will ask you why you look so happy. You will find new continents within yourself. You will develop strengths that you didnt even know you had. You will find a level of physical satisfaction that you didnt know before. Your position will improve on the material level. Having the amount of money you need is a natural byproduct of the way of simplification. You will be valued and loved by other people and you will have an inner feeling of well-being.
The issue addressed in this book is a big subject, but thats why we feel able to make big promises.
The way of simplification is not just an expressionit means what it says. Many people dont find the meaning of their life because they ask questions that are too complicated. They dont see how simple it actually is.
If you have read this far, you have already begun the journey to simplification. We hope you find the experience very interesting and enjoyable as you take further steps.
Tiki Kustenmacher
Lothar J. Seiwert
The Way of Simplification
What Does Simplification Mean to You?
What runs through your head when you hear the word simplification? For many people, it is a positive term by its very nature. When they hear the word simplify, they nod with a smile and a look of understanding. This is because they suffer from the complexity of life, from the dauntingly thick manual for their cell phone to the unfathomable mechanisms of the world economy that made them lose money on the stock exchange (although their friends told them it was easy to get rich with stocks). They suffer because of the unspoken demand for more, more, more in their environment. The excessive salaries offered in a big market do not mean liberation for a lot of people; on the contrary, it is a burden. They are weighed down by the steadily growing demands of their jobs, the expressed and unexpressed threat: join in or youre out!
When some people encounter the concept of simplification, they ask, Why should I simplify my life? They interpret the proposition of living a simpler and happier life as something extra. Behind the concept, they sense a demandNow Ive got to learn simplification as well!
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