Carl was chasing his dream of becoming a millionaire. He had severe anxiety and stress.
His book, Less-Stress Lifestyle is his recipe for reducing stress. A lot his answers are about having less.
"The things we own end up owning us."
Carl advises us to "start getting wise about the stuff you own and future purchases". For instance he scaled down his wardrobe to only the items he regularly wears - and now only buys quality items that he wears often. He saves money by not buying things he'd rarely or never wear.
"Clutter prevents focus" he says, and focus is one of his keys to having less stress. As well as the home and office, he say it's important to declutter the brain.
Writing his problems down clears them from his mind. Then his brain can focus on dealing with each problem (one at a time) rather than getting anxious and stressed about them.
We're naturally grateful for what we have, and want to improve our life, but much of TV and media distorts our desires and just uses us to sell products or boost their ratings.
Carl also points out that we can reallocate TV time to invest in ourselves by reading a book or doing a hobby we enjoy. This is a much better pay-off for our self-improvement and happiness.
It makes sense doesn't it? A bank account of a million dollars doesn't mean much if we sacrifice our happiness to get it. Carl gives an example of two people - one earning a meagre wage but happy and another making millions but very much paying a personal price. It was obvious who had the better life.
Even in America, studies have shown that after a certain level of income, more money brings no increase in happiness. It seems that once you have what you need, the extra money doesn't add any extra joy - just extra responsibilities.
In the studies, the amount was around $75,000 a year - but I suppose that varies according to the person's actual needs.
Good advice.
PS. If you've are looking to sell items online (either as a lesson for kids or to cash in some unwanted possessions) you may want to grab a free copy of my ebook Less Clutter More Cash for tips.
His book, Less-Stress Lifestyle is his recipe for reducing stress. A lot his answers are about having less.
Less Clutter Less Stress
Carl advises us to "start getting wise about the stuff you own and future purchases". For instance he scaled down his wardrobe to only the items he regularly wears - and now only buys quality items that he wears often. He saves money by not buying things he'd rarely or never wear.
"Clutter prevents focus" he says, and focus is one of his keys to having less stress. As well as the home and office, he say it's important to declutter the brain.
Writing his problems down clears them from his mind. Then his brain can focus on dealing with each problem (one at a time) rather than getting anxious and stressed about them.
Less TV Less anxiety
"One of the biggest challenges we face today is being who we really want to be. We're influenced by endless external sources (such as the media and popular TV programmes) to wear the right clothes, drive the right car, look a certain way, and be the next A-list celeb. Money drives all these things, and the perception is that the more money you have, the better life will be. I learned the hard way that this is absolute rubbish."We're naturally grateful for what we have, and want to improve our life, but much of TV and media distorts our desires and just uses us to sell products or boost their ratings.
Carl also points out that we can reallocate TV time to invest in ourselves by reading a book or doing a hobby we enjoy. This is a much better pay-off for our self-improvement and happiness.
Who wants to be a millionaire?
"If it means being financially and emotionally free, yes why not? If it means working every hour under the sun and being owned by the very thing I thought was giving me freedom, then no thanks."It makes sense doesn't it? A bank account of a million dollars doesn't mean much if we sacrifice our happiness to get it. Carl gives an example of two people - one earning a meagre wage but happy and another making millions but very much paying a personal price. It was obvious who had the better life.
Even in America, studies have shown that after a certain level of income, more money brings no increase in happiness. It seems that once you have what you need, the extra money doesn't add any extra joy - just extra responsibilities.
In the studies, the amount was around $75,000 a year - but I suppose that varies according to the person's actual needs.
Take home message
The overall theme of the book seems to be to focus on the things that actually improve your life. Don't waste time (and sanity) chasing things that supposedly bring you happiness but actually don't.Good advice.
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