Discover Why.

I've fallen off the (simplicity) wagon.I will tell anyone who cares to listen how wonderful a simpler life can be, and I believe that to be completely true. But lately I've been making life far more complicated than it needs to be. And it shows.My priorities are screwed up. My head is fuzzy. The spring in my step has gone.I have looked for reasons not to play with my kids. I've been increasingly frustrated by the daily tasks of keeping a home and family. I've lost my creative spark.I've lost clarity.

Our reasons are ours alone.

Our Why, our reasons, our priorities, are just that - ours. Each of us will have different motivations. And that's why it's so important to know, "Why am I doing this? What is my life really about?"I want to give my energy, my time and my space to:

• family
• relationships
• health
• adventure and travel
• creativity
• contentment

And what I stand to gain by doing that is abundantly clear to me.But I've lost focus, and for the longest time couldn't work out why. But I think I've uncovered it.

I've fallen into the habit of working on life, that I have neglected to go and live.

I need to remind myself there is time for both.If we didn't have work, purpose, tasks, chores and responsibilities, would the weekends, down-time and holidays feel as sweet? No, I don't think so.There is a time and place for work, for creating a better life, for play and for rest. The important thing is to make the space and time for living, playing and resting. And then actually live, play and rest. Otherwise the work we put in to creating a simpler life is wasted.To do this we need to uncover our own Why.

7 questions to uncover your Why.

Give these questions some real thought, and spend a little time writing your answers down.Ask yourself:

1. Who are the most important people in your life?
2. What experiences are most important to you?
3. Looking back at your life, what do you want to see? What do you want others to see?
4. Imagine a perfect day. Describe your surroundings, your feelings, your attitude. What is in common with your current life?
5. What about your current life doesn't feature at all?
6. If you had a simpler life, what positive things could you move towards?
7. What negative things could you move away from?

These questions are for me as much as anyone, and I really hope they help us find some clarity when it's most needed. I'm currently reading Steven Pressfield's War of Art (which is fantastic, by the way) and he tells us the thing we are most resisting is the thing we really should do. With that in mind, which of these questions do you really not want to answer? For me, it's number three.