2/14/04 VS Chicago Meeting Notes
"The sole cause of man's unhappiness
is that he doesn't know how
to sit quietly in his own room."
-- Blaise Pascal; French philosopher & mathematician
(p74 of "Get A Life" by Ralph Warner)
Jessica, Tom, Joe, Jill, Gerry, Dennis, Elsia, Linda, Dave, Colin, Laura, Nancy, Louella, Tom, Dave, Mark, Mike, Bob, Ross and Mike welcomed Leo, Stef, Krista, Herbert and Christine to their first meeting.
Jill opened the space with a brief round of introductions and announcements. The group then created the following list of discussion topics:
- Tracking Tips (Colin)
- How Important Is Where You Live? (Jessica)
- Mid-Career Changes/Options & Strategies (Gerry & Stef)
- What It Takes (to live more richly) (Laura)
- Book - "Get A Life", You don't need a million to retire well (Mike)
- What Are We (VS Chicago) Called? (Colin)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Announcements <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
- March 13, 2004 VS Chicago Meeting Moved!
Due to St. Patrick's Day activities, the March VS Chicago meeting will be at the Chicago Culture Center, 1455 S Wabash, Chicago, 312-913-1211 (we'll return to the Crossroads Center in April). A big thank you to Laura for obtaining this meeting space for us all.
Your Money Or Your Life (YMOYL) On Line Study Guide (OLSG) Session
Jill Brown will be serving on the March YMOYL OLSG sessions hosted by the Simple Living Network (see http://www.simpleliving.net/olsg/default.asp). For anyone interested in pursuing the Your Money or Your Life Program, the eight week OLSG sessions are a great way to help you move through the first five Steps of YMOYL.
Name Tags...
If you have a name tag, please begin bringing it to the meetings (as a way of getting to know one another).
>>>>>>>>>>> TOPICS <<<<<<<<<<<<<<
TRACKING TIPS => HOW CAN I BETTER TRACK MY EXPENSES (Colin)...
Tracking makes you more aware of purchases and you make less so tracking becomes easier. There is "something magical" about the tracking process. Some people started with a historical analysis of their spending. This gave them categories to use and an idea of their current spending position. They used checks, credit card receipts etc and some estimation to get to figures. Getting a receipt for every purchase allows you to collate the information later once or twice a week and saves you writing every purchase down. Many people only track to the nearest dollar. Keeping the tracking process as simple as possible e.g. using few categories makes it easier and more likely to succeed. Beware long list and hard work.
Credit cards can be used for a lot of purchases with an online and downloadable record as a bonus. This can be imported into programs such as Quicken. However many people are wary of using credit cards for purchases. Cash is more "real" and helps you spend more consciously. Some people tie purchases to an ATM withdrawal and have a target budget amount.
PDAs have expense tracking tools that can be linked to PCs for data manipulation and graphing for visualization.
People who have been tracking for years still discover new insights into their spending.
Tracking income is also a good idea, part time work, interest payments etc. Some people track discounts coupons free gifts.
The information about expenses helps make you think about how expenses can be traded against future income and opportunities.
Time Tracking as a tool for conscious living. Several people track work time and personal to a lesser degree. Some people who are FI (financially independent), track their "worth" to see how they are living their life in a rewarding way. Value based time tracking would count number of volunteer hours, exercise, family time etc. This can yield information on "soft addictions" e.g. TV, which fill time in an empty way. This idea is from the book "There must be more than this" by Judith Wright. Whereas some may find time for reflection and self-improvement others will tend towards hard addictions like alcoholism such as in remote areas like Joe found in the Grand Canyon.
- HOW IMPORTANT IS WHERE YOU LIVE?
(within a city, the country/world, whatever) (Jessica)...
Jessica hosted a lively discussion topic. Among the many ideas floated were coming to understand what are your real values. Make a list of our values. Is being close to your family important to you? How important?? Which of your values are "nonnegotiable"? Web sites can help once you've established your values. Plug those values into sites like
www.bestplaces.net or www.findyourspot.com to help you sort through and find ideal alternative locations. Keep a "happiness log" - every fifteen minutes, jot down what makes you happy about what you're currently doing. This technique can help uncover things you do that truly make you happy. Think back to when you were a child - what did you enjoy doing when you were 12? Life's external pressures can easily overwhelm internal motivation.
Herbert and Christine recently did thorough research into moving to the northwest and shared their many insights.
Is living in the country better than living in the city? Depends on your values AND who you really are. If you like a lot of community and social connectiveness, maybe the country is not quite the right place for you. Medical needs may also factor in when choosing to live rural or in the city. Perhaps living in the city may even be less expensive than living in the country (when factoring in groceries, need to social contacts...).
"Live Simply In The City" is a book written by Jonathan Allan & Lynne Cantwell. The authors make a case for living more simply in the city, "...no farms or cabins in the woods needed!" This book is written for those interested in learning more about Voluntary Simplicity and sustainability, but who don't want to give up the convenience and amenities of the city. Topics include: Entertainment, Simple Politics, Retirement, Transportation, Building Community, Simplifying with Kids, and Finding Time.
- MID-CAREER CHANGES/OPTIONS & STRATEGIES (Gerry & Stef)...
Many great ideas and observations were shared during this discussion. A wonderful resource is located right in the VS Chicago meeting space, the Crossroads Center's "Career Transition Center" (CTC). CTC's are also located throughout the Chicago area (for locations, check out
www.crossroads-center.org).
Books mentioned included "PATH FINDER", "FULFILL YOUR SOUL'S PURPOSE", and "THE PURPOSE OF YOUR LIFE.
The November, 2003 issue of "Fast Company" has an interesting article on Career Change (www.fastcompany.com).
Techniques included self identifying your interests. Some folks find journaling a help in uncovering their real interests. List too your interests verses your skills - they may not necessarily be the same.
Just because you became skilled at something doesn't mean you really enjoy the task.
Explore transition opportunities by volunteering. You'll find out what work is really like there, and it's also a great way to expand contacts and connections.
And finally school... Is more school really the answer?
- WHAT IT TAKES (to live more richly) (Laura)...
What are some of the characteristics embodied by those seeking to live life richly? Laura complied the following list (in random order) from this discussion:
Open mindedness
Honoring your truth => honest with yourself, some soul searching, self-understanding
Self-reliant
Living in "truth"
Flexibility
Thinking outside the box
Imagination
Resourcefulness
Willingness to be different
Courage => willing to be different, take risks
Paradigm Shift
Positive Attitude
Independence, autonomous nature
- BOOK - "GET A LIFE, YOU DON'T NEED A MILLION TO RETIRE WELL" (Edition 4) (Mike)...
A recent favorite of the FIA-MA group (Financial Intelligence Associates-Massachusetts). Mike brought the topic of "retirement" to the simplicity group because those living a simpler life often come upon many of the same elements retirees face. Elements such as how much money will you need, what will you do (with your new free time), family, friends, health and health care, how to save enough... Author Ralph Warner interviewed dozens and dozens of retirees asking them, "If you could tell a middle-aged person just one thing about how to prepare for retirement, what would it be?" The book contains their responses.
Heading the list was to begin preparing in your 40's and 50's, by thinking about what you would REALLY like to do when you are free from your career. Golf, reading and fixing up things around the house are great, but what happens when you've had enough golf or fixed everything up - what would you REALLY like to be doing?
If you begin thinking about this 5, 10 or 15 years before leaving your career, you'll have more opportunities to explore what you really like. You will also be able to make contacts, and perhaps even begin working in your area of real interest. Doing so will also keep you in touch with what's happening. Waiting until you are in your 60's run risks of becoming out of touch and discovering what you hoped to do really isn't what you thought it was. Time to adjust is short then.
Finding out as early as you can offers more opportunity to discover and hone. It also keeps your "making friends skills" sharp (and make friends with all different age groups too). The same is true for simplicity folks - what would you REALLY like to do when you have freed up some time? It's hard making completely accurate plans while you are still working. Try something. Test, discover, adjust.
Also mentioned was taking care of your health as early on as you can. Habits established in your 40's & 50's carry through into your elder years. Exercise now, get in shape now, maintain your weight now, eat consciously now. All will provide tremendous benefits AND freedoms in the future. Choices made today certainly carry forward. What are you carrying forward?
- WHAT ARE WE CALLED? WHAT IS OUR 30 SECOND ELEVATOR SPEECH ABOUT VS CHICAGO? (Colin)...
The Simplicity movement's quite a broad church and it is sometimes difficult to encapsulate the ideas in a single word or buzz phrase. "Simpletons" doesn't work " Less is more" is good, as is "Enough is enough". Conscious Choice magazine is a good title and suggests Conscious Living.
When talking to others about Simplicity ideas it is important to avoid being condescending or "holier than though". Many people come to Simplicity through the involuntary path of debt and bankruptcy. We should emphasize the richness of the lifestyle not its cheapness. In general people are attracted by one of the Environmental, Financial and Spiritual aspects of Simplicity and they then crossover into the other areas as they realize the interconnectedness.
We adjourned and closed the meeting space at 12:10pm. Gas was prominently mentioned this morning...
(Recorded by Mike Lenich)
