If you are running after happiness, it's time to stop!

We all know that one facebook friend that have the perfect life. Perfect home, perfect lifestyle, perfect job, perfect husband, perfect kids.... And as an human being it is prove that we are all attract by that kind of life.

Why  ? Because we were raised to be. Marketing make us thing that we NEED certain type of products to be happy. We all have our own idea of success but most of the time it is associate with money and stuff.
Someone once told me, if you are really happy in life, do you really need to show it on social media? That makes sense... The grass look always greener on your neighboor side...
Why are we obsessed to show on social media our happiness & our cool lifestyle?

Let's do something :
I want you to remember your own memories and note it. Take a step back to think about these moments

-The happiest moment that you had with your parents ?
-The happiest memory with your boyfriend / husband ?
-The best memory of your whole life?
-The best moment that you feel that everything was right and perfect?

Now, tell me if it was associate with money or material?

I bet the best memory you had with your parents was NOT when they bought the new egyptian carpet for 1000 $.

The best memory with your husband was probably NOT the moment that the two of you bought a new car.
The happiest moment of your life was NOT the perfect big TV you bought....

So why material and money would make us happy? Because we think this way.
If we stop and look around, we will found beauty and happinest in simple thing :

Play chest with your child, reading a book, walking hand in hand with your boyfriend, watching the stars at night,  listening to your favorite artist while you are cooking... This is simple, this is happiness.

Yes it is an inside job, yes it is something you have in yourself.  Because you may compare everything you have and everything you are to someone else, it won't make you happy. This is not how you are gonna feel happiness.

Maybe you need to change some things, maybe you need to look inside yourself what you want & really need. But I guarantee you that is not in money & materials that you are gonna find it.

You want to find happiness?  Stop, breathe and look around. I bet it is just in front of you and you miss it!


And you, what make you happy ?

The hygge lifestyle

When I was in Canada my mom ask me what I want for my birthday, She won't be there and want to make sure I bring something back with me for that special day. 

Because French is my first language , when I really want to relax, I want to read a french book. Here in Mississippi they are hard to find so a book was the perfect gift idea!

We were at the bookstore , looking for everything & nothing at the same time. Then I found a book call : The little Book of Hygge. I was super interested by the pictures and the quality of this book. So this was my choice! 

I didn't expect to found a true calling in that book & lifetstyle and I want to share it with you!

First Hygge is pronounce Hou-ga (my boyfriend is tired of hearing me singing houga houga everytime I found something related to it!) 

It is a super lifestyle that came from the danish people, prove to be the happiest people on earth. I learn a super lifestyle that related with everything I already love : the slow life. 

It is not super new, I mean, It remind me a lot of lifestyle that already exist : call it hominess, comfort life, the good life,slow life, dolce farniente.... this is the principe of the Hygge. Living in the moment, in total comfort with all the simple stuff. 

Here is some concrete things to make you understand the hygge :

• Reading a book, coffee in one hand, candlelight all around you in a bed full of pillow : This is the ultimate hygge! 
• Cooking a long mijote while you take a sip of wine with really close friends, this is hygge.
• Well wrap in your favorite blanket, with wool homemade socks, your favorite pull watching TV for hours, this is hygge.
• Spending less money and more quality time with your closest squad: this is hygge.
• Stay home playing chess and drinking warm tea or coffee, this is hygge.

This is simple, it's all about the lighting, the atmosphere,the ambiance, the slow life style, taking time, collecting moments, enjoying the now and creating a lifestyle without stress. 

You want to learn more here is the great, so pretty book that it inspire me : 

https://www.amazon.com/Little-Book-Hygge-Danish-Secrets/dp/0062658808

This is not the last post I will do about that subject, be sure!

What is the hygge thing in your life ? It speak to you?

From a Canadian City to Deep Country in Mississippi

I was born & raised in a 100 thousand people  city in Québec, Canada. My whole family speak french, they all live in the city too. So my experience with the dirt and the mug of the country was quasi non-existent.  A few visit at a farm… and that is it.

By destiny  I met an american online and after months of relation, I decide to take the big step and move with him in the deep country of Mississippi.

Maybe one day I will talk to you about all my cultural shocks but this is not what this is about today. Today I want to talk to you about the evidence that we are made for a certain lifestyle and we just don’t know it.

I never thought that at 30 years old I will move from my hometown and I will live in a place where the closest shop is twenty minutes of car away. I thought this lifestyle was absolutely NOT  for me.

I couldn’t stand to think that I will be bored like he.. l in a town where nothing happen. But I was motivated by love and probably a lot of hope.

You can imagine how surprise I was when I first saw a cow in the backyard. I was like : Wô, this is cool (and that stink too), neighbor's dogs running everywhere without a leash, a bunch of goats in a front yard and all that stuff I haven’t seen yet.

It took me two months to realise that this was my life now  and I have to stop “grieving” my old city lifestyle.  And then it happen : I realise that I love country. I love that everyone waves hands when they see you, the breath of fresh air when you take a step outside, the absolutely amazing view and the calm of it. The calm of not having the pressure of a social status, the calm of being who I am, the calm of a walk outside with my boyfriend looking at the cows playing with each other. Having the chance to have a nature lifestyle.

I thought that I was a city girl cause I haven’t experience anything else. Now that I took a step out of my comfort zone, I realize that I was made to be a country girl. I raise and feed chickens and it make me happy and alive. I’m proud that they were just baby chicks and now they are big and ugly. I’m proud that I contribute directly to nature. I slept every night without car or motorcycle sounds!

I have the feeling that I am in communion with myself here and it’s amazing. I saw a sky full of stars for the first time without buildings, house and everything. Just a dark sky and thousands of stars. I was almost in tears. What a beautiful life is out there that I knew nothing about.

I always been a nervous person in the city and here, I am more in peace. I found calm and beauty everywhere. Why ? Cause I decide to take a step outside my comfort zone. I decide that I will try something else, I will learn, I will live and I will maybe enjoy it.

Now I know that I am not just used to it, I am happy in it. I am happier in this environnement.  I still enjoy going out in the city for a couple of days, but I am happy to see my stinky chickens and come back in this small town.

You know when you read something like you are just one decision away for a complete different life. This is it. I took the decision to follow my heart and It lead me to found the real me.

This is what life is about, experiment, take a chance, step out of comfort zone, make mistakes, try, learn, assume your choice and then found happiness.

Love,

Vé

Are you a city or a country girl and why ? Leave a comment

5 easy steps to start a more minimalist lifestyle!

I’m not the only one who discover that she get over budget after the holidays. It is not the first time that I have been interested in that minimalist and simple lifestyle but it seem too much for me to really commit to it.

Six months ago, when I move from Canada to the United States, I need to pack my stuff to make them fit in my car. Considering that my precious dog was taking the passenger seat, everything need to fit into the trunk and the back seat. So I had to make life choices. I had to pick my favorites clothes, my favorites home decor, books, kitchen stuff and everything.

When I arrived here I notice that I made really poor choices for almost everything. My clothes were not appropriate for my new climate, I left my coffee machine for cookie stamps….(yes really) and by hairdryer for a ton of jewelery & nail polish.

After six months, I realised how much money I spent to buy things that I really need and clothes and shoes that is really useful insted of cute.

I’m now working from home so I don’t need a whole office wardrobe. I am living in the country so rain boots are more useful than highheels that hurt my feets. Nail polish? Haha a real joke.

I always use the same one anyway! So why are we so attached to superficial things ?

The answer is simple, we do think we need them to be happy. This is what marketing want us to believe.

My own example : the nail polish? If I ever ran out of my favorite one (which I doubt by the way) i’ll buy a new one.

My high heels? If I ever really need shoe like that for an event, I just have to borrow them to someone. You see where I am going.

We have to redefined our priority and our way to see material stuff. What makes me happy in life have nothing to do with a statuette in ceramic. Society, marketing, facebook and all social media make us think that to be happy we have to reach a certain standard of material. This is so wrong. Why ? Because happiness is free.

So in case you want to start a more minimalist lifestyle here is my first 5 easy steps.

1. Time to declutter your house!

When I first visit New york city, I bought Fridg magnet : I love new york, a statue of liberty in ceramic, a yellow cab in plastic...all stuffs that get dust in my closet and that I never really used. So the first thing to do is to identify all the things you don’t need anymore and get rid of them. A tip : if you haven’t use a thing for more than a year, you don’t need it!

Make 3 piles : To give, to sell and Trash.

Sell all the things you don’t need or want anymore and that you can have money for it. Use facebook site, app like let go, ebay ...etc. Take all the money that you make for it and keep it to pay your debt! You will see that the things that you don’t want anymore worth more that you think. 

2. Make a good inventory of your closet

Now that your house is clean make a really good inventory of your wardrobe. Classify your clothes by seasons and put in the attic your clothes that is not in the current season. This way, your wardrobe will be simple and you will know and see what you have. You will also use your clothes. You will probably realise you already have more than you need. You don’t need short in winter time, so no need to keep them in your wardrobe in that period. It took much space and make you lose time when you dress in the morning.

3. Need to buy something?

You need to buy something new ? Think. Do I really need it? Can I borrow it ? Can I make it? Can I buy it used?

With these simples questions you will realise if it’s a need or a desire. If you can live without it and if you can save a couple bucks by buy it used. It’s not about stopping wanting to buy things, it’s more making better choice, buy more quality that will last longer and used the things you already own.

Simple but this is what minimalism is about.

4. Look what you can cut off.

It’s not about cutting everything in your life all at once, it’s to simplify your life. What’s in it need to be cut off ?

Reduce expenses :For example, you have HBO and you pay for it every month and watch a movie once in a while ; You don’t really need it.

You buy a coffee every morning on your way to work ; try to make it at home at least half of the week.

You pay a lot of money on your hair or your nails ; learn to do it yourself.

Reduce stress and toxic : You realize that one of your friend is always negative and complaint a lot and make you feel anxious ; Try to reduce the contact with that toxic person for a while.

Work or school stress you ; Learn how to meditate, deal with your stress with simple tricks that work for you.

Reduce wasting time for quality time :

You really like to workout and you have the feeling you don’t have time for it in you busy schedule ? Take a close look at your habit ; you may waste a lot of time on social media, in front of the TV on tv show you don’t really like.

You can reduce the time you waste complaining, laying on the couch, scrolling your facebook etc to spend quality time doing the things you really like and make you feel alive.

Think about what is the thing you want to change, what is your goal, write it down and make a plan!

5. Be happy with what you have and learn to find happiness in free stuffs.

Walking with my dog , drinking the first sip of a warm coffee, writing in my journal, planning in my agenda, spending time in the nature with the people I love make me happy. All those things are free. For you it might be something else but if you really look at all those little things that you do that make you feel better, you have something. Write it down and even create a routine with it will help you be more mindfulness and you will learn to be happy with things that doesn’t cost a penny.

Another thing, is to be happy with the stuff you already have. Yes in this life someone will always have something prettier, better, more expensive than you. So what? Is it a sign of happiness? No. Be happy and content with what you already have, this is the way to be happy with a simple life. Material is not a sign of success or a sign that you will be happy. Happiness is an inside job and it can be create by yourself. After all, it all start with the choice that you made and the effort that you put in it.

That is my first easy steps to start having a more simple life. Do you have any tips you want to share ? Is this article speak to you? Leave a comment!