Simplifying Your Life: Why Less is More

NOTE: This podcast was transcribed by an AI tool. Please forgive any typos or errors. Simplify === [00:00:00] Cara: Hi, everyone. Welcome to the show. This episode has been inspired by my personal experience of how I've simplified my life. And how i'm going to simplify my life going forward so thank you for being here and i'll see you on the other side [00:00:14] Cara: Welcome to floductivity, a place to inspire and empower beings to embrace self-love and self-development for an achievable balance of productivity. I share different ways to come back to your intuition through spirituality, self care, human design, cycle planning, wellness, and everything in between. [00:00:33] Cara: Thank you so much for joining me this week. If this is your first time. Welcome. And if you've been here with me before. Thank you so much for coming back. I'm so excited to join you in this journey. As we learn together. Hey, everyone. Welcome to the show and thank you for being here. I want to be transparent and honest about where I'm at my life and hopefully it might help you in yours. [00:00:58] Cara: One thing [00:01:00] that I went through when I ultimately left my career and shut down with COVID was simplifying my life. I felt very overwhelmed in everything around And so when the opportunity of shutdown came. I took it as a chance to remove. It was no longer serving me. And for me, that was. My career at that moment, but there was so many other things that I was able to look at. [00:01:27] Cara: And some of those things is the need to constantly be busy. the more I delve into that, the more I realized it's actually a trauma response of not being able to be. With yourself, process emotions. just giving yourself the space that you need to process things. [00:01:45] Cara: And so I found that lesson per se, that I needed to go through at that time. And cutting out the noise was a big part of that. And so during that time, I decided to take a break from social media. And the reason being . Is [00:02:00] still very relevant. Now is there is so much influence on social media media in general. [00:02:06] Cara: And I needed to get back to the basics with myself. And so. [00:02:11] Cara: One of my biggest suggestions of simplifying your life or my life was. Figuring out what you really want and not letting the influence of what other people are doing to filter into that. And. Having to set those boundaries with myself, a social media and certain things was a big part of that. [00:02:30] Cara: I also began to see. The moments in between things as. The most special moments it's like, Uh, walk on the way to somewhere, not the destination. We're going to. And so I found with those. Normal everyday moments, especially with my family. Those are the things that really meant. [00:02:49] Cara: A lot to me. [00:02:51] Cara: So I really felt like. We started enjoying the moments in between. And then when we were trying to force too much in too little [00:03:00] of a time, It was taking us out of the moment. And it was overwhelming us. And so I found. Our enjoyment as a family became in the simple pleasures. A simple hike. A simple movie on a rainy day afternoon. We don't need to go somewhere to have these moments. [00:03:17] Cara: it felt refreshing. [00:03:18] Cara: And it stopped me from having to. Get in planning mode. And just be. Enjoy the company of my family. [00:03:25] Cara: Now the next part of how I've simplified my life is let me preface that. I always tend to complicate things in the beginning and then figure out how to simplify them in a way that works for us. like meal planning, recipe, planning, grocery shopping. I always want to do like a big blown out thing. And then I get overwhelmed with the concept of it. And so the lessons I've learned from this. [00:03:51] Cara: Especially if I'm planning for recipes around my cycle. I've just found. To find a place where you can keep these recipes. [00:04:00] I use an app on my phone to help me organize. I find again, like it takes work upfront. When I put the work to. Create something in the beginning, it always ends up being easier in the end. [00:04:11] Cara: And so this app I use, you can literally put a web link. [00:04:15] Cara: In the search bar. And it will automatically just upload that recipe into this app. And so it makes it very easy. And so I put a lot of our go-to recipes in this app and I can categorize them so that it can help with the phases that I'm experiencing. And so just creating staples in those specific phases of what we're going to eat, whether it's just, these are the three veggies I'm going to buy at the store. And so. [00:04:43] Cara: When I meal plan. I usually try to have at least one or two protein meat. We do eat meat in our house. I try to have two to three veggies. And two to three fruits and then everything else in between. And so having a place where you [00:05:00] can keep a list. And that you're not going from scratch every time you do it. And so I use this app to really help me plan out my meals. Anytime I'm being, you know, stuck, I have them categorized in what my husband makes. I have them categorized. [00:05:15] Cara: If it's dinner, if it's lunch. And so it just makes it easier that if I don't have the mental capacity to fully plan. This app makes it super easy. [00:05:23] Cara: I also have Alexa in my kitchen. And so it's just an easy way that we can add stuff to our grocery list. And again, I don't have to start from scratch and if my husband needs something, he can put it on there and we're not searching for a list that we can never find. [00:05:38] Cara: I've also just tried to simplify the stuff in our house. I've simplified our cleaning supplies so that they have less toxic ingredients. I just found that. These toxic chemicals, just make my symptoms worse. And so the cleaner, the product, the easier it is for me to actually clean with So that took cleaning out [00:06:00] the current products we have and replacing them with ones that I either make, or I get from Grove. [00:06:06] Cara: Another big aspect that really helped me was I was overwhelmed with my closet. And especially from going from being a hairdresser. To being home. There was just so many clothes that I never could see myself wearing. Even if I had the opportunity. I decided to really get out my closet. I sold a lot of things. I donated a lot of things so that I can kind of be less overwhelmed with the amount of clothes that I had. And to be honest, if I could wear the same. [00:06:35] Cara: Type of sweatpants every day and the same comfortable shirt, I would be extremely happy. And so what I ended up doing at this time of figuring out this version of this future self I've been aspiring to be, and I did a meditation with And she showed me like you would be the happiest in comfortable clothes, . [00:06:55] Cara: Something that is basic. And I don't think basics the right word, but [00:07:00] something that is just easy for me to put together, ultimately like a capsule closet. And so I saw this idea of the types of clothes I wanted to wear. I took the money that I got from my birthday and the money I got from selling my clothes. And I went on, you know, a mini shopping spree to kind of rebuild up my closet with. [00:07:20] Cara: Classic items, things that I know will never go out of style. And I never realized how happy I was in comfortable clothes and why I deprived myself from that luxury and yes, it is considered a luxury, but I did do what I could to be able to afford it. And it was taking. And selling things so that I could. [00:07:41] Cara: Shop for these. And so one of the brands that I've fallen in love with, and I am not affiliate or a sponsor, but I've become obsessed with Vuori I love the feeling of their clothes. They make me feel luxurious. They make me feel good. And ultimately, if you were trying to manifest certain things in your life, it's all about the feeling. And [00:08:00] so for me, it was really important to feel good in what I was wearing. And I'm so happy that I had that opportunity to simplify my closet, to then be able to rebuild it up in a way that felt good to me. [00:08:13] Cara: So other aspects of simplifying is just going through those nooks and crannies of my house and trying to get rid of things that don't bring me joy. Of course, you know, that goes back to. The art of, oh, I can't think of it, but you know what I'm talking about, the whole book and Netflix show. And I went through that whole thing when that went through. But at this point it was a total different concept because I was in my house all day. [00:08:41] Cara: And I wanted to not be overwhelmed with the amount of stuff. And I do get very overwhelmed with the amount of toys and things that my kids have. So. Just trying to be on top of cleaning things out. [00:08:53] Cara: So that I'm not overwhelmed when I open up a closet. [00:08:56] Cara: You know, the point of simplifying is to make things easier. [00:09:00] But I also think sometimes it's building the procedures, the standard operating procedures, so that things can be simple and easy for you in the long run. you know, one thing I regret in building my business is not starting with these standard operating procedures in the first place, [00:09:17] Cara: Using a task management app or site to be able to help you is strongly recommended. And the one I use, I use the free version of Asana. So it's not like it's something that you have to pay for. But it's a way that it can help you navigate the steps you take to be efficient. And I feel like. [00:09:34] Cara: When you become efficient things get easier, which means it's simplified. [00:09:39] Cara: And so that's something that I've done recently in building my business. And so I've done a lot in my business. I've tried a lot of things. That's my human design. Have a manifesting generator. I'm to a point where. I'll be honest with you. I'm not seeing a lot of return on all the effort I'm doing in all the different aspects. [00:09:58] Cara: And I've come to a point [00:10:00] where I have been honest with myself where I am overwhelmed with what I But it's been a good way to see what really lights me up and what's taken my energy in a way. That's not building me up. I feel like a big part of this episode is to share with you what I'm going to be doing for the rest of 2022. And that is. Taking a step back and really only putting my energy into the things that are really giving me that return in investment. it's more return of energy at this point. [00:10:29] Cara: And so this podcast is one of those things. I very much enjoy. I do enjoy. Interviews. But on the other end, it takes a lot more work of editing and certain aspects. while I'm not ending my interviews, I'm just going to be very strategic on them going forward. And I don't know what 2023 is bringing. [00:10:52] Cara: And so this is just the idea of what I'm doing the rest of the year. [00:10:56] Cara: I normally do a weekly email. I'm trying to be [00:11:00] more present on social media, and those are two aspects that. I know are really important in the entrepreneurial worlds. But. [00:11:09] Cara: I will be taking. A break from it ultimately. Aye. [00:11:14] Cara: We'll be doing. An email about this episode so that . [00:11:17] Cara: All the people who supported me on my email list will know that I'm not disappearing. And there's ways that you can kind of still be in touch with me. And that's my podcast. Or if you prefer you too. And to be honest, if you see me on social media, it's because I used a scheduling app, but that is a big piece of where I'm going to be retracting my energy. [00:11:37] Cara: only really sending emails when I feel called to. Instead of making it, Every week, it was getting too robotic and not enough of my personal. [00:11:46] Cara: Touch, I guess you can say. [00:11:48] Cara: I have a project that I feel really passionately about and that I have this beautiful opportunity to explore. And my intuition and the universe is telling me to put my energy into [00:12:00] that. And so that is going to be my primary focus and I hope. [00:12:04] Cara: I get to one day share. This experience with you. But right now, it's just a beautiful experience and I want to enjoy every moment. [00:12:14] Cara: I don't want the outside influence of social media and other things to affect that. [00:12:19] Cara: Aye. Do love. Strategizing with other people that is something that I'm super passionate about. I've been doing it for the last couple of years with some peers masterminding. And so if you are wanting to work. More personal with me. I have opened up one-on-one strategy sessions. And depending on what you want to work through is depending on what modalities we use, but. [00:12:44] Cara: You know, there's so much power in your human design and your cycle and astrology that we can really pinpoint on how to propel you forward. Like what's holding you back and how we can propel you forward. So if that's something that. You've been [00:13:00] wanting to navigate. I have those one-on-one sessions that I would love to work with you. I only have a few left for 2022, so please, apply if. [00:13:10] Cara: That's something that interests you and we can see if you would be a good fit. [00:13:14] Cara: I'm not sure what my strategy sessions will look like for 2023. Like I said, I have a project I'm working on. And it's going to depend on that, where, and if I can. Put that one on one energy, uh, that I've been doing for the last couple of years, it does light me up. So I hope it can still be a part of what I'm creating, but I am open to where the universe takes me on this journey. [00:13:38] Cara: I want to appreciate you being here. And I just want to share that the last 25 years. Of my life. I have always worked in a job where the holiday season. Was the most stressful in the whole entire year. . That was the one thing that really always disappointed me was because I felt like my kids and my family [00:14:00] were getting more of the depleted version of me. And this is a lot of where this simplifying is stemming from. [00:14:07] Cara: I want them to get the best version of me, especially our favorite time of the year. And so I realized it was up to me to make this choice. And that means all these other things that. [00:14:19] Cara: Is important in the entrepreneurial world to build a business isn't fitting. This season of my life. Yeah, I hope you understand. And just to kind of reference this. A huge reason of what I do is empowering people to honor the season they're in. And we are experiencing fall right now. And that is when we start to retract and reflect and refine the details and organize and do all those things. [00:14:47] Cara: And I really fought this because I built so many things. In a way for this business. And I thought I was abandoning these ideas, but that's not what's happening. I built these things, put them in place.[00:15:00] And they've been tools in my tool belt, and I know they're going to come in handy when it's time to pick that back up or when certain other projects come forth. [00:15:08] Cara: And so I hope. [00:15:10] Cara: You seen me honor the season of my life and the hustler. There will always be this hustler in me. Really has fought this the last few weeks. And it took me. Talking this out with a coach to really understand that this is more important than any business venture that I've been working on. This is the true essence of what I'm trying to do. [00:15:31] Cara: With my. [00:15:32] Cara: Sun in the ninth house of self-development. I always think that. I can do the research and I can figure it out and I can do everything on my own, but sometimes we need someone outside of us to reflect back. The true desires we have. And so I'm grateful to have that opportunity to work with a coach, to be able to pull these things out, because I know I can feel it in my heart. When I look back at this time, I will be forever grateful that I made this decision to. [00:15:58] Cara: Step back and really [00:16:00] put my heart and my soul into. [00:16:02] Cara: The most important projects I've ever worked on, and that is my children. [00:16:06] Cara: So. I hope maybe this inspires you to work with a coach or someone to help you work through the things. That you're working on. And I have found so much growth in myself the last three years, but the last few months of working with a therapist and a coach have really propelled So far past what I ever expected. [00:16:28] Cara: For my life to be like that. I hope that empowers you to put that investment into yourself because you are important. You are powerful. And you are meant to do beautiful things. As long as you're listening. So. I appreciate you being here. Thank you for joining. It would be so helpful if you could share this with a friend. [00:16:48] Cara: Building my podcast is produce a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, I would be forever grateful. If you want to learn more about this episode, go to [00:17:00] Cara dempsey.com/ 37 and we will chat soon. [00:17:05] ​