The third DA promise states that “we will live within our means, yet our means will not define us.”

Newcomers find it hard to imagine a life without feelings of deprivation, insatiable binge overspending, or exhausting overwork. But DA experience proves it is not only possible, but likely! Working the program brings about a quality of life beyond our often limited imagining.

Consider the myriad benefits we receive whenever we de-clutter, or eliminate wasteful habits.

1) We find freedom. Everything that remains is of greater value for us having noticed it.

2) Donating items of value to charity, gifting a great book to a friend, selling our home at a reasonable price to someone who needs it, these things can be “win-win” opportunities, bringing joy to ourselves as well as the other person.

3) In the process of letting go of excess we discover what we truly need to survive and thrive.

4) We have money saved from eliminating a mortgage or car payment.

5) We have clarity from fewer distracting stacks of “things”.

6) By giving up a little time to do our morning meditation, affirmation, and prayer, our life’s purpose is revealed and we receive.

7) When we “keep it simple” we receive happiness. Nobody is looking for more complexity in their life. Looking for ways to simplify our lives never leaves us disappointed. The less clutter for us the better.

8) As clutter leaves our lives, our minds, our filing systems, our living space, our possessions, and our relationships, space opens up and we have room for amazing life-moments.

9) As we simplify our needs we become happier. We intuitively begin to focus on what is truly important: our relationships, each present moment of our lives.

10) We want to enjoy life while we are here, don’t we? Joy comes in knowing we have focused on what truly matters. Not on a stack of newspapers nobody reads.

11) When we live within our means everything we do becomes super-relevant.

12) It is easier to love when our hands are not clenched around things or people.

Can I add to this list?

Meditation for today:

We have everything we need in order to make this world a better place, if we all only followed the principle of sharing our abundance. All of life is a process of letting go in order to become something new and more appropriate for ourselves. We let go of the womb to breathe new life. We let go of unnecessary things to make room for new and finer things. We surrender our character defects in order to experience recovery in D.A. We let go of our children so they can blossom into adulthood. Letting go in this sense is caring, loving and selfless.

Affirmation for today:

As I let go of the obsessive thoughts and behaviors in my life, I become the person I really want to be.

Prayer for today:

Help me to follow examples of great love and compassion by giving whatever I can to bring about greater good. May the very fact of giving make me a better person.

Recommended Reading:

I just bought these two books for kindle and can’t wait for them to be downloaded to read them!  The reviews are solid, especially for the first book, which is a #1 New York Times best seller.   The second book is very short and to the point, true to its minimalism theme.  Both seem to correlate to the theme of this blog; they each focus on the healing one can have from truly letting go of clutter.

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

Organize Your Life: How to Become a Minimalist, Declutter, and Manage Your Life

By clicking the links on this page  you will be brought to Amazon.com, where you can buy these books.  Purchases made by way of these links in no way increases your costs.  Using the links helps us defray the costs of running this website because  Amazon gives us a commission.