What does it mean to live deliberately?
According to the author of a new book beautifully titled Living Deliberately, Hrvoje Butkovic teaches us that deliberate living is about living life in such a way that one is aware of thoughts, actions, words.
We also must be aware ultimately of the consequence of what is thought, said or done (see page 20 for a definition in the author's own words).
If you are still stumped, think of this lifestyle as thoughtful living or conscious living or even a state of being.
I'm sold. This is how I try to live - how blessed I feel to discover a book about my life philosophy.
It can be a challenge for me to live this way while navigating the social norms of country clubs, hyper parents, over-packed kid schedules and an extremely expensive area outside of Washington, DC.
I try to go against the grain to live more simply & to slow my children down rather than push them to do every activity under the sun, which often gets a second look.
The other day a stay-at-home-Mom asked me why my daughters aren't going to more summer camps. As I write this blog, one of my daughters is a counselor at a camp for the week while the other is at a Brownie camp, hopefully outdoors digging in the dirt.
Meanwhile, I have three appointments today and another chapter to edit. While I'm trying to fit it all in, I always have to ask myself these questions: What's not enough? What's too much. Am I doing work I love? Are my children happy?
It is most important to me to connect with my girls, and with friends I love and care about on a daily basis. I have to trust my own inner gut and I say doing less is more. But that's just me.
Finding a balance, for me, is living deliberately.
I'm thinking about summer right now, with fond memories of climbing trees, splashing in brooks and running around barefoot from morning 'til night. Driving through neighborhoods I already notice empty playscapes, deserted sandboxes and over-scheduled & frazzled Mom's.
Slow down, I want to scream. But this book reminds me it isn't about judging others or pushing my core beliefs, but about living authentically.
Thank you Hrvoje for sending me an advanced review copy, I devoured it while sitting still in my backyard watching the leaves blow gently one June evening.
It is not a belief system, it is a way of living one day at a time. Some of us already live simply, but here we are encouraged and asked to dig deeper and take mindfulness a step further.
Why read this book:
1) So you know you are not alone in your attempt to be authentic and ...
2) So you can continue to evaluate how you live with the mindful questions at the end of each chapter such as:
What makes my life meaningful, purposeful, or fulfilling?
