Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity...lately it seems that's all we talk about after we rebranded our site to be include both travel and a simplicity lifestyle. This has since sparked a lot of questions about the meaning of simplicity and what it actually entails.

The idea of simplicity came from Trish Mckinley, a spiritual lifestyle expert. We wanted an umbrella term that would help those visiting our site know what they were getting into.

Initially, we considered ourselves a minimalist travel blog but this wasn't a strong enough concept. It didn't allow room for all the areas of our life that we currently write about.

We needed to come up with a word that would encompass our entire lifestyle. Something that influences every aspect of our lives.

Luckily for us, Trish is not only a spiritual mentor and intuition coach but Kelsey's mom. So one morning over coffee we spent hours brainstorming.

We had all these ideas about how we live our lives and what we're trying to share with the world but nothing seemed to connect everything together. But then Trish said simplicity and we all knew that's it, that's our vibe.

The moment we heard the word simplicity we instinctively knew it was the perfect fit for us. At first, it was hard to describe why this one word could mean so much.

It's hard defining a word like simplicity. It's a concept, idea, and lifestyle all in one.

Simplicity is a changing variable and can mean something different to everyone. So we wanted to try and break it down the best we could.

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Simplicity Definition

Let's start with the dictionary meaning of simplicity.

sim·plic·i·ty | State of being...

1. Simple or uncomplicated
2. Easy to understand
3. Plain and natural

So basically simplicity just means being simple. Again though, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

A word like this is hard to fully grasp with just a dictionary definition. What even is being simple?

You might think, "there's no way the Schaubs live a simple life."

We're always on a new adventure and get to visit some pretty amazing places. Sometimes we go on a simple getaway but there are times where we go for the full-on luxury travel experience.

But does luxury automatically mean the opposite of simplicity? In our opinion, no.

This is why we like the wording of "uncomplicated". Simplicity isn't about doing nothing but instead finding a way to make things feel effortless.

Simplicity Lifestyle

So if simplicity means uncomplicated then how does one "uncomplicate" their life? We're not talking boring but instead just want you to shift your focus.

A simplicity lifestyle means focusing on what's important to you. It's all about allocating your time in a way that makes it feel effortless.

We spend our off time doing what we love. From the outside, our lives may not look simple, but to us, it feels pretty straightforward.

Our free time is used for enjoyment, even if it doesn't look that way to others. And that to us is the brilliance of simplicity.

Simplicity is a personal objective. The universal part about simplicity is that it's not a specific action but an outcome.

Simplicity Vibe

The easiest way for us to truly define simplicity is by explaining how it affects us. Once we started using the word simplicity it became more a way of life.

Simplicity isn't just an idea but a vibe. It's our vibe. It's almost a "less is more" concept but with a twist.

Most people think of simplicity as two main concepts

1. Find joy in the simple things
2. The fewer needs you have in life, the happier you will be

We agree with these concepts but want to clarify them. The idea of simplicity is not to settle for less but being more with less.

Finding Joy in the Simple Things

When you think of finding joy in simple things, it doesn't mean to force yourself to enjoy bird watching. It means finding hobbies that bring you joy.

Phil loves finances and Kelsey loves blogging. Both of these hobbies might seem like work to others but to us, it's not.

Phil likes doing finances because he can watch sports while working with numbers. Kelsey likes blogging because she can spend her mornings drinking coffee while having a creative outlet.

That's what we mean about finding joy in simple things.

Fewer Needs Leading to Happiness

We're not saying having zero interests will lead to a fulfilling life. Instead, focus on the parts of life that make you happy and less time of the parts that don't.

We personally love our vacations and it helps us get through a difficult work week.  Other people like going on a shopping spree.

When it comes to a person's "needs", there's no right or wrong answer. It looks different for everyone.

Figure out what parts of your life make you happy, then spend most of your time doing that. It's that simple.

So What is Simplicity?

The takeaway here is that simplicity means many things. Our understanding is that it's about making life less complicated by focusing on what matters to you.

Keep in mind, this is what simplicity means to us. It's about living our life, our way.

We spend our energy on the parts of life that bring us the most joy. By doing this we have time to slow down and just enjoy life.

Since another word for simplicity is uncomplicated, we want to stress the importance of not getting too hung up on one idea but instead think about the concept. Just remember to keep it simple stupid.