A motto I try to live by is 'Make yourself simpler, and better'. It's a quote I found in 'Meditations', a book by Marcus Aurelius, who was a Roman Emperor and Stoic philosopher.

I tend to overcomplicate my life, and I'm always trying to do several things at the same time. This motto helps me get back to basics, and to minimize the clutter in my life. But it's not always easy.

In modern life, there are many distractions. Our smartphones and our online lives. We consume so much information and so many products. Sometimes it's good to ask if these things are helping us or harming us.

Recently there have been a lot of movements that are using this same message in different ways. The MariKon method is all about getting rid of unecessary items and cleansing your home. Minimalism is about living with only the essentials you need in life. I think we will see more of these movements in the future.

I made the artwork in the picture to help me remind myself to keep things simple, and to always improve.

What do you think of this idea? Have you ever tried something similar? Please let me know in the comments or send me a message.

Thanks,
Ben

Vocabulary:

• Quote - 名言 - A memorable phrase or sentence that is found in a book. (It can also be a spoken phrase). 
• Overcomplicate (life) - 人生を複雑にする - Making things (or life) more complicated than it needs to be.
• Clutter - 家のいらない物 - Unuseful or unnecessary items (especially in your home).
• Consume - 消費 - To buy and use.

Phrases:

• Get back to basics - 基本的に立ち返る - Returning to the starting point or fundamentals.
• In modern life - 現代生活において - In our lives recently (often used phrase when talking about people's lives these days.)
• Get rid of - 捨てる - To throw away something.