Living Bigger and Living Smaller
Would you describe yourself as a person who lives a big, full life or a smaller, more private life? Or a little of both? For most of my life, I would describe myself as a person who tried to live a big, full life at all times. I am pretty extroverted, I like taking risks, I like to eat and drink the best food, I like blasting loud music, I’m pretty vocal and stand up for myself and others, I love to belly laugh, I like to take trips, go to concerts, hang out with my people, etc. To me, this feels like living a big, full life at least in my own definition of it. This part of me really feels true to who I am. I am someone who has tried to focus on making the most of this one, precious life we have and live out loud in the biggest of ways.
It wasn’t until I faced some challenges, hardships and crises that I learned about the power of living a smaller, simpler life. My perspective on it all has changed over time. I think there are seasons where one or the other will be more helpful to us, and I’ve learned about the benefits of making things a bit smaller. I think when we are in the midst of a tough season, living bigger can make things feel harder than they need to be. It makes sense that when you’re in the midst of struggle, it might not feel good to do all of the “live big” behaviors. For me, that has been true. During a struggle, it felt like I didn’t have the capacity to operate in the normal way that I used to.
I’ve learned about the beauty of living a smaller life. This isn’t about good or bad - I’m not here to say one is better than the other or we need to only do one thing. For me, living smaller has meant focusing on the small, monotonous, daily habits that I knew would ground me. That looks like movement, therapy, talking to friends, getting to sleep early, eating well, prayer, meditation, etc. These small, daily little habits shrunk my world a little bit. I was less focused on all of the things happening in the world beyond me and way more focused on the little world inside of me. For me, living smaller has meant being a little less extroverted (don’t worry, it’s still in there) and going inward a bit more. I’ve found the practice of living a bit smaller really healing - to be less consumed by everything around me and more consumed with all of the little ways I was going to care for myself well.
Everything is a season. We don’t need to be all one way all of the time. As I’ve changed and grown and evolved, I’ve made my life a little bigger and a little smaller, depending on what felt good at the moment. More than anything, shifting my perspective when I needed it has been really helpful for me.
Sometimes, we are in a season where we want to live this big, boisterous, larger-than-ourselves life. There’s a time for that. And I think there is also beauty and healing in making things a little bit smaller, focusing more on your own needs and less on everything else around you. I’d encourage you to play around with this concept a bit. What do you need in your life right now? Do you feel like you are shrinking and hiding and limiting yourself from living bigger? Do you think it might be healing to go more inward for a season?
There isn’t a right or a wrong here. But I think it can help to intentionally shift our perspective in the midst of a challenge. Where are you being called right now? What does your heart need?
