Everyone wants to be happy.

I'm a longtime minimalist, a longtime vegan, and a lover of all things simple, but there are many gradual steps I've taken over the years to get to where I am.

These are some ways that have helped me to live a happy lifestyle!

Spend more time in nature, enjoying the scenery and breathing fresh air.

Studies have shown eco-therapy improves your mental health and happiness.

Humans are happier and healthier walking outside, not confined in little boxes.

Learn to live in the now and be happy.

To be fully present in the current moment and not worry about the past or the future.

Avoid things that make you unhappy such as social media.

Buy experiences instead of things.

Slow down and appreciate more.

Simplify your life and embrace minimalism.

Declutter, downsize, decompress. 

Choose voluntary simplicity. 

Only own what you need so you can focus on what you love.

Spend your money on experiences instead of things.

You don't need as many clothes as you think you do.

I travel full-time, carry-on only, with only 40 things and it all weighs less than 11 pounds.

Owning and traveling with less makes lighter and makes travel easier. 

Plastic is ruining the planet.

It's made from non-renewable fossil fuels, it's full of harmful toxins and chemicals that disrupt hormones, it's polluting the oceans and killing sea life, and it doesn't degrade!

Eliminate plastic with reusable products plus take easy steps to travel plastic-free. 

Toxic chemicals found in common beauty and household products such as chemical dyes, dioxin and formaldehyde can cause skin, immune and respiratory problems.

You can easily make all your own natural and non-toxic cleaning and personal care products or even skip the extra beauty products.

Humans generate an extraordinary amount of waste that goes to landfills, creates green house gases, pollutes our oceans, and destroys the planet.

Aim for zero waste at home and during travel.

Buy sustainable products to avoid disposables.

Reduce, reuse, recycle, upcycle, and compost.

Declutter, organize, and downsize your stuff and your life into a simpler space.

Living tiny lets you focus on what matters. 

You can apply these principles to your life anywhere or you can build a tiny house with your own hands and live anywhere you want, mortgage free.

Our addiction to our digital devices is detrimental to our health, from our eyesight to our memory to our waistlines.

Clear your clutter.

Reduce your apps.

Take regular breaks away from the internet and all your electronic devices.

Make time to disconnect and detox.

Get healthier by eating whole, uncooked, unprocessed foods.

Cooking can destroy essential enzymes in food and can also cause chemical changes that can turn into toxins, free radicals, and carcinogens.

Check out some delicious raw cuisine or use these apps to find or make your own.

Making the choice to go vegan is the healthiest thing you can do for your body, for the animals, and for the earth.

Eat a plant-based diet of delicious foods, and don't use animals as products, experiments, or entertainment.

They are our fellow earthlings.

And they need our help.

So does the planet!