Lighten Up: Love What You Have, Have What You Need, Be Happier with Less

It seems as though not a day goes by that we don’t think about money. We cut back on spending. We chase a bargain. We try to save more. We strive to use less credit. We worry about funding our retirement and our children’s education. Yet we continue to spend money on things that don’t matter. Peter Walsh knows that money and debt can overwhelm your life even faster than clutter, and he has a plan to help you deal with that emotional and financial chaos. Peter’s previous bestselling books inspired us to successfully evict the clutter in our homes, on our bodies, and in six key areas of our lives. But for many people, clearing the clutter suddenly exposes deeper issues—financial, physical, and emotional. Sometimes our problems are not really about the physical stuff but about the emotional fabric of our lives—from our relationships with money to our relationships with people and even how we define and find happiness.

In Lighten Up, Peter demonstrates that this reassessment of priorities is a great opportunity to examine our lives and circumstances and to make the changes necessary to focus on the things that really matter. Exploring the real source of happiness, Peter offers a clear strategy for finding the delicate balance between what we have, what we need, and what we want or feel entitled to. With three unique audits that cover every aspect of our well-being, he takes us step by step through sizing up not just our possessions and financial statements but also our thoughts, goals, use of time and energy, and even our innermost sources of tension. He then shows us how to embrace the changes we’ve experienced, set a new path for the future, and come to accept that living on less can feel—and be—so much richer.

In Lighten Up you will learn how to:

• Change the way you and your family measure happiness

• Face your financial situation and set realistic priorities

• Create space for what really matters

• Plan realistically for financial and emotional security

• Be happier with less

Peter’s plan will help you achieve a personal balance that brings you happiness and the courage to choose a richly rewarding life over the mindless pursuit of more stuff.



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In the same way that I conquered clutter in your home, heart, mind, and lives in my previous books, Lighten Up will help you to clear a path to financial health and emotional harmony. I am going to show you how to live a life of abundance on less in a way that doesn’t plunge you deeper into misery and despair, and my belief is that with a changed mind-set will come a sense of calm, authentic personal identity, and . . . yes . . . happiness. Your well-being doesn’t have to be measured by monetary wealth. You’ll learn how to capitalize on where you derive happiness, and discover that your truest sources of pleasure and joy are actually free. With a little bit of mental and, in some cases, physical rearranging and reprioritizing, you can come to view your life from a completely different—but much more satisfying—place. I’ll show you how to psychologically transform your pain, anxieties, and anguish into a spring of courage and action no matter how much you’ve lost or had to give up. The old adage rings true: With crisis comes great opportunity. —from Lighten Up