The Not So Big Life, as you'll discover when you explore the Not So Big Life website or read the book, is just as tide-turning a concept as The Not So Big House, containing a similar message but one that's applied to how we live our lives rather than how we design our houses.   Just as I've described the need in house design for quality of place over quantity of space, in this new book about living, I describe the need for quality of life over quantity of activity.  We are, after all, human beings, not human doings.  

 

In the process of engaging the material and exercises provided in the book, you'll discover a way of living that's a lot more sustainable, both for yourself and for the planet as a whole, without your having to quit your job, leave your loved ones, or retreat to a mountaintop. 

 

You'll also discover that when you engage something that you are truly passionate about, you are almost certainly present in what you are doing, and therefore more vibrantly alive.  And because your heart's longings are every bit as much a part of the planet's cycles as the ocean's currents or the changing of the seasons, your heart is in fact expressing a longing for you to function in a way that the planet needs in order to rebalance itself.  So to fulfill that longing is in fact the most sustainable action you can take.  Although at first it may not be clear just how this is true, if you start to engage your passions, you'll gradually come to know unequivocally that this is so.   

 

How do I know?  Because this is how my first book, The Not So Big House, came into being, and what gave rise to all the books that followed.  Because I decided to pursue my passion for writing, my life changed in ways I could never have imagined, and as I changed, the world changed too, but not because I was trying to change it.  It changed because I simply expressed what I knew about how to make a better house.  At the time, it certainly never occurred to me that pursuing my passion for writing was anything more than a personal desire to indulge in something I loved to do.  Yet today Not So Big is frequently referred to as "the first step in sustainability".  The point is that things are rarely what they appear to be, and those things we wish were different will change only as we change, and not the other way around. 

 

Today it is "cool" to build not so big. It is cool to right size and to make your home inspiring and personal rather than big but soulless.  (You can visit www.notsobighouse.com for more about building sustainably.) And mark my words, in a few years it will be "cool" too to follow your heart's desires and live in a not so big way.  That's true sustainability; and it has everything to do with how you live your life.

 

If my words have intrigued you, as I hope they have, please visit the Not So Big Life website, which will give you some other glimpses of what's to come.  From there you can pre-order the book, tell a friend, or participate in the community blog.  I look forward to hearing your comments on the blog, and will maintain an active role throughout the coming months as readers learn for themselves how to live "Not So Big".

 

Warm regards,