Lagom, or about living in moderation

Either at work, in relationships, when it comes to your closet or your fridge, moderation should prevail. Not too much but precarious either, this is the Swedish concept of 'lagom', excellently introduced by this book by Clara Olsson. If you never heard about this idea - as in my case, although I noticed to my Swedish friends a certain relaxed and balanced way of being which was missing from my lifestyle - this is the best book to get acquainted with the concept.

'Lagom doesn't claim that you need to quit your day job and travel around the world to find happiness and nor does it ask you to embrace a shallow spirituality. Instead, lagom is found in the small things that make your life 'just right' - it's how you already live, just a little smoother, a little better, a little lagom'.

Following its basic and easy principles, you can aim at a life in moderation, suited to bring you balance in a life too much sometimes under the pressure of too much or the struggle of outperforming for the sake of performance only. If you are an adept of lagom - I love how in the last time European-born lifestyle concepts are introduced to the public discussion, after decades when the Oriental philosophies were preferred without being necessarily suited to the usual Western ways of life - you can expect a better mental health, a higher financial stability, less waste and clutter in your home and more engaged social life. 

I particularly loved how you can better focus on your hobbies, instead of laying for hours on a sofa binge remote-controlling. At work, you can find a better balance between the time spent in your cubicle and the hours with your family. Finding a compromise about the working load can be easier that you might have thought. For instance: 'You might only desire to work hard to earn more money, but by thinking about the reasons why you want more money can still lead to the motivation to push yourself'. 

At the end, everything is about schedule and prioritization and the right focus on your interests. This book can offer you the basic for starting, from tomorrow on, a different kind of lifestyle, less toxic and stressful. It helps you escape the circle of negativity and maintain a healthy and happy state of mind. 'Keeping positive is a skill, which takes time to learn, but when mastered, can be applied almost continously'. 

By creating consistent meditation practices and focus on minfullness, the change is possible. It may take time but this is what happens with good things, they need a long time until they finally settle. But the changes will be always for good.