Simple life holds appeal for young professionals
By Martha Irvine
Associated Press
CHICAGO — Sandi Garcia was living her dream — or so she thought. With a marketing degree from the University of Wyoming, she moved to Florida, started climbing the corporate ladder and was making good money.
Associated Press
There was only one problem: She was miserable. Up at 6 a.m. and getting home from work in time to watch the late-night news, she often worked weekends, too.
Stressed out by her job at a Florida television network, Sandi Garcia quit and headed for a job with the Wyoming Business Council and a life that she says is "calmer and simpler."
"I got burnt out pretty quickly," says the 26-year-old, who longed for a life that was "calmer and simpler." She found it back in her native Cheyenne, Wyo., where she now has time to ski, volunteer at an animal shelter and enjoy her friends and family.
Experts say Garcia is one of a growing number of Americans — particularly people in their 20s and 30s — who are making a conscious decision to slow down and cut back on all that overwhelms them.
"It's true among people of all ages. But it's much stronger — much more notable — among the younger generations," says Bruce Tulgan, a Connecticut-based consultant who tracks generational relationships and workplace trends.
Pierce Mattie, a 28-year-old New Yorker, recently sold his car, moved out of a huge apartment and into something smaller and gave away much of his wardrobe. "It feels great!" he says, noting that having "so much junk I don't use" was stressing him out.
They're also changing their work lives. Gregg Steiner, a 29-year-old in Sherman Oaks, Calif., escaped the busy high-tech world to work at home, and sold his beach home near Malibu. He says he grew tired of never having time to spend there. He also couldn't stand commuting two hours a day. He now does customer service for Pinxav, his family's diaper-rash ointment business.
Tulgan says those gripes are common for young professionals. "The idea of working in a particular building with certain hours seems ridiculous to them," he says. But he says that doesn't mean young people are lazy. They just want flexibility.
"It's much more likely they're going to tell you that they'd like more control over their schedule — and more time for the life part of life," says Tulgan, whose books include "Managing Generation X."
Michael Muetzel, author of "They're Not Aloof ... Just Generation X," puts it this way: "I might refer to it as a movement toward family and social activities. ... Why not put your trust and resources in things that you absolutely can trust?"
Indeed, trust is an issue for many young Americans. While they're big into volunteering at a local level, they have little faith in such institutions as Social Security or government in general. Many also don't believe in the political process or corporate America.
"A lot of us saw our parents or knew other people's parents who were laid off. There was loyalty to the company and people were getting huge salaries — and all of the sudden it disappeared," says Garcia, who now works for the Wyoming Business Council.
And so while their parents' generation may have focused on trying to "have it all," many in Gen X and Y are stepping back to reassess.
"I see my parents; they just worked so much — and I don't think they had much chance to enjoy stuff the way they would have liked to," Garcia says.
Katherine Josephs said she, too, had to do some soul-searching. The 29-year-old from Miami was a journalist for Money magazine in New York, but, after a road trip to the Pacific Northwest, quit her job. She found a part-time job and moved in with her parents while figuring out what to do next.
Later this year, she'll head to a small town in Colorado to write and get a degree in ecopsychology, a field that explores the connection between the environment and personal well-being. "I'll be spending most of my time outdoors and transporting myself on a bike and letting my spirit dictate my actions — not Madison Avenue execs."
For Brandon Hamm, the wish to cut back on obligations came when he realized that even volunteer activities at his church were starting to feel like work. "I wasn't receiving the same joy I had once felt," says Hamm, 28, who lives in suburban Philadelphia. "I also noticed that most of my interpersonal relationships were very shallow. I had been having a tough time dating and even maintaining friendships."
Jess Bowers, 23, who works at a small college in Baltimore, says she's needed to "unplug a little" to allow time for her true passion — writing. She's started volunteering at a riding stable and doing yoga, and spends her lunch hours reading or writing poetry instead of catching up on work.
While some religious faiths have long upheld the virtues of a simpler life, researchers also are finding evidence of positive effects. "The upshot is that people who value money and image and status are actually less happy," says Tim Kasser, a psychologist at Knox College in Galesburg, Ill.
He says they often report being less satisfied with life — and are more likely to experience depression, anxiety and such symptoms as backaches and headaches.
Those who weren't focused on possessions, fame and fortune were, overall, more content.
Groups such as The Simplicity Forum are developing a following. But many people opt for a simpler life by instinct.
Garcia listened to her gut and found the simpler life she craved in Wyoming, the state she once wanted to escape. "Someone told me that you can never appreciate what you have until you've left. I never thought that was true — but now I really do."
