My roommate during sophomore year was a hippie. A dreadlocked, patchwork-pant wearing, Birkenstock sandals in the winter hippie. But regardless of the fact that she rarely busted out the Windex (or showered!), she was a very smart girl. She believed the Beatles, without a doubt, that “all you need is love”. In fact, almost all the advice she gave resembled cliché, sometimes cheesy one-liners (or quoted Grateful Dead lyrics). Everyone in our dorm thought she was a little off, but I sensed that the girl knew what she was talking about.

Even so, there were times when I just laughed as she would enthusiastically rave about how subjective life is and how simple it is to control the way you feel. When I was stressed out because of finals or the new boy in my life, that was the last thing I wanted to hear. I felt absolutely hopeless in those kinds of situations – and sometimes her simple philosophies seemed too simple to actually work.

Now that we no longer live together, though, I find myself missing her daily reassurance that everything’s gonna be all right. I finally see that simplicity – and gaining control of your thoughts – really is an important life lesson.

Thankfully, I found a website that not only inspires me like she did, but also doesn’t smell bad or leave its trash on my floor. The website, ThinkSimpleNow.com, is a blog about clarity, creativity and happiness. With articles like, “6 Steps to Deflate Self-Defeating Fears” to “40 Simple Gift Ideas to Spark a Smile”, this site has already made my list of daily reads.