Can We Live More With Less?

I was settling into my seat on a flight when I turned to the passenger beside me and said hello.

It wasn’t remarkable. Just a simple greeting before take-off.

Yet somewhere between departure and arrival, a stranger began to feel like a friend.

In a world where we can spend hours sitting inches from another human being without exchanging more than a polite nod, our conversation felt unexpectedly refreshing. There was no agenda, no networking opportunity, and no attempt to impress. Just two people sharing stories, observations, and questions about life.

What stayed with me long after the flight wasn’t what we talked about – although the metaphors we explored brought fresh perspective and sparked new ways of thinking. It was what happened when we gave each other our attention.

As the conversation unfolded, we found ourselves exploring a question that feels increasingly relevant in a world of endless consumption and constant busyness:

Can we live more with less?

Not less in the sense of deprivation.

Less clutter.

Less rushing.

Less noise.

Less of the things that compete for our attention but add little to our lives.

Perhaps living with less is not primarily about owning fewer things. Perhaps it is about giving fewer things access to our attention.

Attention has become one of our most precious resources. Every day, countless notifications, headlines, commitments, and expectations compete for it. We are encouraged to do more, know more, buy more, and become more.

Yet somewhere along the way, many of us feel less connected—to ourselves, to others, and to what truly matters.

As a coach, I have come to believe that attention is one of the greatest gifts we can offer. Real change rarely begins with advice. More often, it begins when someone feels seen, heard, and understood. When there is space to think, reflect, and discover their own wisdom.

On that flight, neither of us was trying to solve the other’s problems. We were simply paying attention. Listening with curiosity. Following the conversation where it wanted to go.

In doing so, we created something that feels increasingly rare: genuine connection.

It made me wonder whether the richness we are seeking is not found in adding more to our lives, but in noticing more of what is already here.

More presence.

More curiosity.

More gratitude.

More connection.

I see this often in the people I coach through life transitions. Whether they are navigating a move, a career change, a family shift, or a season of uncertainty, the transition itself is not always the hardest part. The challenge is staying connected to themselves while everything around them is changing.

Transitions have a way of filling our lives with noise. New responsibilities. New decisions. New expectations. It becomes easy to lose sight of what matters most and who we are beneath the change.

Sometimes the way forward is not found by adding more. It is found by creating enough space to listen again—to our values, our strengths, our purpose, and the quiet wisdom that can get drowned out in the rush.

Perhaps living more with less begins with paying attention.

A simple hello.

A meaningful conversation.

A moment of curiosity.

A pause long enough to hear ourselves think.

Small acts of attention that remind us we are not travelling through life alone—and that we do not have to lose ourselves along the way.

I’m Sarah Cretegny, an Accredited Transitions Coach. I help individuals, groups and teams to navigate real life transitions without losing themselves.

I’m particularly effective when time is limited and the stakes are high. I draw on evidence-based coaching approaches, strengths expertise, and my lived experience of balancing leadership, family life, and international living. I’m deeply passionate about partnering with people to coach their wild, because the world needs more radically authentic leaders now more than ever.

I am based in Lausanne, Switzerland and coach virtually globally. Find my links here.