Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Book: Minimalism Live a Meaningful Life

I just got back from a memorable week in Colorado. As I was packing for this week-long visit, I realized that I pack minimalistic. I am so used to utilizing my large checked luggage, that I realized, I could have just used a carry-on luggage. My luggage for a week-trip weighed only 17 pounds. For someone who is usually grunting as they lift their luggage onto the airline scale with both fingers-crossed that the electronic, red numbers will not go over 50lbs, that was a tangible metric for me of assurance that minimalism has become to be a lifestyle choice, and not just what I still possess inside my apartment.

The last book I read by The Minimalists, was Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life. Below are points that I insightful and wanted to share.

Items I decluttered in the last purge: extra pillowcases, socks, hair accessories (clips, hair ties), headbands, non-comfortable shoes, folders, binders, tote bags, coasters, jewelry, scarves
  • Happiness is not the point--a meaningful life is. We must stop searching for happiness and instead start looking for meaning.
  • Discontentment is a slow burn; it's a pernicious problem that creeps into your life after years of subtle dissatisfaction.
  • To take inventory of our lives. To find out what was making us unhappy, and what we needed to change those things in our lives, so happiness, passion, and freedom were possible.
    • Anchors: write down everything that could be identify as a problem
      • Next, identify priorities (minor and major anchors)
        • Major anchors: mortgage payments, certain relationships, car payments, careers, large debt
        • Minor anchors: internet bills, unused clothes, unused household items, household clutter, unproductive peripheral relationships, and daily drive time.
  • Minimalism looks different for everyone because it's about finding what is essential to you.
  • Minimalism is a tool we use to live a meaningful life. There are no rules. Rather, minimalism is simply about stripping away the unnecessary things in your life so you can focus on what's important.
    • Minimalism has helped us in several ways, including:
      • Reclaiming our time
      • Ridding ourselves of excess stuff
      • Enjoying our lives
      • Discovering meaning in our lives
      • Living in the moment
      • Focusing on what's important
      • Pursuing our passions
      • Finding happiness
      • Doing anything we want to do
      • Finding our missions
      • Experiencing freedom
      • Creating more, consuming less
  • Minimalism is a tool to eliminate life's excess, focus on the essentials, and find happiness, fulfillment, and freedom.
  • The Five Values that allow us to live a meaningful life:
    • Health
      • Living a healthy lifestyle gives you the optimum conditions to do so.
      • Two main ingredients of living a healthy life: eating and exercise. In other words: what we put into our bodies and what we do with our bodies.
      • A change in dietary lifestyle is not only a change in what you consume, but a change in how you think about what you consume.
    • Relationship
    • Passions
    • Growth
    • Contribution

By embracing minimalism in other apsects of life (your possessions, your work, etc), you can focus on the most important things in life (the Five Values).


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