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The 5 Most Important Lessons I’ve Learned from Living with Less

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I’ve identified as a minimalist for about a decade. Within this 10-year period, I’ve learned a lot about myself, my life patterns, and what truly brings me joy. In this post, I’m going to focus on the five most important lessons that have impacted me the most.

Lesson 1 – A minimalist space instantly decreases my stress

Whether it’s a yoga studio, a Zen meditation temple, meandering through the SFMOMA, or walking into a hotel room at the Hyatt Place (known for it’s minimalist room decor and, as such, my favorite hotel of choice), I can feel the calm spread throughout my body the instant that I enter.

Perhaps being a highly sensitive person (HSP) (check out my other site for HSP and empathic individuals), has a lot to do with the perception of peace and relative ease as it spreads throughout my body. If you’re not an HSP, perhaps you just sense that your mood is better in such an environment.

Regardless of our position on the empathic spectrum, most of us who appreciate the minimalist movement feel better when we are in a minimally adorned space. The good news is that we don’t have to wait until we travel to enjoy a minimalist environment with its low vibrational energy (a stress reducer), decreased visual distractions, and increased experiential white space. We can live like we travel and enjoy a minimalist environment all the time if we are willing to do the work. [Read more…]

I Moved Back to San Jose After 2 Years in Southern California and I Don’t Miss Anything I Left Behind*

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My 2006 Ford Escape during the move south in 2017.

In October of 2017, eight months following my dad’s passing, I moved to Orange County in Southern California to take a position in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry as a Proposal Manager for a firm in Costa Mesa. 

I had three opportunities at the time to consider, two of which would’ve kept me in the San Francisco Bay Area – my home for the past 30 years. Although I didn’t want to leave my girlfriend Karen, we decided together that the opportunity in the OC was too good to refuse. At the time, I knew I wasn’t going to stay in the OC for a long time, and decided early on that two years was the maximum time I wanted to stay. [Read more…]

How Many Backpacks are Enough?

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If I have one ever-present material weakness—and I think a lot of minimalists struggle with at least one—it’s the persistent desire to purchase backpacks and messenger bags. 

If I’m in a shop that carries them, I’ll eventually find my way over to the display and evaluate them. I can’t help myself; I’m drawn to shopping for new backpacks and messenger bags like some women are drawn to perusing new purses even though they have a dozen or more already.

I’ve worked to understand this need, want, OK… let’s call it what it is…a compulsion that I clearly have to find the perfect backpack or messenger bag. Like any form of materialism, it’s linked to my desire for control.

As humans, we are addicted to control. As one who leans toward living as a Practical Buddhist, I know that I don’t have control over anything. I tend to say yes to life, but when I confuse life with retail sales, I can falter and say “OMG, YES!” [Read more…]

What Makes Our Life Meaningful Isn’t the Stuff We Accumulate

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What is it about your life that makes it meaningful? 

It’s not an easy question to answer. There are numerous factors to consider, including the people that impact our lives on a frequent basis, the roles we play in the lives of others, how we conduct ourselves on a day-to-day basis, how we treat wait staff, even our attitude toward those who find themselves without a home. 

Whatever the right answer is for you, one thing should be clear… [Read more…]

30 For 30/30 #27 – How to Get Clarity Around “Your Dream” by Starting With “Why”, Part 2

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This is the 27th post in my 30 for 30/30 series where I am publishing a new post each day for the next 30 days within a 30-minute window without much of a plan. You can read about why I’m doing this by clicking this link. 

In yesterday’s essay, I urged you to begin work on the “why” that backs up your dream. We often focus too much on the “what,” worry about the “how,” and not enough time on the “why.”

The “why” is critical to understand as it’s the reason behind you having your dream in the first place. It’s the “why” that will carry you through times of challenge. The “why” will pick you up when you fall.  It’s the core belief is at the core of your dream.

My dream and the “why” behind it

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been drawn to the service to others. It’s in this role that I feel most fulfilled and being in service is where I can act on my most meaningful work. Whether it’s through writing, teaching, or simply showing kindness to another, being in service is where I am most fully myself. [Read more…]