I realise that my journey into a more simple, beautiful life is growing and deepening. So, to continue to hold myself accountable, and to keep the focus – I decided to write down my WHY again. To revisit the reasons I decided to pursue this road, and create a life of more, with less. And to clarify my original intentions.
So here are my reasons again – which have changed a bit since I started this journey, and this blog:
My first ideas about stepping onto a Minimalist path, a few years back, were fairly esoteric. I aspired to a good-looking clear home, a simple lifestyle, and happy times. When I began Joshua’s Uncluttered course about 3 months ago, in answer to his first question as to what I wanted out of the course, I wrote down that I wanted to get on top of my finances. Not an overly romantic ideal, but more real and clear.
FINANCE
I want to become more money-savvy and less money-phobic. Turns out that the ideal of wanting to pursue a life of less clutter, and more quality, has a direct impact on one’s financial stability. Which seems to me a win-win situation for which to aim.
Budget – I have started a budget. For the first time in my life at 42 I am writing down, pen to paper, what I spend every single day. This is to start to understand my spending habits and triggers. I am already finding that it is making me question every spend and I am spending less.
Saving – With this knowledge I plan start being financially responsible. I need to start a real saving programme. I need to provide for my future – because so far I haven’t. And no one else is going to do that for me. I am in a scary place and I need to start to fix it.
Investing – My husband has been talking about investing for years. He has dipped his toe into the world of investing before whereas I have always treated money as a necessary evil. It is time I realised that I need to take care of my finances. I can no longer ignore the burning elephant in the room (a very painful mixed metaphor)!
NATURE
I need more nature time, more mountains. We are fortunate enough to live right at the sea. I can hear the ocean all day and all night. And I love the sound. I am full of gratitude about the fact that I walk along the ocean every day. My children can swim and snorkel and body board and my dog gets a walk every day. Within all that gratitude however – there is a crazy truth: my heart sings when I am in the mountains. I am a mountain person. I feel more hope and more alive when I am surrounded by rugged ancient mountains. I feel more perspective. I feel connected and inspired. It is something beyond my control. Another factor beyond my immediate control – is crime. We live with the sea in front of us and a mountain right behind us. But sadly due to the high risk of crime in our mountains I no longer enjoy walking in them. So I don’t. For me there is little point in going if there is no peace to be had. So – I need to get out into the mountainous rural areas more than I do. A Minimalist, considered life should help to support me to make sure I spend some of my valuable time in the mountains.
PARENT
The Minimalist way of living asks me to revisit why I had children. I am a role model. I have young children who watch and listen to me every day. My behaviour, my state of mind, my level of peace and happiness, my self-love, and the lifestyle I choose to live all trickle down and become a part of them. So it seems that I had better aim to be a worthwhile model. I have a big responsibility. Two women of the future are learning how to live by copying me. The legacy I leave needs to be decent.
By clearing the outside clutter, I should have more time and energy and clarity to focus on the inward journey. By ridding my daily life of stuff I am willing to bet I will slow down and have more capacity to be present with my young and quickly growing children. And this matters so much. Especially in our fast, distracted world. The idea that I could be a harbour for my children makes me feel good. It has already started. I am aware of being too hasty. I am aware that my children’s world moved more slowly than mine. I have started to consider their perspective more. I have started to remember that they are good little beings and that I am so lucky to have them around so much of the time. At the moment. I am intensely aware of the speed at which time passes and that so soon they will draw away from me. So this Minimalism path is a gift I cherish. Perhaps it has arrived just in time to allow me to appreciate them as they are are, and to enjoy all the fleeting moments.
AND PARTNER
The Minimalist way of living asks me to revisit why I said yes to marriage. I am a partner. A depleted, busy and disconnected partner much of the time if I am honest. And one who spends too much time looking at her phone. But in theory I choose not to be. I choose to be fair to the man who agreed to spend his whole earthly life with me. I choose to be kind. I choose to pause and to consider and to hold back at times. I choose to greet him and make eye contact again. My hope is that the Minimalist way will help me on the path of returning to love. It has already. I am more conscious of my phone. I choose to put it down. I choose to be present. I choose to start again. And to try again. The less stuff and haste around, the easier to spend energy on love.
FRIENDS & FAMILY
My friends and family are scattered around our blue planet. In my Minimalist new world order, I need to travel to reconnect. Because for me so much of the quality of life is about connections, new experiences, and learning. Travel combines all of these in abundance.
CAREER
I have a growing feeling that I need to create my own business using some of the skills I have learnt over a lifetime of trying out many different careers. My situation is such that it makes sense for me to work remotely. The world is such that I can now sell my skills in a type of workplace that didn’t exist when I was at university. I have always been a generalist which I have seen as my greatest disadvantage. But opening myself up to discourse about what I want to do has lead me to start to believe that there might be a place in the world for my generalist ways. It’s all a matter of perspective.
