Stop making yourself unhappy
Do you feel a little empty sometimes? Perhaps you tell yourself it's ok because you just need to ride this period out and once you go on holiday, pay off your house, get that dream relationship or that promotion it will change. It won't.
Most of us are suffering because of our wants. Our wants have us living in a place where we wait for the future, it never comes, stressing about bullshit stuff that doesn’t matter.
One of the most valuable skills is to learn how to thrive on less, to know that the stuff around us does not define how we feel, to be liberated and make the space to really hear what’s important to us.
Training ourselves to consume less will automatically provide us with more time & mental capacity to fill life with the what actually matters, friends, family, community, creativity & adventure.
Have you ever gone on holiday with a couple of bags and a suitcase? I do it all the time (eye roll at myself). We lug all the bags to the airport, maybe even leave a bag at the airport or in the cab, and when we get to the destination we don't move around because it’s such a hassle to move all the stuff. So you stay in the same place, wearing just 20% of the clothes your bought.
Have you imagined what it would be like to travel with just carry on for an adventure? Maybe you've already done this. You don’t have to wait for your luggage, it’s less likely you’ll leave anything on your journey, you bring the 20% of the clothes you normally wear on holiday and don’t have to go rummaging through your suitcase deciding what to wear. Importantly if you want to take a an adventure of change AirBnB’s you have nothing holding you down- get on that scooter, or travel on a bus and explore. You’re light, you’re free.
It’s the same for life.
The more stuff we have, the mortgage, the clothes, the cars, the more reasons we have not to make changes, not to explore what we really want, who we really are.
The more time we spend fixing & worrying about our stuff, the less quality time we have with the people we love.
Saying that for sure there are some items that will bring joy, keep those and appreciate them. One of my members has a family camper-van, every weekend they go exploring as a family. I have some beautiful photographs from Sebastião Salgado, they take me to another place and ignite adventure in me. What items do you own that give you joy? What do you own that is old, tattered or just takes up space? if it doesn't ignite abundance and happiness get rid of it now, it's bringing you down and holding you back. If you buy something new, throw out something else out so you don’t end up hoarding, hoarding is proven to be detrimental for mental & physical health.
You need less $$ to live then what you think. It's not about cutting costs & being in scarcity mode here, it's about putting your money into what actually matters & creating space for the new.
I used to spend over $500p.w on my personal spending (food, clothes, going out, gym). My partner and I cycled across Asia carrying all our luggage for a few months, I learned here that less is more. I no longer buy when I see, I wait a day and ask myself will this give me joy? Is this item in line with my values? If it is a buy it without the after guilt. My personal spending is now $203 p.w and I feel more fulfilled then I ever have. That’s $15,000 /year extra going into my investment account.
Don’t buy bullshit you don’t need. Money is energy. Direct your energy to what is important to you. Have more by buying & consuming less.