How: Volume 1

Minimalists are everywhere.  Simply put, its just a method of living.  Minimalism is a tool to make the most of yourself.  And, its imperfect, or only as effective as its user, who is human, and is going to make some mistakes.  You can't be an explorer without getting lost.  You can't be a warrior without getting hurt.  You can't get rid of things without losing something important, just like you can't attain belongings without finding out some of our purchases were completely useless.  Progress always comes with failures, the trick is to learn from them, and keep moving forward, and minimalism does include continual course correction.  Lost people who become found again are those who make discoveries.  Broken warriors who keep fighting win respect and valor.  Minimalists who stay true to their course of digging out of their rubble find joy in their lives that others fail to uncover.

Allow me to offer some guidance

Do Not Compare:  Comparisons do nothing more than detach you from your own happiness.  This isn't the same as inspiration.  Go ahead and get inspired by those you look to, as long as you remember they are on their own separate path.  Stay present.  Stay focused.  Most importantly stay true to your own goals, abilities, and achievements.


Do Identify:  Identifying what is most important to you helps keep your compass pointing true, which is one of your most reliable tools for reaching, tomorrow, all of the destinations that are out of reach today.  For help on figuring out your compass go here:  Know thyself.


Do Not Fear:  Fearing how others see us is one of the primary vulnerabilities that leads us to buy into the traps of consumerism.  Fearing to let go attaches us to ever expanding dead weight that we carry with us along our journey.


Do Declutter Your Spaces:  The opposite of fear is freedom, not courage.  Courage is action in spite of fear.  Alleviation of fear is freedom.  We'll need both.  Courage to face the fears, and freedom to move.  Freedom to walk.  Freedom to choose.  Freedom to grow.  We collect and cling to clutter out of fear.  Laying to rest, the dead weight of unnecessary objects, allows flexibility, and freedom.


Do Not Submit to Emptiness:  Decluttering opens up opportunity.  If we are not thoughtful, and selective, and we refill the room we've just courageously created with new clutter, we've then submitted to our devices, and eliminated our own progress.  We've given our opportunity back to our fears.  Take time to consider your goals before refilling the emptiness.


Do Timeblock:  Think of time management the same way you think of financial management and monitor it even more rigorously.  People tend to waste more time than they do money, and although time sometimes feels more abstract, it has a greater finality to it.  Spend it wisely.


Do Not Perfect:  Perfection will usually derail you from, more than help you stay on your path.  Give yourself permission to experiment, and even to err.  Everything you are doing is part of an interesting journey.  Laugh with it.  Learn from it.  Improve upon it.  There are no right or wrong answers to living.


Do Reflect:  We had a goal.  What was it?  Are we nearer to it?  Is our journey enjoyable?  Is it all worth the effort?

No destination is worth a lifetime of torture.  Yet, no life is worth living that doesn't feed our purpose.  Reflecting is nothing more than what we did in the past when we identified and trued our compass.  Only now we're re-identifying with the new information we've gathered.  Do this again, and again, and again, and always with gratitude for both accomplishments, and learning experiences.