My Days Of Zen

Auj says...

Recently, I have been possessing this feeling of deciding to live a simple life. And it was in some self-help blog that I read this: that the desire to live a simpler life would usually just be about owning and wanting little.

To own a little necessitates a pragmatic approach -- it is simply about decluttering my life and eliminating what should be eliminated. On the other hand, to want little is focused on what we think.

To honestly and sincerely say that you want little is a daunting task. Most of the time, this feeling takes us a bit farther away from certainty. To cut the psychological attachment to owning and wanting much requires more than a gradual process or a set of specific strategies; since this needs an immense shift in thinking, a deep shift in the way you live your everyday life and how you come up with the major decisions.

Depth, Emotion and Meaning. We need these three tools around for us to watch our vision come to life. Without these three, we lose that drive of passion we need. I have gotten to be more specific as I grow more mature everyday. I am not afraid anymore for desires to overwhelm my life because I know now what matters to me the most -- only the things that are contributory to my life's aims.

Lesson learned: You know you are matured when it becomes easier for you to say "No" when you are sure that it is not going to be part of your vision of the bigger picture.

So why do I want little lately? Aside from the more average sounding reasons of saving money and eliminating process, I want to lavish my time from the offset of times that I do not have so much work. Suddenly, I treasure sleep so much as if it is as important as receiving my paycheck weekly. And I need it to pack me up with new energy. I appreciate embracing now as something even more relaxing than getting a full body spa.

Lesson learned: To want little is just fine for as long as it still bears such great meaning and purpose.

The benefits of all these, I experience the most with our current traveling gigs. Learning to just pack the essentials or noticing how much different it is when you are in a tranquil environment.

Lesson learned: Maybe this is why I have been having the desire to visit temples lately even if I am not a Buddhist.

I have started with tiny victories. The world is a classic beast who always wants us to want more without even a solid reason. And hence to be persistent with the quest for living simple and in peace, we must embrace what is positive and be with plus-like minded individuals who are also wanting to cut themselves free from the usual leash of the world.

Lesson learned: Now I know why I don't get swept away anymore with the act of purchasing that most of us people lose ourselves in. This is because I get lost more in meaningful activities than in acquisition. I am now interested to do things that matter than buy things that could matter too.


Above all, I learned that wanting little is not about entirely depriving myself of what could be important to me, but in obviating all the clutter that gets in the way of my life. And this all accounts to being honest with myself.




Dori says...

"Be kind to the planet.
Be gentle on your wallet.
Rejuvenate your life."

- From Put Your Life In A Diet

If there is one thing that we strongly and similarly advocate, I believe it’s this travelling light in life and striving to be detached from worldly acquisitions. I agree it’s never easy to let go of the urge to acquire and be deliriously happy, albeit fleeting. But at the end of the day, when we lie down at dawn (it’s always past midnight) and sleep eludes us and our restless minds suddenly shift to being reflective, spiritually stimulated and intellectually incapacitated, there is this insurmountable joy to learn that with so little, we can be so much..

To realize that it only takes an inner dialogue shift and feeding our subconscious mind we are capable of impossibilities so long as we ask according to the Lord’s will.

• To understand that our life’s journey is about learning how to balance and focus on the essentials to make it fruitful.

• To say that I’m a truly happy person just by being truthful about how I feel all the time and not hide under a mask.

• To find out that life is indeed like a box of chocolates, that it could be fun not knowing what you’re going to get, just let faith make you run, as did Forrest Gump.

• To eagerly anticipate the day ahead having a clear picture of your life’s purpose and setting free from worries.

• To embrace voluntary simplicity, making sound choices when and where to be thrifty or extravagant, having a generous mindset, being close to nature.

• To soak into gratefulness about working from home, the precious time spent with the people who make your life worth living, the gift of sleep with so much work at hand, cooking from scratch, liberally hugging the one you love, challenging yourself to teach a dyslexic kid how to read, the perks of travelling to explore and ease burnout.. there’s so much to be thankful for.

• To differentiate having a poor man’s attitude from living a life of simplicity and non‑deprived lifestyle.

• To become a fan of DIY (Do-It-Yourself) store and learning to fix stuffs around the house and teaching yourself new skills that tickle your interest.

• Most importantly, to live deliberately and consciously, giving you the freedom to love, and obtain peace of mind, more quality time, and enjoyment of everyday life.