In a shocking announcement, John Reese recently shared that he sold everything he owned and was off to travel the world. The only material possessions he had left fit into a backpack he carried with him as he set out on the journey.
You can read the entire letter from JR on John Chow's blog: Why I Just Sold All My Possessions And Killed My Facebook Account
In another interesting announcement, Michelle MacPhearson shared that she was "downgrading her life" in a blog post titled How To Have Freedom. She talks about possessions as responsibilities, and how we're killing our own freedom.
I found both of their notes interesting - and inspiring. It really gave me pause for thought, and had me analyzing my own lifestyle choices & goals...
Possessions, Obligations, "Stuff" -and even Habits...
One of the things I learned from my Grandmother, a saying of hers that always stuck with me, is this: the more you have, the more you have to take care of. She spoke from personal experience of course, having much to manage. And while I admired her for that, particularly how well she did it, I took her advice to heart and chose to keep things simple in my own life.
I have a conservative home, drive a paid off car, prefer freedom (time) over money, created a career I love, live below my means, have learned to say "no" without guilt, don't have or live on a budget, and am debt-free outside of my mortgage.
I'm proud of those things, and glad I'm not a slave to my lifestyle. Or at least to possessions and obligations. There is still plenty of room for improvement in other areas of my life. And those are the things that came to mind for me personally as I was reading the notes from John & Michelle.
The clutter in my mind, and in my life, that holds me back.
As you know from my last post, I've been making serious lifestyle changes. I quit smoking 4 weeks ago. I also quit a long-term addiction to diet soda, started eating (much) healthier, and am working out several times a week. All in the same month. These are things that have been on my "want to do" list for years.
Don't ask me if I feel 100% better for it. I don't. It's been a crap month. Change is hard, and withdrawal is cruel. I am just now crossing out of pure torture and into bearable. It's still really hard to talk about, even.
(Don't ever let anyone tell you that change is easy.)
I would not put myself through this without a reason. These are the things that hold me back, that truly bother me, that take up space in my head - and keep me from being as happy and as productive as I know I can be. As I want to be.
Some people feel like a slave to their job. Or to their bills. Or to their schedule or routine. I was a slave to my habit. In a big way.
I feel encouraged to push harder than ever to achieve my personal goals. To become the woman I've always wanted to be. Physically, mentally, emotionally - and even spiritually. No more wishing, no more feeling like things are just outside my reach, no more doubting myself. If there's anything I've learned from the last 4 weeks of turning my life & routine upside down... it's that I can do anything.
It boils down to having control. Of yourself, your life, your direction. Being in control means you're a slave to nothing, and to no one. It means you can do anything you please -anytime. It means there is nothing holding you back, or holding you down.
Control is freedom.
An interesting concept really. Seems like an oxymoron, doesn't it? But... either you're in control of it, or it's in control of you.
Some things I've learned from the experience: There is never a perfect time. Just do it. Change doesn't come easy, you have to force it. It's going to get bad before it gets better (like the huge mess you make trying to clean out a closet -lol). You have the option of doing nothing at all... and getting stuck exactly where you are.
The Power of Less
John Reese mentioned a book in his letter that inspired him, a book by Leo Babauta titled The Power of Less.
Intrigued by John's drastic lifestyle change, and the fact that Leo is married and father to six children, I decided to check out the book for myself.
I plugged the title in at Amazon.com, and ended up ordering a set of 4 books from him.
The 4 titles I ordered are:
- The Power of Less: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential...in Business and in Life
- The Simple Guide to a Minimalist Life
- Zen Habits: Handbook For Life
- Zen To Done: The Ultimate Simple Productivity System
I just got them in last week, so I haven't had a chance to read any of them yet. The first and last title appeal to me most, but I chose all 4 books a) because Amazon offered a bundle offer, and b) because I thought I just might take a genuine interest in the concept. The back of The Power of Less really says it all:
I have no intentions of selling my home, and in fact am in the process of several major purchases to complete my ideal set-up. But I love the idea of eliminating the unnecessary and focusing on the things that truly matter to me.
I have plenty of "unnecessary" that is a total time-suck, taking up entirely too much space & time in my brain - and causing me personal stress. Both in my business and in my life. Time to let it go and get focused only on the things that matter...
Which begs the question: If you were forced to eliminate everything in your life except what could fit into a single backpack, what would be in yours? I've been giving that a lot of thought this week, and not only considering the material possessions - but also thoughts & priorities that should be sorted as well.
Oh- and before I close, I was just checking out Leo's blog this morning and found a timely post (timely for me!) on the topic of change:
"Change can be a difficult thing. Most people want to change their lives, in some way, but find it difficult to either get started or to sustain the change for very long." - The Elements of Change
Best,
p.s. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the letters from John & Michelle, the books if you've read them, or what your own challenges are at the moment. And I promise you, this will be the last "lifestyle essay" for awhile - we'll be back to the usual marketing tips & podcasting series here shortly! 😉
About Lynn Terry
Earlier this year, I was in a position where I had very few possessions and I can't even describe how freeing it was. I took a trip to another state that was supposed to last 6 days - all I had with my was a large purse and a carry-on bag. I ended up staying there two months, and there was really only one thing I missed (which I had sent down to me). Objects and things can be replaced - though I've been a collector of year, I didn't really miss my trinkets while I was away. I have a few articles of clothes I've hung on for years, but when it came down to it, I didn't need to miss them either as I just bought a few new things. I found that the only things I really needed were my Bible, my laptop, my external hard drive with my music on it, and my Disney DVDs.
When I returned home, I had the desire to rid myself of just about everything, but that's truly easier said than done. I may look into those books you mentioned as it's refreshing and very helpful to realign my priorities from time to time (I'm just hoping their not too "new age"-y).
This really resonates with me. I can't say that my entire life fits in a backpack, but 6 years ago I quit a well paid job and with my partner moved out of our house, sold our extensive collection of motorbikes and classic cars and went to live on a narrow boat to cruise the british canal system.
We've never looked back and I can't tell you how fantastic it feels to declutter your life! Our feeling was that our treasured possessions were owning us. By spending time away from the mainstream we've been able to re-evaluate what really matters to us.
If you need some space to fully develop your dream, just go and take the plunge. What you'll learn and the experiences you'll have will surpass all your expectations and will very likely be different to what you expected to happen.
Well, seems like EVERYONE is talking about minimalism and making big changes these days. I'm happy to be part of the crowd. I just sold my house and gave away or sold everything but a few pieces of art and 2 boxes of files. Now I'm down to my truck (soon to be sold) and 8 more boxes I'm itching to sort through and dispose of too.
John's little rucksack has inspired me to pare down even more.
But I really agree with you, Lynn. Change IS hard. The stuff I've gone through in the last 18 months of making the decision to sell my house and leave the country for extended travel (like John) brought up all kinds of inner resistance.
I met you at Coming Home III in San Diego - we sat beside each other at the fish place across from the Hard Rock one night. I'd love to give you a free EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) session to teach you this awesome skill you can use to help get over some of the hardest parts of the wonderful changes you're making. And in the session I'd help you with whatever is hardest at the moment.
I'd love to give back a little to you, as you give so much to so many.
Lynn,
I recently lost most of everything I owned in a fire that partially destroyed my home. It was a lesson in minimalism. Its been about a month since the event and I haven't been out shopping for clothes, shoes and the zillions of other things that I seemed to need before. Only a handful of clothes and two pairs of shoes for each person (my husband and child) made it in the fire and we've been living with that as we work to rebuild our home. Of course it was an unfortunate and extreme way to finally learn how to live minimalistically. Leo is a great source of inspiration to me as well and I subscribe to his blog zenhabits.
Good luck with controlling your habit and finding the freedom you dream of. Change is perhaps the most difficult thing to do, esp when the desire to so is inborn and not forced cause you're essentially fighting with yourself. But look at at this way: it already means that YOU are in control of your life 🙂
Best,
Salma.
Oh boy, are you preaching to the choir. Starting learning to be doing social media management for my local business community is like a greased slide into a whirlpool of overwhelm. So many bright shiny utopian "this (fill in the blank video, membership, package) is THE ONE think you are missing out on that is causing you to fall further and further behind your business goals and your competition. FOCUS is just so much THE challenge - and I'm learning and practicing that as fast as I can. Thanks.
Hi Lynn. Thanks for your insights... and am als glad to see that you bought some eastern philosophical book (zen), which capture the wisdom of milennia and for that are worth a serious and meaning look.
I think that change is indeed difficult, because people (we) lack the will power to make the change. In the world of Internet Marketing I see so many people wandering around, and not being able to "take action". Why? Because they can't focus. Why? Because they have no control over their minds. Why? Because They lack will power. Why? Because there's a fragmented mind, that is not used to doing JUST ONE THING, and thus we get back to focus...
I also think that your insight is a result of making sacrifices: the understanding in life comes from sacrifice. Your grandma surely wasnt't that "zen", but she may have made quite some sacrifices in her life, and from those came understanding. Newer generations are more used to egoistical sacrifices than althruistic sacrifices, and this is a big minus.
One backpack? I'd take Samael Aun Weor's "The perfect Matrimony" and "Pistis Sophia Unveiled" (gnostic readings by the way). The rest will just unveil slowly, by itself...
I am happy but perhaps not as "productive" as I would like. I recommend reading the Dalai Lama's "The Art of Happiness."
We are just passing this world and material possessions does not really matter. It cannot give us the ultimate happiness that every human being is looking for. I really do believe in the saying that the best things in life are free! Life long ago was simple, people just made it complicated.
Lynn, another great post. The important thing is to identify your goals and then eliminate everything that’s hindering or not helping you get there. I’ve done brief experiments with minimalism, and every time I get rid of things, I feel a LOT better and freer.
But it takes a continual effort. Lately I’ve been letting other things take up a lot of my time (it’s not always possessions) that aren’t helping me reach my goals. I have to get back to basics… thanks for the reminder.
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