Small things for a large change

It was April, I started exploring things. I traveled to a hell lot of places and lived upon the benevolence of others.

I realized one thing a lot of people care about me and I could relentlessly sit on my sofa 24*7 wasting time on Instagram and Twitter without requiring the need to care much about personal development.

At this point of my life, many people will yell and say you got nothing to worry about. You are free.

These moments compels me to think. Am I free? I look back at my past and realize I haven’t done or achieved anything substantial. I am not productive. To most people attaining nirvana is being productive, which clearly I wasn’t.

I am very keen to possessions. I returned home and took a look at my room. Everything seemed to be living in a cozy unconformable setting. I changed the way I will acquire more things. I decided if I get something new, I will dump something unnecessary (and not something old). Likewise, if I would like to inherit a new good value I will dump something that’s not good.

Now suppose years from now that benevolence runs out and I am on my own. At that time I may want a golf kit because I may have started to love the game. How would I get that? When people don’t have things they either buy or borrow them.

Fair enough. I will borrow a golf kit.

What if I would like to go to Europe? Will I be able to borrow tickets or hotel charges?

It is then it stroke me, I will have to learn to be minimalistic. Before trying to be productive or doing anything that could be a big game changer, I will have to cut on small things.

Okay, cool enough. I have to be minimalistic. So, how do you learn to be minimalistic?

A lot of people tend to believe that minimalism is directly related to ownership. Simple formula – the lesser you possess, the more minimal it would be.

That’s simply not true. Having less isn’t about being minimalistic but on the contrary, it’s all about adding to emptiness.

There is a slight gap between emptiness and minimalism

Emptiness will take away the power to measure. When you are empty you cannot have comparisons like “better” or “worse”.

With the passage of time, I have learned few things that would effectively add up to minimalism rather than emptiness.

• Refrain from lies

Think about it.

According to statistics, an average person lies once in every ten minutes of a conversation. Well, I wasn’t average.

I was an affectionate liar. I loved to lie. For no reason at all, I use to lie. Result?  I have a self-made complicated word that I have to keep a record of. That sucked because that’s clearly conflicting to the meaning minimalism.

Requiring to keep a record of fewer things adds up to minimalism and it really feels awesome.

• NO Blathering or judging

For me caring for myself and constant self-judgment is hard enough.

Who am I to tell discuss that XYZ is wrong? Am I perfectly perfect in the eyes of the person I am judging? Am I perfect to myself? Judgments are simply a waste of time – toxic for your growth.

• Enhance curiosity

I am getting to know myself. I want to know about others. Every single of eight billion residents on this planet has something to teach. There are various places I want to know about. There are things I want to know about.

My job is to be curious and perceive. My job doesn’t evolve useless and meaningless lecturing to someone else.

• Amend eating habits

 

Almost all the major life threatening disorders like heart attacks, strokes, cancer, diabetes, are caused by consumption of improper diet.

Are you a nutritionist? Most of us aren’t. So, how do you figure out what to eat and what not to? Personally, I think that you don’t need to follow up a dieting schedule (unless you already suffer from a disorder).

Think what we know. In all the things we consume daily, processed sugar and oily foods are what can do the most harm.

That is why I have started to eat less (notice less doesn’t mean negligible or small amount, here it means adequate) of those and it makes me feel really good.

• No Internet

  

  say no to the internet for a few moments

Three months ago, a second without being connected to the worldwide use to make me feel sick. I decided to work on this.

Most of the things I do (viz., blogging, coding, reading on kindle) requires internet so why am I dragging myself to 1890’s?

By no internet, I meant no internet in places where no internet makes sense and you could draw more joy doing to those things.

If I go outside I take off the SIM-card that has a cellular data plan. This way I am not cut from important communications and can still get the gist of a good life.

I try to make real connections instead of digital ones.

I try to avoid people who constantly look at their phones while I am talking to them. Am I Invisible?

Do I miss internet outside? Yes, a lot to be honest but eventually I will get used to the fact that I am actually taking a break from World Wide Web and not am disconnecting myself from it.

• Doing things that you like

I like to go out to restaurants and parks. I like to observe people. I like to listen to jokes people make. You too can try that.

Seems obnoxious and boring?

It’s fine. Take a paper and enlist five things you love to do (no computer games :P). Try to schedule some time from your daily routine to do that. Next day try to increase the timing (without hampering your primitive work) and then next day try to increase even more time. You see what’s happening? You are slowly doing what you love to do. J

You do not need to hunt for adventures every day to kick-start your day. You just need to fork your current schedule and look around. Adventures will be on its way. Take  pleasure out of everything you do.

• Find your low-point pal

In situations when you are depressed you need to share things with someone. The ‘someone’ could be your family member, spouse, your friends or even a blog. It doesn’t matter who that someone is.  What matters is that someone is there when you need him/her/it.

Me with my low-point pal.
(My sister)

Having a low-point pal really helps in recovering from a depression and start working again with double the enthusiasm.

• Let Possibilities find you

I feel better when I do things I have knowledge of. I like to do things I like.

Do I have time and enough capability to follow all of my hobbies? We are already surrounded by things like having to choose what to wear from a stock of 1000 clothes or having to complete the task else you would be fired off and even scheduling the time to keep you with your favorite TV series.

Suppose that you interested in music. This is a chance. “But I can’t play an instrument”.

List five other things related to music (except for playing an instrument). Can you write reviews of already released songs in your leisure time? Can you collect a list of top hits of the month? Can you list things about music people have forgotten? Can you interview singers and songwriters?

Can you?

 

May be you can. That is a possibility. Possibility takes you to competence and competence to freedom.

It’s been three months since I have been looking out. No doubt, I have had stress, anxiety and happiness along the journey.

May be I will encounter even more problems, even more stress and depressing moments. Maybe but what’s really significant is that I am no longer bounded.

I am free.

• All
• change
• Equality
• Evil
• failure
• Peace