Creating a safe haven – Part III

Developing a minimalistic lifestyle

The first time I learned about minimalism, was from a friend who sent me a video on YouTube explaining how the concept worked.  In the video, there were two men who were gifted in the art of rhetoric.  Their argument was that in the world we live in, where everyone’s trying to “Keep up with the Kardashians,” we’ve lost sight of the things which should be really important to us.  Using a cellphone as an example they continued that most people would wait in ridiculously long queues from early hours of the morning to get their hands on the latest iPhone, but, who lacked the social skills to engage with the people around them. It made sense to me and I agreed that the world we live in has become the greediest it’s ever been, but at the point when they went as far as living in a house with just the bare essentials, they lost me. I am not one to go that extreme with anything but I see the value in what the core idea behind minimalism is.  From what I understood, it is that when we focus on what is really important, being present with those we speak with, deliberate about what we believe we need and disposing of what we don’t.  When we spend our time on only the things which add value to us, we would enrich our relationships and feel more content.

That being said, I have decided to do a minimalism challenge based on the areas which I feel I’ve allowed myself to get caught up in the superficialities of life.  It will be for 21 days with the intention of making it a lifestyle.   After documenting the advantages and disadvantages, I’ll write a post about how the quality of my life and relationships have improved. So without further to do here’s the list and a description of why it’s there.

1.  No TV from 7pm

Now, I don’t really watch a lot of TV, however, I do have days when I could really do with a couple of episodes of Friends.  The problem with that is a couple, easily becomes a season for me and although I don’t see the harm in a few episodes now and then, I can see how too much of the non-educational TV shows, dulls the brain and doesn't encourage genuine creativity.

2.  Read a life-changing book for 2 hours and a fictional one for 1

I never was one for reading growing up so I didn’t quite develop that habit.  Now that I’m older, if a book doesn’t capture my attention in the first paragraph I lose interest.  The life-changing book I will be reading is, "The purpose-driven life," by Rick Warren and the fictional I'm yet to find.  Now, I will combine my love to learn with the determination to be more of a minimalist to form the Captain Planet of book reading! LOL

3.  Develop a morning routine

This is something I used to do when I was younger but of late, have lacked the discipline longer than 2 weeks. I've put it down to the fact that it would require waking up way earlier than I have felt was necessary therefore disturbing the sleep I have come to cherish since battling insomnia.  Of course, now that my sleeping patterns have normalized, things will change.  They have to.  The routine itself is a work in progress but I will be sure to attach it once I’m done.  It will include prayer, exercise, meditation on the word and affirmations.  WOW just typing that out made me feel better.

4.  Stay offline from social media till 14.00

Ok so this may be the death of either some relationships or me LOL but I’m trusting God will bring me out on the other side unscathed.  Come out of the fire but not smell like smoke…be in the lion’s den but not get eaten. Hehe.  Judging by the way everyone at the mall moves around face down into their phones screen, I know this obsession is not something unique to just me. I just hope at 14.00 I don’t try to make up for lost time and find myself wasting time on nonsense….

5.  Take a step in the direction of learning a new skill

Something I have wanted to learn since forever was French.  I learned it in school, but without practice, have lost most of the rules and vocabulary making me despondent.  This time, I intend on being more deliberate and determined to hold a conversation passed the introduction of who I am and where I'm from. 

6.  Make a list of the people who add value to my life and set aside quality time to spend with them

Making a list of the quality friends would by default reveal those who don’t deserve my time.  Mentally, I’m preparing myself to distance myself from them to make it a little easier.  With regards to quality time, I mean, face to face, learning and growing with people who do more than tickle my ears with flatteries.  I’m talking about the kind of people who bring me out of my comfort zone, the ones who challenge me, who are there in good and bad times and who make it their mission to help me be a better version of myself and who feel I do the same for them.  The 12 (I'll explain this in another post)  Those people, deserve the very best of my time and attention.

7.  Lastly, declutter

Now this has been a challenge in my life from as far back as I can remember.  Not because my mother didn’t teach me to throw things away, on the contrary, she was a perfectionist.  No, I was a collector of nonsense and still find myself to be.  With my hoarding ranging anything from arts and craft paraphernalia to make-up and hair products I tried but didn’t like.  Getting rid of the stuff and keeping myself from buying more unused bits and bobs wouldn’t be the most fun thing but it is definitely necessary.

So here goes nothing!  I’ll probably add to the list as time goes on but for now, this already feels like it suffices without sending me into withdrawals.  So drop a comment and let me know which of the 7 minimalism habits would be the most challenging for you and if you will be joining me from the 1st of September.