There is something we need to be reminded of more often. My reminder early this new year came from reading ‘The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck’ watching ‘The Minimalists’ and listening to the legendary Alan Watts to kick-off 2021.
We, as humans, make life unnecessarily hard on ourselves by living only to achieve more. You know the old saying “Work to live not live to work?” Well, it exists for a reason. We preach this statement but we don’t live it. We are constantly looking to achieve higher status at work, more money, more likes, even to have more kids! It’s never quite good enough.
It’s not our fault. It’s been drilled into us by society practically since birth. And reinforced by social media on a daily basis, reminding us what we (still) don’t have.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s completely understandable to want to achieve life goals and own some nice things. We just don’t need piles of them. Appreciation doesn’t work that way, as we all know if you have something really special then you’ll value it more if you only have one of it. The rest? Donate, sell, recycle. Use the money you make to help someone else out or clear your credit card debt. These are things that will actually make your life actually easier, happier.
I’m no different from most people. I buy stuff I don’t need. I have, however, since beginning my somewhat nomadic life 10 years ago, tried my best to always maintain less stuff and only keep what really matters. Don’t get me wrong, if I really want a designer handbag eventually I will buy it, but once I’m done with it, I’ll sell it and replace it with another, rather than having hoarding loads. I’m much the same with clothes. I have less clothes now than I did as a teenager. I like to think I own more quality things rather than quantity. I’ve never lived in an apartment bigger than a 2 bedroom because for much of my life, I’ve always left to travel. Why would I pay more in rent and accumulate more furniture than I need? It's hard to keep this mindset though.
The other day, I was changing my bed linen and realized I literally only have two sets of fitted sheets. Slightly horrified, I went out to get another set during the boxing day sales, only to become overwhelmed with way too much choice. After deliberating for a good hour I decided fuck it, I don’t desperately need another set. I could use that money for other things. So I left.
Everyone can benefit from simplifying and clearing their minds of the clutter you don’t need in your life. When you die, no one will care about that extra special cutlery set you had. No one will remember your massive flat-screen TV. People will remember you. The connections you had with others, your talents or passions in life. Not your stuff. You won’t care about your stuff either.
They say comparison is the thief of joy. It’s true. But realistically, really hard for us not to compare all the time, it’s human nature. Instagram is showing you exactly what you don’t have every day and in a very unrealistic light. Most of the time we forget to be grateful for what we do already have, and I think the ongoing effects of Covid-19 this past year have helped a lot of us appreciate this perspective more.
Living with less stuff, and giving less fucks, are two severely underrated things in life.
The key really is to work out what’s most important to you, then focus your time money and energy on that. For me, it’s always been travel. I could have bought 2 houses by now but instead, I’ve lived all over and traveled to over 30 countries. Everyone is different. You don't need to achieve what everyone else is doing.
So this 2021 I challenge you to get focused on what it is that really matters to you, what you no longer give any fucks about, and to de-clutter your life with shit you don’t need.