Monday, April 4, 2016

A new Phase - declutter - to live with less to create more freedom

My main inspiration for this blog and moving towards becoming a minimalist are Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus from The Minimalists

I have decided to start blogging again influenced by becoming minimalist by Joshua Becker.
The intended purpose is for me to store thoughts and ideas here.

Firstly, I have to acknowledge that there been a huge gap from June 2011 to now - April 4th 2016.
A great deal has happened in that time but I've no intention of details those years. In a nut shell I moved from Japan to Laos, taught in Vientiane for 3 wonderful years before leaving the school to pursue a cycling dream. I cycled from Perth to Sydney in 2014 taking 63 days loving the freedom, being on the road, making decisions and feeling in control in a world where I felt control had been taken away from me. This was another charity ride, having previously ridden from Vientiane - Chiang Mai - Bangkok - Phuket in 40 days to raise money for the same humanitarian project in Laos.

It's now Monday April 4th 2016 and I'm at cross roads again with what direction I want my life to take so I plan to pour ideas onto this page and see what happens. 

'Sometimes life is about risking everything for a dream no one can see but you' David Wolfe.

This sentence probably sums up how I feel but I can't see the dream right now I just know that things have to change. I have an overwhelming desire to return to the mountains, to trek, cycle, breathe fresh air, start gaze and just be with nature.
The first step in realizing this was to walk coast2coast in Bali with Jeff, Kenny, Juliane and Phil. An awesome journey of discovery on so many levels.




The second step was to relocate from Savannakhet (where I had lived for one year) back to Vientiane. This turned out to be a very positive experience using the public bus for my bike and boxes.


The Minimalists
At first glance, people might think the point of minimalism is only to get rid of material possessions: Eliminating. Jettisoning. Extracting. Detaching. Decluttering. Paring down. Letting go. But that’s a mistake.
True, removing the excess is an important part of the recipe—but it’s just one ingredient. If we’re concerned solely with the stuff, then we’re missing the larger point.
Minimalists don’t focus on having less, less, less; rather, we focus on making room for more: more time, more passion, more experiences, more growth, more contribution, more contentment. More freedom. Clearing the clutter from life’s path helps us make that room.
Minimalism is the thing that gets us past the things so we can make room for life’s important things—which actually aren’t things at all. 

Inspired by the  Packing Party The Minimalists to PACK!!!
Feb 2016
 Now everything is boxed but mostly I feel no attachment to it and at times have absolutely no idea what is even in each box. Seems that this happens to many of us and it's my intention to declutter (sell, give away, recycle, trash) what I can so that the items remaining are those that bring me joy, add value to my life and purpose.
I am however struggling with throwing things out that still are in good condition. When I put them aside to either sell or donate next thing I discover that I am putting them back in the 'things to keep'.

Back to the drawing board to read more on how to overcome this urge!!

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