Create Significance

Due to my time constraints I'm just tagging Becoming Minimalist and I'll return here later.
Creating significance is really resonating with me lately. Time to give up the pursuit of success and change pathways!!!

Becomingminimalist - Trade up - create significance

Our lives hold far greater potential than the comfort and luxury most of us trade them for. After all, these are temporal pursuits that can never be fully achieved. They move and shift rapidly with the world around us. They never fully satisfy. They are completely self-centered. And our lives can be traded for things far greater.

Our lives can be traded for significance, social justice, or spiritual pursuits. We can invest our lives into creating a more sustainable planet, beautiful art, moments of joy for others, or causes we believe in. We can help others overcome fear, heartache, or significant obstacles to joy. We can trade our finite resources for the desires and values held deep within each of our hearts – the purest passions unspoiled by the culture around us.
We were created to live for pursuits far greater than comfort, luxury, and competition.
We were created to trade our lives up, not down.

Seek significance

“I cannot believe that the purpose of life is to be happy. I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be compassionate. It is, above all to matter, to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all.” —Leo Rosten

On the other hand, compare the advantages of significance:

• Significance always lasts. Significance will always outlast you. Even when you are no longer present, your significance will still be yours. And nothing can ever take that away from you.
• Significance carries on. Significance keeps on giving. When you positively change the life of another human being…  and that person changes the life of another… who impacts the life of another… who influences another…
• Significance satisfies our soul. While the thirst for success is never quenched, significance satisfies our deepest heart and soul. It allows us to lay our head on our pillow each night confident that we lived a valuable and fulfilling day.

The Gift of Giving

I had a really good idea for this post earlier in the day, now it's time to write I can't remember the 'really good idea' so does that mean that it wasn't that good??

In my quest to declutter I had a decent stack of teacher resource books. I didn't want to just dump them off since I was sure someone in the country would actually find them really useful. I contacted a friend, she came over and loved the books. She offered to pay for them, no it's ok - just take them and put them to good use!!
She left very happy, I was thrilled to see the books leave along with sheets, towels, bath mats and tea towels that I just don't need. It was a great feeling just to give and not expect anything in return.

When in reality I did receive something - a small step closer to my own freedom, when less is more.

Nature

More and more I feel the call of nature.

First I thought I wanted to become an outdoor education teacher - having skills in disciplines such as abseiling, rock climbing, bush walking, kayaking etc.
Gradually I moved away from that idea thinking I just wanted to focus on bush walking and become a day leader for bush walks and then an overnight leader and eventually a leader for multiday trips.
This call to return to the wild is strong and I just want to go camping in the mountains, bush walking and cycling.

Returning to nature will help rebalance my life. I also feel the same way about children. They need to spend more time in nature to make connections to the natural world so they will feel this urge to become custodians.
There are a number of school in Europe that are Forest Schools - these are catching my attention.
I have now discovered that in Australia there are Bush Schools that are based on the same philosophy and pedagogy as the Forest School.

In the Blue Mountains - Springwood there is a school called wildground.com.au/bush-school that seem to have some amazing programs running for young children.

I  have also now discovered Nature School in Port Macquarie. thenatureschool.org.au (facebook) a non profit school that caters for students 3-6years and permits them to be in the bush developing knowledge, skills and concepts that are essential for life and far more important than 'screen time'.

Imagine a preschool where nature is the classroom. There are no chairs, tables, play equipment, organised games or fences to prevent the children from wandering into nearby bush. Welcome to The Nature School Inc.; a not for profit organisation with a vision to create a world in which all children learn from and within nature.   

We are seeking your support to lay the foundations for a socially cohesive and sustainable future by nurturing creative, independent, healthy, resilient and environmentally aware children. 
Extensive research has shown that the benefits of nature play for children are far reaching. They include:

• Increased confidence, self-efficacy and self esteem 
• Increased social, physical, cognitive and language skills
• Increased motivation and concentration
• Positively influences family engagement and relationships between children and family members
• Less chance of being overweight
• Deeper conceptual understandings
• Respect for the natural environment
• Better learning experiences and more imaginative play
• Promotes future generations of environmental stewards
• Improves mental and physical health and wellbeing                  (from Nature School)

 

I will continue to read the the Nature School with the view to visit the school when I am in Australia.
Great article: Natural School Port Macquarie

6 Questions to Discover your most meaningful pursuits

6 Questions to Discover your most meaningful pursuits - from becomingminimalists
Discover Meaningful pursuits

Storing these 6 questions here so that I can refer to them often

1. What currently leads to most of my happiness and fulfillment?
Being outdoors, family

2. What concern or problem do I feel most compelled to solve?
Be involved with connecting others to nature, connect children to nature.

3. What would I spend my day doing if I knew I couldn't fail?
To work at a Nature School, to help nature school expand and develop the Primary school.

4. What do I get so consumed with that I forget to eat or sleep?
Reading and research Nature Schools, Forest Schools. Cycling, Bush walking location, Lotus, living a minimalist lifestyle, 

5. What does my perfect day look like?
Work at the Nature School, bush walking, cycling, being with family and friends, sharing and reflecting in the evening, eat healthy, laugh and smile, sleeping well.

6. What is one step I can take this week toward realizing my 'meaningful?'
Send an email to Nature school - done 12th April 2016

Walk away

21 days The Minimalists

Happiness, as far as we’re concerned, is achieved through living a meaningful life: a life filled with passion and freedom in which we grow as individuals and contribute beyond ourselves. Growth and contribution: those are the bedrocks of happiness. Not stuff.

This may not sound sexy or “marketable,” but it’s the cold truth. Without growth, and without a deliberate effort to help others, we are simply slaves to cultural expectations ensnared by the trappings of money, power, status, and perceived success.

Minimalism is the tool that helped us simplify our lives by stripping away the excess so we could focus on what’s truly important.

I felt that I had a wonderful, great job, that I thought I really loved yet it left me feeling stressed and tired at the end of each week with barely enough energy to really live and enjoy the weekend. Is this the way it's supposed to be? Everyone seems to be doing the same thing?
I read a child's book written by Kenny Peavy whilst I was in Bali titled The Box People, this book was also signed and gifted to me by Kenny - thank you. The connection I felt to the Box People and their desire to return to nature was simplistic yet powerful. All I desire is to return to nature and breathe. I'm over the big city living, the hype of having a good job, the stress of weekly demands.

Can I just walk away and leave it all behind???

Have just finished reading Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer - an interesting read of a young man who just wants to escape into the great outdoors in Alaska, seeking solitude. His tragic end wasn't intentional in my opinion, however he did make some very costly mistakes.

I'm wondering if I try to fit into the mold of what other people think I should be doing. Like I should be getting another job, really, I'm so over it. Seems I have a choice to work or not and right now it's just not something that I feel passionate about. Financially I could not work for a short time, especially if I continue to live in Asia where the cost of living is much cheaper than oz.

Does it matter to me that I don't have a job ?? apparently not :)
Should it worry me that I don't have a job??? apparently. According to who?? This is my life and I have no dependents so I can do whatever I want.

Three months since I've worked. And I still feel tired. And only motivated by returning to nature to rejuvenate. Wonder if I'm fatigued from pollution, toxins, lack of iron, lack of protein??

What is my dream? I just want to be in the mountains, enjoy nature and ride my bike.  Every time I'm cycling, even for 20 mins, my head feels clearer, I'm happier and free. Cycling does make me happy it's that simple. I desire to ride my bike every day even for a short ride each morning.

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!!

Ishinomaki Volunteering 27th May 2011

I joined PeaceBoat, travelled to Ishinomaki and participated in volunteer activities. I will go again on June 17th.
Every little bit helps.