Less is more, we hear it all the time from design aesthetics to presentation content. But the same applies to daily life necessities and I’ve been working hard to let go of stuff, feelings, people who don’t/no longer serve any purpose, but instead drag out all drama and issues.
How much do we really need? It’s all just stuff. I think this applies to all other aspects of life too – you don’t really need so many friends, you need a handful of your tribe. Given how time poor we are these days, we probably won’t ever have enough time for everything and the life of clutter we create.
Even before the Konmarie craze, there’s been plenty of articles and philosophies on living a life of less. I’ve been trying to abide by living a life of less for a while. This article is really inspiring. The more money you have doesn’t mean you have to keep upsizing.
“I try to live smaller and travel lighter. I have more time and money. Aside from my travel habit — which I try to keep in check by minimizing trips, combining trips and purchasing carbon offsets — I feel better that my carbon footprint is significantly smaller than in my previous supersize life.”
I’m sentimental and used to be a hoarder, having moved countries and continents over the last decade, I have only in recent years learnt how to live a leaner life. I also have to acknowledge that living a leaner life is for the privileged middle class. You need to already have enough, a comfortable level of enough before you can live a life of less. The poor go hungry and they have no choice to buy in bulk because its cheaper.
So many appliances, gadgets that I keep accumulating but don’t have time to really utilise it (ironically it’s all suppose to make your life better, simplify etc). And those personal relationships/friendships that no longer serve you in your present self. Let it go.
I suppose in our 30s, we start to feel loss more profoundly – losing parents to old age, losing friends who succumb to the evil toxic illness that is cancer, friends who have lost their child. And yet, there is so much envy and viciousness that still exist and all that psychological or physical baggage we carry around.
I’m happy to report that avoiding drama at all cost really improved my quality of life. I walk away from the vicious gossip, the prying, the unkind comments coming from places of deep insecurities and at times clearly psychological problems.
I’ve stopped overthinking everything. It’s not worth the time nor mental agony to “figure out why or why not“. There are plenty of insecure, hurt and mean people out there who constantly feel the need to project their own insecurities on others which inevitably leads to drama.
This living a leaner life on less has been the best thing ever. I am grateful to be living more mindfully and a much healthier, leaner life, although I am still working hard on the difficult (ethical) food decisions being married to a fine dining chef.
Shifting gears on the work front to take on more meaningful work despite the insecurities, rather than be caught in the toxic cycle of more has been the best decision ever.
My little ways of redeeming myself is growing as much of my own food as possible and teaching my students to question everything in the Anthropology Food and Culture course I teach final year hospitality students.
What are you doing to help live a better life of less? I found that it holds true when you declutter and let go of things, memories, people that no longer serve you, you actually make more room for things you want in your life.
Meaningful friendships, so much joy and space to do more and learn more.
*Stunning stock images from Unsplash, my resource for free stock images. I contribute as an photography hobbyist, but somehow find it not quite fair to the professionals submitting their amazing works for free and admire their generosity as they try to make a living off their craft, and in some way it devalues their work
