I’ve always had a knack for Minimalism from childhood but I gave it up at a point.
Because it attracted a lot of misunderstandings from loved ones, especially my parents, as sometimes it entailed getting rid of physical resources.
The reasons were simple since I was not the one purchasing them. Discarding resources without permission was seen as showing ingratitude or being rude.
But, as I've gotten older and technology has increased our access to everything, especially our attention and the amount of things we can buy, decluttering my life has become a necessity.
The truth is that if you are the one who is cluttering yourself, you are also the one who can declutter yourself.
Well this is honestly an inspiration from the post by man, Tyler Todt on Twitter:
He broke down decluttering into categories which I would also follow:
1) Time declutter
2) Physical declutter
3) Relationship declutter
4) Financial declutter
5) Digital declutter
6) Spiritual declutter
We all have 24 hours a day, but we don’t spend them the same. The most important thing that affects how we spend our time is our priorities.
Do you want more time for the things that are important to you and your family? It's never about time management, it's about priority management.
If you want to declutter your life, starting with your time – realize that you can’t do everything at once.
Declutter your process.
Set activities according to your priorities and act accordingly.
When I was growing up; we trekked everywhere. It wasn’t so much out of choice as out of poverty.
We trekked to school.
We trekked back home.
We trekked to church.
Unless it was out of town … it was trekkable.
Now I’m an adult. Trekking is supposed to mean longer walks. E.g the Israelites going away from the desert in the Bible.
And walking is the general process of moving with your legs.
But the power and benefits of walking don’t just come from the simple process of moving your legs, say from one chair to another or from your table to your bed.
It comes when you combine mindfulness with moving your body. Light exercise will get your heart rate up, your blood pumping, this helps clear your mind of the junk thoughts and help you refocus 💪
While it may not give instant results when it comes to staying in shape– exercise contributes to your fitness over the long term and how you feel at the moment.
People who walk for at least 30 minutes a day or for at least 2000 steps daily are generally healthier and have a lower incidence of heart problems and a lower mortality rate compared to the rest.
9 Benefits of walking i found
Walking in nature is known to boost your mood as you're exposed to natural lights and fresher air. Plus the endorphin rush that comes with any form of exercise.
I awoke yesterday with poor sleep quality, as well as having stayed up late unnecessarily. After eating and doing some chores, the only thing that came to mind was to walk.
I walked a short distance to a nearby library before returning home. Boom.
My mood was better, and I was able to have a short siesta. Compare this; with sitting in front of a screen when you're not feeling well; you'd be more irritated before the end of the day.
A lot of times, we worry a lot.
I had a lot of anger towards my dad as a kid because he allowed my mom to take most of the responsibility for the home.
But today, he's one of my biggest heroes. Aside from the poor financial aspect, he's got a strong faith, and he's one of the most courageous people I know.
In addition to worrying, we also do a number of other things that we later regret. And how many times have we looked back to see how it all worked out for good; and more importantly "count your blessings:"
Here's a few things you can change your perspective for good:
Everything you fear is worse in your imagination.
If you lack the courage to take risks, you may end up bitter, You’ll keep witnessing less smart people with more courage doing much better than you.
The biggest risk you can take is not taking any risks.
"I just got scammed."
I texted my new date i had just met.
Funny enough she didn't respond. I didn't know many ladies know guys and their tales too well.
But mine wasn't a fairy tale. And it's not an April fool either for today. It was just an event that got me back to my feet financially that happend over 7 years ago.
One step forward, two steps backwards
So one of the signs I knew I have been doing something right, was the rate at which my business has been moving without going one step forward and two or more steps backwards. Scams and poor decisions bring forth the later.
It reminded me of why I decided to take money seriously rather than playing reactive after that event.
Looking back, I joined a random group online that promised to double my money. First it sounded like a joke, and i probably had been hearing of them before. "Why not put a little money you can afford to lose and see if anything happens. At least you can reinvest the little profit if it works out or lose a little sum if it doesn’t." I thought to myself.
What started like a little amount i could afford ended up leaving me totally BROKE. I was just a kid a little above 18 then. The scammers didn’t stop pestering me to indulge more until my bank account was empty. In fact, at the end of it all, they asked me to look for how to borrow more money, which I attempted to.
Forward to over 7 years now, I have zero incidence of such. I’ve been going all out on my business and while I aim for more; I feel more contented than ever before.
Here’s how I’ve been avoiding getting scammed for some years now:
A man without priorities is vulnerable to falling for all manner of schemes and games.
Having a plan for your money is the #1 method I recommend for setting your priorities.
If your priority is building your business, obtaining assets, or taking care of your family, then you won’t dare risk a significant chunk of your money on a “claim” or random “promise.”
Others include:
- Paying tithe
- Putting your family first
- Investing in your business or side hustle
- Giving to charity
People are afraid to text again because they’re not sure it’ll get opened, much less get a reply. The same goes with emails—we're unsubscribing from crap we no longer resonate with and deleting junk unlike ever before.
In a world where we are constantly bombarded with an overwhelming amount of content and notifications, our attention has become a precious commodity.
I asked a friend to help me complete a setup online. First, he blatantly refused, saying he wouldn’t want to reveal some personal details.
So I thought of a way he could do it from his end. What looked like a small request... got him to first download the app, then attempt the setup. He got stuck.
He shared a screenshot of the error he was getting, but unfortunately, I didn't have any answers yet. Before i could figure out what to do, he never responded anymore to my messages.
There are more things fighting for our attention than ever before... In short, attention is the new currency.
When you’re passing a message whether for informational purposes or for sales conversion you need to have a clear purpose.
Having more than one CORE idea at once confuses rather than converts
People can actually do two or more things at once, such as walk and talk, or chew gum and read a map; but, like computers, what we can’t do is focus on two things at once.
Our attention bounces back and forth. This is fine for computers, but it has serious repercussions in humans. E.g patient given wrong medicine or prescription. - One Thing.
If you can’t detect sarcasm – you’re going to have a lot of misunderstandings with friends and family plus fall easily into several traps in life.
Infact, there are studies that claim “not understanding sarcasm can be a warning sign of dementia later in life.
The Pros and Cons of Sarcasm
Sarcasm can be used as a tool to build rapport or to put someone down. It all depends on the intent of the person using it.
History and types of Sarcasm:
Sarcasm has been around for centuries. It was once used as a form of wit and humor, but it has since evolved into something more complex.
There are many different ways to be sarcastic. Some sarcasm is lighthearted and harmless, while other sarcasm is mean-spirited and hurtful.
When someone is sarcastic all the time
We had a course mate in school that was extremely sarcastic. His response to every question was a joke – it didn’t matter how serious you were.
Funny enough, he was smart academically. Whatever jokes and pranks he made never affected his grades.
Then all of a sudden - he dropped out. It wasn’t really clear but we heard he went to pursue a football dream in a foreign country.
The sad part of the story was he came back after 3 years or so to see if he could start all over as his plans didn’t work out.
He became very bitter and reserved. The same person that was joking all around before could barely say a word.
It made me think much of who he really was all the time he was “King of Sarcasm.”
Who was behind the smiles and unnecessary jokes?
I’m not against being Jovial or taking life less seriously ....
The danger is when you allow Sarcasm do more harm than good: Hide the real you.
Why i decided to tone down Sarcasm?
In fact, I was this way before; I had a lot of insecurities as a kid and even through my teenage years. I could barely laugh without covering my mouth.
And to crown it all – I was amongst the most sarcastic person you could think of.
Then I got physically sick. I decided to start making changes to my life and stop following the crowd.
One of the first things I decided to tone down my SARCASM.
It was time for not just others to take me seriously but for me to take myself seriously.
Enough saying one thing while I meant the other.
Not sure if you could communicate without sarcasm?
Its funny most sarcastic people think they’re in control of their emotions and words– but a few like me didn’t know what we were doing.
Some people use sarcasm as a way to keep people at a distance. It can be used as a way to avoid intimacy or to protect oneself from getting hurt.
In fact I think sarcasm is a low vibration form of communication. Think of a 5 year old kid that answers every question with Sarcasm
Except you’re really strong or experienced, you may just be projecting your insecurity on others without taking responsibility for your emotions.
I see "improving Character" as more of winning the battle within and being at peace with your inner self.
We all have our “inner demons” we’re battling with. Your character no matter how hidden would always show up in how you act as it affects your mindset and actions.
Another thing to remember is your character is built in the nitty-gritty moments of life.
The hardest times and the most difficult moments bring the most powerful lessons and experiences you will ever have in your entire life.
“Character is not something you buy, it is not a commodity that can be battered for; it is not a quality suited for only the rich and famous; rather, character is built upon the foundational commitment of love, honesty, and compassion for others.” - Byron L. Pulsifer
Integrity is the practice of living by one's moral and ethical code, which is a sign of character.
When I got into college, part of the school’s anthem was “knowledge, genuine and pure …in character and learning.”
It resonated so much with me because at a point in High school, I got frustrated with mediocrity and desperate to be on top that I started cheating in most tests and exams.
Then I noticed without cheating, I was getting dumber.
One poor decision like that can hurt your integrity and character as a whole so much that I swore in college to rather fail than cheat again.
A key to protect your integrity is to ditch your 𝙗𝙖𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙩𝙨 so you can find your true integrity.
Love is one of the most beautiful things in the world.
But sometimes it seems so far away.
It can be difficult to maintain hope when it seems like love is so far away. Sometimes, it may feel like you will never find the right person or that you are not good enough. However, it is important to remember that everyone is unique and that there is someone out there who will love you for who you are.
We tend to do stupid things when we crave for intimacy and that we end up regretting.
For some, they found love so easily – holding unto a partner for long or jumping into several relationships. But for some others – love tends to always appear so far away.
It’s either you’re parting ways sooner after you meet because it’s just the wrong timing or the interest keeps fading away after a short while.
Love is really all that matters because everyone comes into this world with nothing other than love and leaves with nothing other than love.
Are you in love with the person you look into the mirror every single day ?
True love with another starts with being kind to yourself because at the end of the day, your success in the outside world is a reflection of your success on the inside.
A friend once wrote this:
Only when I become aware of who I was, only when I learned to love myself and have a relationship with me, did I start to appreciate what I had, I was able to remove expectations, stop judging and stop comparing myself to others.