Essentialism.

“To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, subtract things every day.”—Lao-Tzu 

Over the last couple of years, I have tried to change parts of my lifestyle to incorporate a perhaps more Essentialist way of living. I am attempting to be more frugal (not cheap but quality over quantity), decluttering both belongings and the mind, reducing the amount of things in my life whilst also increasing my quality of life overall. Greg McKeown calls it 'the disciplined pursuit of less'. I'm not trying to become a minimalist, I am just trying to live a more minimalist life than I used to; to think 'Do I need to buy that?' and if I do then 'Am I better off buying an item of quality that will last?' Or 'Do I still need this?'; does an item add value or can I get rid of it? Or to provide more focus every day and learn sometimes that I cannot please everyone and whilst I can essentially do anything I cannot always do everything.

I started by pairing down what I wanted to keep and donating or selling items that weren't important. My wardrobe was full of clothes from when I was a bigger guy that I didn't need anymore so they all went along with a fair few items that were ok for 21-year-old me but not 40-year-old me. This is going to allow me to update my 'sense of style' moving forward buying better clothes that I hope will last. It also means that shelves that were once cluttered can still be full, but with items I want to see such as my plants, pictures and books.

I think the above visual aid sums essentialism up really well. By taking more control of my own life I aim to channel my energy into the everyday goals that I believe matter rather than letting others make decisions for me. I am hoping that having started by mastering the physical matter I will be able to gain better control of the non-physical; switching between what matters externally and internally.