Mental & Emotional Minimalism
This week I was thinking of a road trip Susanne and I took in 2020.
With COVID in full swing, we hit the road in our truck from our then home in Colorado and spent three weeks exploring this country the old-fashioned way, with just the two of us.
It was the first get-away with just the two of us in the then 25 years of marriage and it still comes with a flood of amazing memories.
On this trip, we spent the majority of our time with lifelong friends in a remote area of upstate New York, the exact place where we live today.
While there we rented this one-room cabin for two weeks.
While we had all the basic amenities, the one thing that Susanne and I talked about often during that time was how little we actually needed.
There was not one time during those minimalist two weeks we felt we went without. And to add to the highlight reel, it was two weeks full of deep connection with our dearest friends.
This walk down memory lane got me thinking about how life in general.
The tendency we have to fill our lives with things we do not need.
The energy we spend on thoughts that offer no real value, and those things that occupy space in our hearts and heads.
We bring on worry, stress, anxiety, life-sucking relationships, and strive for those things that have no intrinsic value.
We fill our days and weeks with work, unnecessary activities, an overabundance of extracurricular activities, which all rob of us the experience of the joy that can be life.
What would it look like if mentally and emotionally we became minimalists?
What if we gave priority to those things that brought contentment?
What if we chose to spend time in deep, authentic relationships, and discarded the things that just took up space and energy and brought nothing back to us.
I have been challenged again this week as I think about that trip to take an inventory of those things in my mind and soul that I do not need and get rid of them.
I am committed to being a minimalist and look forward to getting more from this incredible, beautiful life!
If you're struggling with any of the above - schedule some time to chat. I think that we may be able to uncover one or two things that could help.
On the journey with you,
P.S. If you are interested in joining a community of professionals who want to design a life they love, join us starting April 12th. You can learn more about it here.
This edition was first published in The Life Design Newsletter on LinkedIn.