My mindset changed the moment I realized that everything is a tool. 

I’ve been thinking a lot about silence. Both being at home alone in silence and just “being” with others, to allow a sort of deepening in to the present moment, undistracted by someone else’s ideas and words.

Family is so … familiar, and our creature comforts extend to the family traditions that we hold dear to our hearts. By the very nature of them being traditions, they may seem exempt from analysis. I would posit, instead, that there is no intrinsic value in and necessity to retain traditions despite cherishing many myself.

Not all reasons are created equal. 

I am a very particular person. I don’t like different foods to touch on my plate, and I know exactly which brand of chocolate is best. I tuck in the corners of my bed sheets every day. I have routines and systems for most things, all based on clear and detailed preferences.

Have you heard the news? Life is not about finding balance. It’s about finding steadiness in the throes of imbalance, always keeping close eye on your center.

I love to host. I love to brew tea to pour in small tea cups, coupled with sweet treats. I like to cook meals and create a gathering place, with a peaceful ambiance. I never call it a night if the chatting is rich, or a good cry needs to be consoled.

I’ve been lifting weights recently. It’s reminded me of the saying: No pain, no gain. Have you ever lifted heavy weights during a workout, barbell in hand, beginning to curl and burn through the resistance?

There are many creations of modern society that I find curious, sometimes frustrating, usually wasteful, and occasionally mind boggling. These objects promote excess, disorganization, and, laziness.

You’ve heard the saying, “Let’s make memories!” Whenever those words arise, I cringe a bit. I don’t want to make the past, even if it’s something sweet to reflect upon. I want to make now’s.

Ecology may have been the most mindset-changing classes I took in college. An offshoot of biology, ecology teaches us how organisms interact with each other and their physical environment. Basically, how life works outside of our bodies. One of the most inspiring ecological concepts, I found, is succession.

There is no such thing as later. It’s just an idea, flagrant hypothesis, and deceitful invitation. It’s an excuse and the sultry allure of fantasy. The future does not exist. 

Time and management are two words that, when put together, cause cringing. Time is a river, management sounds like a dam. Time is freedom and opportunity, management is Dilbert vocabulary.

I've been nudging my parents to let go of unnecessary objects my whole adult life. They usually don’t listen to me, but sometimes they do, like when I redid my Dad’s home office or lent a hand as they downsized from my childhood home to a condo in a retirement community. In this community, my Mom now serves as the Board President of their 200-unit building.

One reason we don’t pare down our stuff or address organizational obstacles is the belief that there’s a tangible “later” when these problems will be solved. Or we believe our problems are manageable, and assume they won’t become worse. We need clever encouragement to do the work.

For two and half weeks at the edge of Todos Santos, Mexico, I was immersed in yoga teacher training. In tents we slept listening to the ocean. All day we practiced postures and learned how to teach yoga. It was heavenly. 

No matter how good I felt, our teacher would instruct us to “make it feel good,” when settling into poses.

I walked into the bedroom of a friend, and as she was showing me her recent efforts to downsize, I noticed the New Year’s card I made her, sitting solitary on a shelf.

Have you ever removed something big from your life?

A relationship, alcohol, a job? A palpable emptiness sits in it’s place. It’s not there, and yet it is more there than ever because the emptiness acts as a neon light.

It has always been my dream to be a speaker and a writer. It’s one of the reasons I started my business and live a frugal lifestyle. Material “stuff” in exchange for a dream- it’s a great deal. When I was accepted into the inaugural TEDxBartonSpringsWomen event, I had a moment of uncontainable excitement …

We think about ourselves a lot. Makes sense because, well, that’s who we are. We are immersed in our thoughts, our relationships, and our day-to-day activities. It’s all about us. And this is true of our possessions.