Living With Intention vs. Impulsivity

I was listening to a podcast last night (one of my new favorite ways to learn/think) called The Minimalist. You may have heard of the two authors/speakers/podcasters? They are two lifelong friends who had made it really big in the corporate world only to find in their 30s that they really weren't really happy.

You know, the kind of happy that is long-lasting.

How did they change that? How did they find more long-lasting happiness? (PS: they have.)

Little by little they started getting rid of things (literally) and circumstances in their lives that weren't essential:

The big home.
The big television.
The "toys" that didn't get used regularly.
Extras that brought financial burdens.
And on and on and on.

Eventually they left their corporate jobs as well.

And while I don't get the impression they are Buddhist monks, they are living lives with intention, trying to avoid the non-essential, and then sharing those experiences with others.

I love thinking about their ideas/changes.

And while I'm not sure I could make all of the modifications they did (and I'm not certain that all lives call for the same changes), I absolutely relate to the feeling that life is just kinda taking over "my life."

Know what I mean?

I'm thinking about my technology-saturated life. The television programs (or Netflix binge-watching) that take up way too much space in my schedule and brain. The excess. The time wasted on commutes to and from places I don't really need to go. The spending or shopping that doesn't have to happen.

And on and on and on.

I'm not sure if you ever feel this way, but I can definitely see areas of my life that need more intention. And it's something I'm thinking about this New Year. I think it would be good for me to make some changes, and that feels kinda exciting.

It reminds me a little about how I felt on Survivor. We were literally in one outfit, with one bathing suit, on an island without ANY power, running water, sanitation situation/toliets/soap/showers, etc. We were without housing/shelter, heating, bedding . . . and limited on food supply (5 lbs of beans 5 lbs of rice for 10 people). Forget technology. Forget watches. Forget weather forecasts. Forget all forms of technology/communication . . .

for 39 days!

It was eye-opening.

I learned a great deal from that period of "deprivation" and can see the value in stripping my life of the inessential. (Though I think clean water and sanitation are essential. No question.).

So my point!

I've been home from Survivor long enough to let those lessons kinda fade.

It's a good time to hit the reset button and try to live with more intention vs. impulse in my life (The Minimalists' term, not mine).

Not sure how this will play out, but I'm excited to see ways I can make positive changes.

Stay tuned.

PS: I don't have any affiliation with The Minimalists, but I think they have a few books, and I know they have a website and podcast, so you can probably find their ideas pretty easily online if you are curious.