Most mornings, I walk and listen to Tim Ferriss podcasts. I've been a huge fan of his for awhile and sometimes take on an experiment or two that he suggests. In episode #250, Tim answers questions from his fans. One of the questions asked was "How to Become More Confident?" Tim cites a few experiments with one of them suggesting that you lay on the ground for 30 seconds without saying a thing on a crowded street. Another was asking for a 10% discount on your coffee 2-3 times without any background or explanation. The point was to get you to do something different and unconventional to get over fear. Fear of rejection, fear or standing out, fear of looking stupid or uncool, etc.
I thought about doing this as a self experiment, but the more I thought about it, the more I came to realize that I already do this and in retrospect it has improved my confidence level overall.
Alright, let me explain how this all ties in with zero waste practices.
Read moreIs zero waste possible?
To live a life at 100% zero waste as defined by nature is difficult to achieve. We live in a linear economy and our economic growth is tied to consumption. The challenge with this is that we must create something new to ensure our economy prospers. In "Outsmart Waste" by Tom Szaky, he goes through a great explanation of why waste occurs. Waste is a human creation and a human problem. In nature, there is no such thing as waste.
Read moreIn the first part of this series, I share what I let go as part of my minimalist journey. The greatest thing about Minimalism is it's a journey. It's doesn't just stop one day. It constantly asks you to look at your life and assess what matters to you. Minimalism is and should also be different for every person. Our backgrounds, our values, our dreams and our goals are different, but the one constant is that time is short and we must use it wisely to fulfill our inner intentions.
As I began to let things and old habits go, I felt myself change. The things that were important to me in my early and mid-20's changed. Now, in my early 30's, the world looks a bit different and while there are times I wished I could go back time and educate my younger self, the point of life is to learn from mistakes, evolve and grow.
Because my values, my thoughts, my mindset changed, the world around me began to change as well as a way to support the new me.
Read moreI lived in a bubble. I believed other people wouldn't let a Trump presidency happen.
Read moreI consider myself a minimalist, even though I still have way too many pairs of shoes and my closet is still a bit full. Our house still gets cluttered, but the reason I consider myself a minimalist is because today I am more conscious of what I buy, how I use my time and what I choose to do. Perhaps, it's reaching 30 and being a little bit more mature. Perhaps, it's feeling like I don't want the rest of my 30's to be one big chaotic run around I want to enjoy people, things and experiences.
This didn't happen overnight. In fact, looking back, I was the ultimate consumer. My weekends would be spent at the mall buying stuff I didn't really need. My weeknights would be attending events that I didn't want to be at. It was a lot of saying "YES" for fearing of missing out, for not wanting to offend people, for not wanting to be antisocial, for wanting to be liked. Over time, I felt all of this was making me tired and utterly fatigued. I began to slowly let go of things, of unfulfilling relationships, of old habits, and of old perspectives.
This is a two-part series on what minimalism has meant for me.
Read moreSo am I a hypocrite for not being a perfect environmental warrior? Should I wait until I have the perfect zero waste lifestyle before lobbying for change? Zero waste is not about being perfect, but recognizing and making small changes to affect change.
Read moreFor this month, I will be breaking down the Principles of "The Energy of Money" by Maria Nemeth. It is from 1997, but I find its content still relevant. Starting next week, I will break down 3 Principles from the book. Each Principle will ask that you take some action in order to fully harness the "energy of money." Whether we realize it or not, money is prevalent in the 16-20 hours that we are all awake. Money is a very powerful energy that dictates how we live our lives. If we do not acknowledge its power, we are left suffering in its wake.
Read moreRecapping my first week on whole30 with a retrospective on what went well, what did not go well and what could be improved along with a gallery of what I ate and some recipes to try.
Read moreSo many labels on our products. Do you many of these organizations that offer third party auditing for non-GMO, fair trade, organic, vegan, no animal testing, gluten free, etc.?
Read moreI struggled a bit with creating waste some days, but the more I try, the better I become at it.
Read moreRuiz speaks of the many beliefs and agreements that we learn or are imposed on us as we navigate the world. Many of these beliefs become what we know and sometimes limit our happiness and success. For example, as a child if your parents negatively criticized your drawings, you may have this internal believe that you are not a good artist and thus never pursue improving your craft. There are many people earlier in our lives that may have imposed limiting beliefs without us or them realizing. It's one word or one sentence that we unconsciously tacked on to. Ruiz calls us to take a look internally and review how we interact with ourselves and others to find these limiting beliefs or personal agreements.
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