Minimalism is a form of wisdom, a choice
in life that helps us cleanse our inner restlessness.
"Life is a continuous process of
choosing and letting go. By letting go, we can unleash the maximum energy from
our limited lives."
In our ignorant youth, we often pursue
accumulation, constantly adding to our lives.
As we age and experience the ups and
downs of life, we increasingly feel that the essence of happiness lies in
simplicity.
When some people in life are exhausted
by the noisy world, those who are truly skilled have already simplified their
lives to a "minimalist" mode.
01 Less Comparison, Minimalist Desires
Do you experience the following
situations:
You see others carrying designer bags
while you can only afford mass market ones, feeling envious but powerless;
You see others' children excelling in
both academics and character while yours are constantly criticized by teachers,
feeling anxious but helpless;
You see others getting promoted and
receiving raises every year while you remain stagnant, feeling increasingly
fearful but clueless.
Desire is like quicksand—appropriate
pursuit can provide endless motivation, but excessive desire born of comparison
only leads to endless troubles.
A friend runs a small business, earning
a considerable income at a young age, owning a house and a car, slightly ahead
of peers.
But he is a person with high desires.
Despite his achievements, he is never satisfied.
Due to work, he often attends industry
events where he noticed his peers all drove luxury cars, exuding confidence.
Compared to them, his car costing only half of them made him feel extremely
inferior.
He felt conflicted and feared being
looked down upon. So, he decided to take out a loan and buy a luxury car.
Since buying the luxury car, he has been
under significant financial pressure every month. Although he feels a sense of
prestige when driving it for social events, whenever the company's performance
is not optimistic, he frequently suffers from anxiety and insomnia, finding no
joy in owning the luxury car.
"Many of life's troubles stem from
our blind comparison with others, forgetting to enjoy our own lives."
If we blindly lose ourselves in
comparison, we will only exhaust ourselves.
In fact, true happiness in life always
comes from comparing ourselves with who we were yesterday, not with others.
The more we compare, the more desires we
have, and we may end up controlled by those desires, ultimately reaping what we
sow.
Those truly skilled individuals have
learned to subtract desires early and stay true to their original intentions.
In life, only by learning to compare
less can we live more relaxed lives and enjoy simple and happy lives.
02 Less Self-Conflict, Minimalism
Thinking
Often, we cannot control external
opinions, but if we cannot manage our own minds, constantly exhausting
ourselves and being swayed by emotions, it will only lead to life's tragedies.
There is a lady in the neighborhood who
owns a convenience store and enjoys making short videos in her spare time.
Although she is middle-aged, she remains
graceful and charming.
In her videos, she showcases her
elegance and eloquence, often bringing joy to others. In less than a month, she
gained a large following.
At this time, many people started
leaving negative comments on her videos, saying she's too old to act cute, her
beauty filters make her overconfident, and she's just bored, having too much
time to make these videos.
Seeing these comments, she remained
silent for a while. When others thought she would give up, she decisively
blocked some people.
Afterwards, she continued creating
videos as before because they always brought joy and positivity. Her fanbase
grew, and some fans even visited her store just to meet her.
There's a saying: "External voices
are only references. If it doesn't make you happy, don't pay attention to
it."
In life, many people are easily
disturbed by external voices, causing self-conflict. Truly blocking out
external disturbances means practicing mind minimalism.
Try the following three-step method:
1. When disturbed by negative external
voices, the first reaction should be to recognize that one shouldn't be easily
affected by negative energy and should simplify one's mindset;
2. When negative effects are noticed,
one should immediately awaken to avoid being immersed in negativity and shift
focus;
3. When thoughts begin to change, action
should not be delayed. To divert attention, one can watch a TV show, movie, or
go for a walk.
These three simple methods are actually avocating
minimalism. It helps us isolate ourselves from the outside world, focus
entirely on our inner world, avoid unnecessary negative interference, and focus
on our goals for success.
"Since there is no escape, it's
better to be joyful; since there is no pure land, it's better to calm down;
since wishes may not come true, it's better to let go."
Those truly skilled in life can regulate
their minds to some extent. It's not that they don't experience self-conflict;
it's that they can minimize it in time.
In the journey of life, with sunshine
and rain, only by broadening our minds, focusing more on ourselves, and
consuming less energy on negative people and things, can we enjoy the beauty of
life.
Less socialization, minimalist
relationships
Have you heard this philosophical
saying: "Every piece of wood can become a Buddha if unnecessary parts are
removed."
Life is the same. Instead of entangling
oneself in useless relationships, it's better to streamline beneficial
relationships, enriching one's spirit and expanding one's cognition.
"Life is a journey, encountering all kinds of people.
Not everyone should be invited into your life."
If a relationship drains too much of our
energy, we must learn to cut losses in time. We shouldn't blindly please others
or become others' dumping grounds.
Those truly skilled individuals, capable
of living high-quality lives, do so by minimizing their social relationships.
In life, one must learn to subtract from
one's social circle, spend less time on superficial connections, and more time
with those worth socializing with, in order to live a positive and optimistic
life.
"Minimalism is not having nothing
but another form of possession. We're not abandoning ourselves or desires.
We're acknowledging our needs and possessions."
Less comparison, minimalist desires,
leads to contentment;
Less self-conflict, mind minimalism,
leads to naturalness and tranquility;
Less socialization, minimalist
relationships, leads to abundant and easy living.
In the years to come, may we all
maintain a minimalist lifestyle amidst the complexities of the world, cultivate
stronger selves, and embark on a more beautiful journey in life.
Read Also:
30 Tips for a Minimalist Life
Listen: Podcast
