Thriving Through Minimalism: 8 Essential Habits

"People often say that encountering a benefactor can save you from wandering for years in life's twists and turns. In reality, rather than waiting for a benefactor to appear, it's better to become one yourself. Our habits hide our luck and destiny. By adhering to the following 8 minimalist habits, nurturing yourself, you will quietly transform into a formidable person."

1. Simplify Your Sleep Schedule

"People who can't even control their bedtime, how can they control their lives? Early to bed, early to rise; don't let your emotions collapse at night, and you've already won half the battle. Only by resting well at night can you invest more energy into learning, working, and living during the day. Sleeping at 10 PM and waking up at 6 AM, consistently for years, if you don't succeed, who will?"

2. Simplify Your Diet

"Everyone loves junk food and fried foods. But remember, you become what you eat. Replace takeout with home-cooked meals, switch bubble tea with fruits, and indulge yourself one day a week while maintaining a healthy diet the rest of the time. You'll radiate with vitality, even saving money on skincare products."

3. Simplify Your Information Intake

"Quality information intake is vital for a healthy brain. Constantly scrolling short videos, indulging in gossip, and consuming low-quality information limits your thinking and perspective, making you susceptible to others' viewpoints. Delete unnecessary apps, mute irrelevant group chats, and turn off app notifications. Spend more time reading books, watching documentaries or movies, and joining high-quality communities to absorb first-hand, quality information. Your mindset will naturally change, and your actions will follow suit, making excellence inevitable."

4. Simplify Your Hobbies

"Everyone experiences fleeting interests, which is fine as long as it's shallow and brief. However, cultivate one or two hobbies deeply to have a mental sanctuary. Immersing yourself in these hobbies can recharge you when life throws challenges your way. Whether it's running, swimming, reading, or walking, hobbies act as mechanisms to enter a state of flow, allowing you to reset and sail again."

5. Simplify Your Social Interactions

"Suggest both introverts and extroverts refuse ineffective social interactions. If a social gathering doesn't provide emotional or beneficial value, politely decline. Reduce contact with people who look down on you, have ulterior motives, especially unfamiliar, annoying relatives, or past relationships. As the saying goes, 'the ability to block' is a person's top skill. Anyone or anything that drains you is not worth your time."

6. Simplify Your Possessions

 

'Any conscious materialist knows that when you possess an object, the object possesses you.' We don't need as much as we think. If your room is filled with rarely used items, there's no space for what you truly need. I regretted not getting rid of a bulky coffee table in the living room sooner. The space suddenly became spacious, allowing me to lay down a carpet, relax, read, binge-watch, and play with family. By letting go of that item, I gained more happiness."

7. Simplify Your Spending

"Spending money brings short-term happiness, while saving money brings long-term joy. When you see something you like, refrain from buying it immediately. Add it to your cart, wait a few days; if you still want it after a while, then go ahead and buy it! Trust me, through a three-tier filtering process, the items you end up purchasing will truly be ones you need and won't regret. By avoiding consumer traps, as your savings grow, you'll have the confidence to try more valuable and meaningful things."

8. Simplify Your Mindset

 When facing complex relationships, encountering bizarre people and situations, be vigilant against emotional drain and avoid being consumed. Stay relaxed, don't rush, and don't be greedy. We can't have everything, but don't worry; we won't have nothing either. As the saying goes, 'You can have a bad experience, but don't indulge in a bad life. Destiny is responsible for shuffling the cards; it's always us who play the hand.' Good luck and benefactors won't magically appear. Regardless of the hand we're dealt, as long as we don't give up, we can play a winning hand. We need to polish ourselves day by day, cultivate good habits, and let these habits guide us through life's blind spots. Let's hold onto the vitality that life bestows upon us and live a flourishing life."

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30 Tips for a Minimalist Life

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Depression Detox: Combat with These 3 Actions

I don't know when it started, but feeling exhausted has become the norm in people's lives. After a busy day, they don't feel like doing anything and just want to lie quietly;

When they go out to eat with their loved ones, they sit there silently, each staring at their phones; When they finally have some free time, their minds are still racing, afraid of missing out on something.

"Everyone is caught in a huge machine, striving to turn time into money, forced to live faster and more efficiently, even surpassing physical limits." Over time, the body naturally starts to malfunction, falling into depression without even realizing it.

Frequently doing these three small things might help you stay away from depression:

1. Regularly disconnecting from the internet and spending time with yourself.

Have you ever had the experience of intending to rest well at night, but as soon as you open your phone, you can't stop?

D shared her story of disconnecting from the internet.

For a period of time, she was constantly attracted by her phone, unconsciously browsing through various information, swiping her fingers across the screen. But these pieces of information were of no help to her work; instead, they distracted her attention and caused her to stumble in her creative process.

Realizing the pain, she decided to reduce her dependence on her phone. So, she set a rule for herself to put down her phone at a fixed time every day, while also logging out of common social media apps.

This ensured that she could focus on her work without external distractions.

Sometimes, she would habitually pick up her phone. But as soon as she saw the login page and realized she had to re-enter her password or verification code, alarm bells would go off in her mind, and she would give up.

This method may seem a bit troublesome, but it is very effective.

Of course, we don't have to disconnect from the internet every day. We can also follow what writer Scott Young wrote: "Give yourself 90 minutes of independent thinking time every seven days, without music, without playing with your phone, just you alone."

When you first try this, you are likely to feel anxious and uneasy, even unable to resist reopening your phone. But once you get used to spending time with yourself, you will feel true peace and relaxation.

Many people mistakenly believe that scrolling through their phones is relaxing, but true relaxation is when the brain stops receiving information.

Information overload can stimulate us, making it difficult for us to sleep or eat well, leading to deeper fatigue and emptiness, which can give rise to feelings of depression. Moreover, most of the information online has nothing to do with our lives; it just adds to our troubles.

Why not return to real-life scenarios through disconnection from the internet, to contemplate, meditate, and feel our own breath?

When you learn to shift your focus back to yourself, to notice the small joys around you, your mental core will become more stable, and your life will improve.

2. Refusing to overwork and not self-exploiting

In the book "Life's Troubles Consultation Room," it is written: "The more serious a person is, the easier it is for them to become depressed."

Being serious is worthy of praising, but too much of anything is not good.

For individuals, learning to take breaks actively is even more important than being immersed in work.

Life is like a rubber band, always stretched tight, and it may break at any moment.

Occasionally slowing down, recharging yourself, and then moving forward can actually be more efficient.

Don't put too much pressure on yourself, and don't always confront life. In your leisure time, why not listen to music, tend to plants, make yourself a cup of tea, and sit on the balcony soaking up the sun?

These seemingly insignificant things can help us break away from the fatigue of the moment, feel the pleasant side of life, and become less susceptible to depression.

3. Relaxing your mind and practicing a change of mindset.

I was deeply moved by the author Byron Katie's experience.

In her thirties, she suffered from severe depression for ten years, always in a state of mental low. At its worst, she stayed at home and only contacted the outside world by phone. Even when her children passed by her room, they had to tiptoe to avoid being unjustly scolded by her.

But one morning, a revolutionary idea came to her mind: "When I don't believe my thoughts, I am not in pain." She realized that what was making her depressed was not the people or things around her, but her perception of the world.

From then on, whenever she felt sad and conflicted, she would do a "change of mindset" exercise, asking herself: Is that true? Can you be 100% sure that it's true? How do you react when you hold that thought? How would you act if you didn't have that thought?

With each question and answer, many problems were resolved, and life became brighter.Many people have benefited greatly from trying this method.

Every minute, our minds are filled with countless thoughts.

Positive thoughts can calm us down and make us feel abundant and joyful;

Negative thoughts, on the other hand, can bring endless torment, making us feel gloomy and despondent.

One thought can lead to heaven, another to hell. The so-called change of mindset is to replace old thoughts with new ones.

"People can change their lives by changing their mindset, which is the greatest discovery of our generation."

Instead of indulging in the past and being led by negative thoughts, why not carefully examine the reasons behind our unhappiness through questioning?

Finding out where the problem lies is a good start.

Never think that a thought is insignificant; they take root in our minds and subtly influence every action we take.

In today's fast-paced world, almost everyone's life has become tense and busy.

We rush to one goal after another, feeling like life is an endless race.

But if happiness is squeezed out to the point of scarcity, life itself loses its meaning.

There are always times when things don't go well or when we feel tired. In those times, I see it as a vacation given to us by the gods; there's no need to force ourselves to sprint, no need to be nervous, no need to try hard; everything should just go with the flow.

Whether it's regularly putting down our phones, balancing work and leisure, or making a change of mindset a part of our lives, they are all moments of respite for ourselves, not being depleted by stress.

Doing these small things often may not directly bring fame and fortune, but they can help us detach from the weariness of the moment, feel the comfortable side of life, and become less prone to depression.

I hope we can live the life we want and have a vibrant life.

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Money Magic: 10 Thrifty Tricks to Try Today

"Saving money is truly a case where the earlier you start, the greater the benefits! This way, you can start enjoying the compounding effects of interest and time sooner. For example, if you save $25,000 every year, even if you start at the age of 30, with an interest rate of 3%, you can still accumulate $1 million by the age of 60. But if you start saving at 50, to achieve the same $1 million, you would need to save around $100,000 annually, significantly diminishing the benefits of compounding interest.

Understanding the importance of saving early is one thing, but what if you're always living paycheck to paycheck and can't seem to save any money? Today, we'll share 10 money-saving techniques to help you save 'painlessly' and become addicted to saving more and more."

1. Beginner-Level Money-Saving Methods

Countdown 30 Days Method

Suitable for: Teenagers, students, beginners

Method: Save $30 on the 1st of each month, $29 on the 2nd, decreasing sequentially until you save $1 on the 30th. By the end of the month, you'll have saved $465, totalling $5,580 annually."

 

52-Week Money Challenge

Suitable for: Those living paycheck to paycheck, students, new professionals, novice investors, financial beginners

Method: Save $10 in the first week, $20 in the second week, and increase by $10 each week. By the 52nd week, save $520. Since there are 52 weeks in a year, you can save a total of $13,780 annually."

 

10% Mandatory Savings Method

Suitable for: Those living paycheck to paycheck, students, low-income earners, people who find saving money painful

Method: After receiving your monthly salary, mandatory save 10% in a separate account. This percentage can be adjusted according to your situation, starting from 5% if necessary. The key is to develop a habit of saving money painlessly."

 

Six-Jar Money Management Method

Suitable for: Students, professionals, financial beginners

Method: The 'jars' can be metaphorical or actual separate accounts, divided as follows:

Financial Freedom Account: 10%

Education Account: 10%

Living Expenses Account: 55%

Long-Term Savings Account: 10%

Play Account: 10%

Gift Account: 5%

 

Weekly Money Savings Method

Suitable for: Students, professionals

Method: Save $10 on Monday, $20 on Tuesday, increasing incrementally until you save $70 on Sunday. This way, you can save $280 per week, totalling $14,560 annually."

 

2. Advanced Money-Saving Methods

 

365-Day Money Challenge

Suitable for: Anyone

Method: Save $1 on the first day, $2 on the second day, increasing by $1 each day.

By the 365th day, save $365, totalling $66,795 for the entire year."

 

333 Money Allocation Method

Suitable for: Anyone

Method: Divide your monthly income into three parts for expenses, savings, and investment. The proportions can be adjusted according to your situation, such as 333, 631, 532, etc."

 

1234 Money Allocation Method

Suitable for: Those with some financial literacy

Method: Divide your income into four parts, adjusting the proportions based on your situation:

Money to Spend: 10%

Emergency Fund: 20%

Money to Make Money: 30%

Principal Savings: 40%

 

Staggered Savings Method

Suitable for: Those with relatively high savings

Method: Purchase different term fixed deposits in descending order with your savings, dividing your funds into three parts. Save $10,000 in a one-year fixed deposit, $20,000 in a two-year fixed deposit, and $30,000 in a three-year fixed deposit. After each deposit matures, renew it as a three-year fixed deposit. In this way, after two years, all three portions of your funds will be in three-year fixed deposits."

 

Snowball Savings Method

Suitable for: Those with some savings

Method: Set aside a fixed amount of money each year, such as $30,000 to 50,000, for five years. Then forget about this money and let it automatically accumulate interest in your account. Just like a snowball rolling downhill, it will grow bigger and bigger."

"No savings, no future. Savings act as our safety net, allowing us to face illnesses, unemployment, or unexpected events with more ease. It's also the path to achieving our ideal lifestyle. Accumulating wealth starts with saving every small amount of money. As Bill Gates said, 'Saving is one of the keys to success; it allows you to have more control over your life.' May our wallets grow fatter, and may we live confidently and expectantly."

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Midlife Minimalism: 18 Tips for Simplifying Your Life

 "Life is a process of constant choice and continuous abandonment. By letting go, we can unleash the greatest energy from our limited lives."

As we reach middle age, we have experienced the ups and downs of life and witnessed its myriad facets. Upon careful consideration, we finally understand that the highest level of happiness in life can be summed up in just 1 word - simplicity.

Simplifying life is not only about subtracting from it but also about adding to our physical and mental well-being.

So, how can we achieve a minimalist lifestyle and lead a high-quality life?

Today, I will share with you 18 suggestions for a minimalist lifestyle to help you shed burdens and move lightly.

Minimalize Your Energy

As we age, we increasingly realize that "human spirit is limited, and if overused, it will exhaust."

Putting energy into everything will inevitably leave us physically and mentally exhausted.

The way you allocate your energy determines the depth of your life.

1. Avoid Energy Overuse, Focus on 1%

Human energy is easily distracted by trivial matters. However, for the present moment, there is often only one thing that is most important and urgent. To achieve the best results, focus on that 1%.

Only then can you maintain an excellent attitude and face all challenges with ease.

2. Stay Away from Dopamine, Embrace Endorphins

In today's fast-paced life, our time is often stolen by short-term pleasures.

Spending hours on short videos or games can leave us feeling exhausted without accomplishing anything. Instead of indulging in instant dopamine-driven pleasures, try seeking long-term happiness from endorphins.

For example, reading a good book, learning a new skill, or engaging in physical exercise.

Only then can you avoid becoming a prisoner of shallow pleasures and enrich your spiritual world for long-term benefits.

3. Reduce Procrastination, Take More Action

The ancients said: "Think thrice before acting." Thinking three times is to ensure thoroughness in actions, not to create barriers for oneself. Starting to act only at the last moment always leaves us feeling inadequate and unsatisfied with the results.

 

Procrastination-induced contemplation does not help us; it only ties us down. Only by immediately engaging in action can we avoid meaningless procrastination.

Minimalize Your Emotions

"No one can make you unhappy; it is you who chooses to make yourself unhappy."

As we reach middle age, our hearts become more sensitive, often getting upset over trivial matters. Our time and energy are wasted every day in emotional turmoil, unable to break free. Only by simplifying our emotions can we avoid being overwhelmed by negativity.

4. Avoid Easily Labeling Things with Emotions

Many things in life, like a coin, have two sides, with no absolute good or bad. However, we often become anxious early on over something that hasn't been decided yet.

But good things may hide crises, and bad things may contain opportunities. Maintain such a mindset, control emotions, and let things happen naturally.

5. Shift Your Focus Away from Negative Emotions

In life, there are inevitably things, big and small, that upset us. However, some people quickly move on from the same emotions, while others are deeply trapped and unable to escape.

Learning to shift your attention promptly is a good way to overcome negative emotions. Clean your room to dispel emotional clouds; watch a movie to free yourself from emotional control. By breaking free from the emotional quagmire, you will discover more beauty in life when you dare to look up.

6. Dance with Life's Uncertainty

Have you heard this saying: "The greatest certainty in life is its uncertainty"?

Life is unpredictable, and anything can happen.

Therefore, there is no need to worry about the past or be anxious about the future. Face life's ups and downs with a calm mind and embrace its uncertainties with equanimity.

Minimalize Your Material Possessions

Nowadays, living conditions are getting better and better.

We continue to accelerate, but the burden on our shoulders also grows.

Only when we learn to simplify and declutter our material lives can we achieve the most comfortable state of being.

7. Examine Your Needs, Choose Carefully

The value of an item is truly reflected in the person who needs it most. However, faced with a plethora of goods, we are often attracted and distracted. We overlook whether we really need the item. Only when we realize our true needs can we achieve material minimalism at its root.

8.Control Quantity, Ensure Quality

Having the same purchasing power, buying more does not necessarily mean the best deal. Inexpensive items often have short lifespans and low usage frequencies. Within our means, purchase the most desirable, suitable, and high-quality item.

Remember two shopping rules: quality over style, and quality over quantity.

9. Cut Off Attachments, Regularly Declutter

Only when we embark on a major cleaning spree do we realize how much we have "collected." The space occupied by these items also encroaches on our mental space.

The more we are occupied by material possessions, the stronger our sense of lack. Learn to choose and let go of attachments to material items.

Regularly declutter unnecessary items and clear blocked spaces, which is also a way to declutter our inner selves.

Minimalize Your Relationships

In the past, we always hoped to have many people around us, thinking that knowing many people was a sign of social integration.

However, as we have to maintain and manage more and more interpersonal relationships, we realize that overly complicated socializing is not luck but a burden.

Good relationships nurture us, but bad ones burden us.

10. Maintain Boundaries, Stay Within Limits

The so-called sense of boundaries ultimately boils down to moderation. Without a sense of boundaries, social life loses its principles. However, the best relationships are not about boundaries between you and me, but about staying within limits.

When interacting with others, give yourself and others appropriate space, which is a kind of cultivation and wisdom.

11. Regularly Clean Up Your Social Circle

Friends are not about quantity but quality. While we care about the size of our circle, we also need to pay attention to the quality of our circle at all times. If a relationship often makes you uncomfortable, it is necessary to remove unsuitable people from your life.

Those who do not regularly clean up their social circles will waste their entire lives because of the appearance of a speck of dust.

12. Learn to Enjoy Solitude, Cultivate Yourself

We often say: "Your relationship with yourself is your relationship with the world."

 

The reason why we need solitude is to integrate internally, let go of pleasing others, and learn to treat ourselves well. When alone, enjoy the process of returning to life and keep moving forward.

Minimalize Your Diet

Eating is essential for maintaining health.

Many people pursue a lifestyle of "milk tea and cakes during the day, beer and barbecue at night." However, excessive indulgence satisfies momentary desires but burdens the body.

Eating well and simplifying your diet is an attitude toward life and a fundamental act of self-love.

13. Reduce Takeout, Cook Your Own Meals

Pursuing the right lifestyle begins with making changes in your diet. When faced with indecision and hesitation while ordering food on your phone, you add a bit of anxiety to yourself.

By reasonably reducing takeout and trying to cook for yourself, you can enjoy convenient, nutritious meals while saving money and improving your quality of life.

14. Healthy Eating, Balanced Diet

As we reach middle age, our bodies are no longer as resilient as they were when we were young. Eating properly and supplementing our bodies with nutrition has become the hottest topic for middle-aged people.

The key is not to eat whatever you like but to eat a bit of everything.

Fish, meat, eggs, dairy, grains, fruits, and vegetables, combined with fish and shrimp, can provide balanced nutrition and improve bodily functions.

15. Control Desires, Moderate Eating

The most important aspect of a minimalist diet is to control desires.

Especially as we age, if we indulge ourselves in high-fat, high-salt, and high-sugar foods, our bodies will soon raise red flags. Eating smaller, more frequent meals and keeping them light is the healthiest way of life.

Minimalize Your Work

As we enter middle age, our careers reach a critical juncture.

At this time, our physical fitness is not as good as that of young people, and family pressure far exceeds that of young people.

Learning to simplify work, maintaining a good attitude, avoiding self-consumption, and better dealing with middle-aged crises.

 

16. Set Priorities, Distinguish Tasks

Why does it always feel like there's so much work to do, and despite our best efforts, we can't seem to finish it?

That's because we haven't grasped the essence of the work and haven't been able to focus our energy on solving key problems.

Prioritize your work, solve key issues first, and the rest of the work will be easier to handle.

17. Plan Ahead Daily, Control Your Work Pace

Facing work always feels bewildering, not knowing where to start. This is because we lack foresight in our work. Planning and arranging in advance not only allows us to control the pace of our work but also makes the progress of our work orderly.

18. Leave Work Emotions at Work

As we age, we increasingly understand the distinction between work and life. Work-related emotions should be resolved at work, not brought back home to upset family members.

Adjust your emotions promptly, balance work and life.

Playing our roles well, adjusting and transitioning in a timely manner, can make both life and work smooth and fulfilling.

In fact, everyone's real needs are not too many. Ninety-nine percent of things in life often have nothing to do with us.

The essence of life is a process of simplifying and decluttering.

The simpler life is, the happier and more advanced it becomes.

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30 Tips for a Minimalist Life

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Revitalize: Embracing Exercise for Lifelong Well-being After Middle Age

Have you ever experienced this:

When work stress mounts and you feel restless, going for a run immediately lifts your mood significantly.

Feeling sad and down, struggling to get motivated, breaking into sweat quickly brings relief.

Exercise seems to have a magical effect, releasing stress, relieving boredom, and swiftly lifting you out of emotional turmoil.

Just 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise can immediately improve depressive moods and restore a sense of pleasure.

"If you're feeling down, exercising will lift your mood, and that feeling of knowing you're about to get better will completely change your mindset."

As people enter middle age, work, life, and family matters pile up, bringing constant worries.

Instead of feeling lost in emotional turmoil, why not dissipate it through the joy of exercise?

Getting moving is actually the simplest way for us to relieve anxiety and stress.

Exercise is a quick-acting remedy for emotional healing.

Psychologists have found that exercise has "short-term emotional effects".

Specifically, after exercise, levels of negative emotions like anxiety and depression significantly decrease, while feelings of happiness significantly increase.

This phenomenon is determined by the unique structure of the human body:

When faced with difficulties, the amygdala in the brain continuously releases stress hormones, making us feel nervous and anxious.

Exercise allows the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus in the body to inhibit the excessive reaction of the amygdala, thereby alleviating emotions.

As the saying goes, "Exercise is a quick-acting remedy for emotional healing."

I once came across a story shared by a netizen, which left a deep impression:

An elder, in his fifties, lost his son.

Unable to accept reality, he was melancholic all day long, shedding tears.

One fine day, the elder's office organized a running event.

His colleagues hoped to change his mood and took the initiative to sign him up and brought him to the event.

After persevering through it, this elder completed the entire run.

Unexpectedly, it was this exhilarating run that began to change his life:

Upon reaching the finish line, he listened to his own heartbeat and felt an unprecedented sense of relaxation.

And all the negative emotions seemed to be temporarily forgotten.

From then on, he started morning runs regularly.

Day after day, he gradually emerged from the pain of losing his son, no longer feeling angry or sad all day long, and even became more emotionally stable than before.

Exercise is an efficient "spiritual detox," evaporating negative emotions along with sweat, refreshing both body and mind.

So, when you're feeling down, why not exercise? Go for a run, punch a bag, kick a ball, swim...

With the rhythmic breathing and stretching of the body, the shackles of emotions will quietly loosen, and everything will return to peace without a fuss.

Finnish scientists have conducted specialized experiments on this:

They found 10 pairs of twins and had one exercise at least twice a week, while the other one did not exercise.

Three years later, it was found that those who exercised every week had clearer thinking, and were better able to cope with stress.

To gain continuous emotional control, one must maintain a long-term exercise habit.

In this way, emotional issues can be addressed from the root.

Middle age is a time when the waves of stress are constantly rising and falling:

The oppression of setbacks in the workplace, pessimism in marriage, and helplessness in life... The waves of emotions challenge our hearts time and time again.

And exercise is the simplest way to improve cognition and manage emotions.

By constantly elevating cognition through exercise, one can truly gain the power to resist the flood of emotions.

In this way, even with the twists and turns of life, we can still find a way out.

Exercise not only heals the present gloomy mood but also provides long-lasting spiritual nourishment.

To manage your emotions through exercise, you may consider the following suggestions:

Choose exercises based on emotions to quickly dispel negativity.

Feeling angry? Try boxing.

Overwhelmed with stress? Try yoga.

Feeling impulsive? Go hiking.

Feeling sad and upset? Dive into the pool.

Maintain a long-term exercise habit to hold the key to emotions.

In addition to short-term emotional relief, making exercise a habit to thoroughly improve cognition and enhance the ability to manage emotions.

Regarding the perseverance of long-term exercise, here are some suggestions:

Exercise at least 3 times a week, each time for about 45 minutes.

Focus on aerobic training, while also incorporating strength training, ensuring a significant increase in heart rate during exercise.

Maintain enthusiasm for exercise and avoid giving up halfway. Here are a few tips to use:

a. Set gradual goals

b. Diversify exercise choices

c. Join a sports groups

Middle age is an age when life is not easy, but we must persevere.

When you encounter setbacks and are filled with sadness, go exercise.

With your head held high, sweat pouring, the haze in your heart will eventually dissipate.

When you feel anxious and stuck in inner conflicts, also go exercise.

Stretch out your arms, keep moving, and all the suppression will vanish with the wind.

When you are self-sufficient and disciplined enough, you will find that there are no hurdles that cannot be overcome and no problems that cannot be solved.

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Escaping the Comfort Zone: The Most Toxic Chicken Soup I Ever Had

As the end of the year approaches, it seems like everyone is falling into various states of confusion:

Maybe you're about to graduate, torn between the careers your family recommend and your own aspirations;

Maybe you've been working hard for years, only to find that your job no longer suits you;

Or perhaps you want to invest your energy outside of work and find a side hustle that suits you.

At times like these, it seems like everyone around you is earnestly advising:

"Staying in your comfort zone all the time will make you stagnant; only by stepping out of your comfort zone can you become a better version of yourself."

But what's the reality?

When you want to step out but lack suitable references, you can't help but feel lost and confused.

Is stepping out of the comfort zone really about going to uncomfortable places?

The more appropriate advice should be trying to continually expand our comfort zone to make more things comfortable for us.

Stepping out of the comfort zone isn't about breaking it, but about establishing and expanding more comfort zones.

Everything should be based on your own capabilities, take it easy.

As soon as you hear the word "comfort," many people's first reaction is to think it's not progressive.

"Young people should strive hard. If you don't work hard now, you'll regret it later."

"Why don't you go for a master's degree? Having a degree will make it much easier to find a job or switch jobs."

This panic of falling behind forces those who have finally caught their breath to keep busy.

Once they stumble, there are people behind them saying with a strange tone, "See, I knew it wouldn't work. I should have advised you to change earlier."

Feeling restless and wanting to relax online, what you see is:

Naturally beautiful women still doing homework every day to maintain their appearance; knowledgeable scholars tirelessly sharing study abroad opportunities; sweet couples continuously recommending items to warm up their relationships...

These groundless "appearance anxiety," "financial anxiety," and "educational anxiety" spring up like whirlpools.

So, we start desperately trying to escape our old selves.

But have you ever thought that this isn't stepping out of your comfort zone but stepping into the circle drawn by others?

Many netizens have asked, "Is choosing to stay in your comfort zone not progressive?"

Jumping around, hitting walls everywhere, she still didn't live the better life her mother wanted.

Stepping away from comfort and embracing discomfort must be the right thing to do, right?

Even if you listen to others and change your environment, what then?

For someone who doesn't like studying, even if you drag them to the library, they'll still play with their phones;

For someone who's used to living in the countryside, even if you take them to adapt to the big city, they still can't seek change.

The stupidest thing is to abandon your strengths and desperately try to compete with others in areas where you're weak, suddenly switch careers to compete with experts.

And those who advise you to step out of your comfort zone with ill intentions are just trying to make money off your anxiety.

There's absolutely no need to use the "glamorous and bright" in other people's mouths as a reference to measure your own life.

Being blindly led by others will only bury your own brilliance.

Just like for fish, stepping out of the comfort zone should be from the pond to the river, not from water to land.

What we really should do is to base everything on ourselves and take it easy.

After all, in this life, knowing who you are, what you want to do, is enough.

Stepping out of the comfort zone is a ridiculous idea.

When you're in your comfort zone, you feel like you're in control and safe;

When you're in the learning zone, you face challenges but don't feel too uncomfortable;

When you jump into the panic zone, facing things far beyond your abilities, you're very likely to collapse.

That's why truly smart people never easily step out of their comfort zone but constantly expand it.

As the saying goes, "Not everyone has to live like a warrior in life."

If you like reading and writing, there's no need to force yourself to rely on speaking to make a living;

If you like to work quietly alone, there's no need to force yourself to be sociable;

Only by forgetting about the idea of "stepping out" and trying to expand your comfort zone as much as possible, getting familiar with more and more environments, will your heart be more stable.

In this way, your life will have both relaxed pleasure and high-speed fun.

In the end, every area becomes your comfort zone.

Such a life is wonderful.

I once heard a saying:

The scariest thing for a person is to stay in one place all the time, limit their own life, and draw lines, missing out on more possibilities.

Indeed, if you stay in your comfort zone for too long, it will become a breeding ground for laziness.

But to avoid this situation, you don't necessarily have to go to extremes.

It's more like a tree, firmly rooted in the ground to withstand the storm.

Digging Deep into the Comfort Zone: Creating New Layers Around What You're Good At

I think of a friend around me.

She has worked for two well-known media companies, and then she jumped to a booming tech company.

In theory, such a woman with career planning and professional skills should continue to advance step by step and strive for better jobs in the workplace.

But two years ago, she suddenly told me that she had quit her job and planned to start her own media platform.

I asked her why, and she only said that in today's rapidly changing content landscape, she wanted to explore more possibilities related to "writing."

In hindsight, she was right and met a better version of herself in her passion.

After all the twists and turns, it's hard for a person to get rid of their talents, interests, and industry accumulations to do things.

Without talent, you can't be strong; without interests, you can't last long; without industry experience, it's impossible to make money.

Just like why a compass can draw circles, because it has its center of gravity.

Life is like drawing a circle.

Once you've determined the center, just keep going, and you'll draw a complete circle.

Expanding the Comfort Zone: Expand the Edge of the Comfort Zone Outward and Turn the Learning Zone into the Comfort Zone

So how do you gradually expand your comfort zone?

A line from a movie might inspire us—

"You have to go to a restaurant one day and order a dish you've never ordered before, eat it all, and then realize it's quite delicious."

In daily life, you might as well set aside 15% of your time and energy to try things you've never done before, understand aspects of life or ideas you've never tried to understand.

For example, buy a book you've never been interested in before, sign up for a course you've never thought of taking, accept an invitation you were planning to refuse, or actively talk to a colleague you're not very familiar with...

You don't have to force yourself to go out, just try to explore the edge of your comfort zone slowly and expand it.

It's like when a gym trainer asks students to do two more sets of exercises when they can't.

You might ask why, but actually, doing these two extra sets each time promotes the continuous tearing and growth of muscles, ultimately achieving the goal of fitness.

That's 80% comfortable and 20% boundary breakthroughs.

Once you take the first step, you'll find that it's not as terrifying as you thought.

Someone once asked about "how to step out of the comfort zone," and expert only replied with, "Why?"

Expert isn't asking for a reason, but letting the person ask himself why he want to step out of his comfort zone. Once you have an answer, you naturally know how to do it."

Indeed, the answer to this question lies within ourselves.

When you know who you are, where to go, and what to do, whether you're inside or outside the circle becomes irrelevant.

Next year, if someone advises you to step out of your comfort zone again, you can confidently reply:

"No need, I've already learned how to expand my own comfort zone."

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Holding Back: The Power of Resisting Correction

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Holding Back: The Power of Resisting Correction

The consequences of correcting others often result in both parties being hurt. We all dislike being forced. Even if we know the other person is right and has our best interests at heart, we also fear rejection. When others fail to appreciate our efforts, we feel hurt and aggrieved. Such situations constantly occur in our lives, causing us distress yet becoming accustomed to it.

Most people have a tendency to correct each other, especially among those closest to us. However, many of these "corrections" are entirely unnecessary for us. 

No one likes to be persuaded. 

Forcing others to act according to our will only exacerbates the differences between us. When neither side can convince the other, logic and facts become less important, and emotions ultimately prevail. This leads to the escalation of problems, eventually rising from differences of opinion to moral and personal attacks.

Why do people always want to correct others?

Yes, it is to prove that they are right.

There is a weakness in human nature: due to limited attention, each person only notices what they want to pay attention to. This is called "selective attention" in psychology, which limits our behavior and cognitive patterns. Consequently, what we perceive as indisputable facts are often just "partial facts." When we can stand in the other person's shoes, we may realize that what they insist on, which we deemed foolish, is actually not wrong.

Every individual has their own values and needs to defend them. Values are like a house where we reside and survive, allowing us to live with dignity and security. Forcing others to live according to our values is like inviting a fish to visit the land. 

Even if the world on land is much more exciting than the river, it's something the fish cannot withstand. They only want to escape, seek help, protect themselves, and preserve their territory where they feel safe. Respecting others' values allows them to maintain their dignity and independence.

It's essential to understand the concept of a "stable self" for personal growth and development. It refers to having a stable sense of self-worth and not being changed by external denial or questioning. When we have a stable sense of self-worth, we no longer need the courage to control others. Others are no longer tools to maintain emotional stability, and we gain emotional independence.

No one likes to be forced. Everyone wants to live life according to their own wishes. People detest being changed or coerced by external forces because they have their own values to defend. Therefore, the best way to change others and the world is to change ourselves.

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