Discardia_ More Life, Less Stuff - Dinah Sanders [79]
Any time you’re at home, take advantage of the opportunity to hunt for buried treasure in your own place. Pull out those old board games, which you haven’t played in a long time, and have a Battle of the Games to decide which ones stay and which ones go to charity. Reread old books. Watch old movies again. Extract some of the remaining pleasure from these already invested possessions. When something runs dry, send it on to a new home. You’ll be pleasantly surprised to discover how much you have that still can give you a free evening of fun.
Your rich life may not require riches
Saving up for a better life does not need to be an ever-upward climb. Simply figure out what really makes you most happy and relaxed, and continually reposition your world a little closer to getting more of that.
For most people, it isn’t yachts and diamonds. It may be as simple as having a job they like, living in a place that they love, and spending time with people whom they enjoy. That's not as expensive as you might think, so take another little step closer to it today. Do what you actually enjoy and strive for your own dreams, not what someone else—especially not some advertiser—tells you that you should want.
Symptom #31: The Short Leash
Solution #31: You’re the Expert on You
Nothing but human beings here. We try our best, we screw up, we act heroically, we take a nap.
—Jon Carroll, columnist
Listen to your wise side
Are you keeping yourself reined in, trying to meet someone else’s standard of what is appropriate for you? Stop worrying that you aren’t allowed to be gentle or strong or silly or beautiful or whatever you’ve been telling yourself isn’t allowed for people like you.
You're the expert on you. Sure, you can get good ideas and interesting advice all over the place, but no one knows what you need better than you do. Listen. Make time regularly to get back in touch with what you need and want. Take care of yourself as you take care of other demands on your time and energy. Be kind. Be honest. Be brave—most of all with yourself.
Trust that you have learned valuable things. To reconnect with that trust, try writing a letter from “you” now to “you” that you used to be. What would you say to cheer, warn, and teach the person you used to be? Next, imagine receiving a letter from an older and wiser you. What might it say? If you need to hear, “It gets better” (and most of us always do about at least one thing in our lives), what might the path to that happier you look like?
Author and international advisor on education in the arts Sir Ken Robinson gave a very inspiring talk as part of the TED (Technology Education Design) conference. In this lecture—“Bring on the Learning Revolution!”—in addition to calling for an end to many old, authoritative answers, he reminds us that, “Human communities depend upon a diversity of talent, not a singular conception of ability.”
What authoritative answer of what is best for you has, in fact, turned out not to fit you? Do not conform to generic expert judgment; instead, fine-tune this wisdom for your unique self.
Discard some dignity
Sometimes the thing you most need is a little silliness. Go ahead and do something harmless and goofy. As cartoonist Walt Kelly’s Pogo advised, “Don't take life so serious, it ain't nohow permanent.”
Go to a costume party and discard your usual self for a night. Put on a mask, apply another persona, and try out a different way of behaving. Remember how to play make-believe. Who knows? You might learn something interesting