It’s July as I write this, halfway through 2018, so I’m taking a moment to reflect on how my journey towards living more with less is going this year. The New Year arrived at the halfway point of my first year in a new house, so I had been in renovation mode for months. That may explain why I did what I often tell myself that I won’t do—make resolutions. You know, those goals that give us hope we can be healthier, thinner, stronger, richer, sexier, and leap tall buildings in a single bound!
I used a different format than before and listed 18 resolutions for 2018 (inspired by a podcast episode from Happier with Gretchen Rubin). I also chose a theme to guide the year: more inner calm. I was so ambitious back in January! Unfortunately, many articles tell us that most people give up on resolutions in a month or two. Call me an idealist, but I was determined to beat the odds.
Why do I do this to myself? Why do I continue to make goals? I blame minimalism. Since discovering minimalism, I have spent the last few years not only minimizing possessions but striving to live a more meaningful, intentional life. I’ve always done this to some extent, but minimalism jumpstarted my long-held tendency towards simplicity in significant ways. I began looking at some big picture goals:
- declutter all excessive, no-longer-desired stuff
- reflect and analyze how better to spend precious time
- track in detail all expenses to understand spending habits
- focus on reducing the cost of living by analyzing tracking
- consider negative effects of the job and possible alternatives
- resolve to have no debt with the exception of an affordable mortgage
These goals align with many of the principals of minimalism and simple living though people tweak them to suit their situation and needs. For the most part, I’ve been able to accomplish these goals and maintain them. Decluttering, tracking expenses, and staying out of debt are all ongoing, so they are more lifestyle habits now than actual goals. They also reflect where most people begin in their journey to live a simpler life. However, these minimalist goals are only half the story, and they tend to be negative actions (albeit with positive outcomes):
reduce spending altogether
declutter household possessions
say “no” to compulsive consumption
eliminate debt completely
stop wasting time
Nowadays I want to take the next steps and go more positive. After all, the “live with less” doesn’t mean much if you don’t work on the “more meaningful, intentional life” part. Always the optimist, I listed 18 resolutions that fall into one of these categories:
improve health
increase writing
continue learning
boost enjoyment
With the exception of reducing sugar and soda consumption, my goals are mostly positive actions. So how have I done with these goals so far? It’s a mixed bag. I’ve increased a couple of healthy habits (meal plans, no soda, strength exercises) but have a spotty record on others (yoga, meditation, sweets). I’ve spent much more time writing, even participating in the “write a book in a month” project aka NaNoWriMo, but done nothing to turn my house fire blog into a book. I continue to study languages but have not decided on something new or different to learn. As for enjoyment, that overlaps with other areas because I enjoy writing and learning, but to fulfill a more specific action, I did purchase a bicycle and have enjoyed riding a bike for the first time in years. My general theme of finding more inner calm is a work in progress. I haven’t been meditating, but I’m still calmer, probably because I quit a stressful job.
Perhaps I should just give up on goals. Should minimalists even have goals? Or keep to a minimal number of goals? Leo Babauta of Zen Habits used to write quite a lot about goals and then reversed his position. Now he lives with no goals, which in itself in kind of a goal, but never mind. A quick search through other minimalist blogs shows that most discuss goals at some point though they take a break from them. I’ve done that before, too.
I’ve had years with no resolutions, but overall, I like the feeling of accomplishing some of my goals and don’t dwell (too much) on the ones I stumble on. I’m a work in progress, and the same goes for my minimalist journey. For now, this minimalist is sticking with goals and hopes to achieve more of them before the next new year rolls around again.
A work in progress
RESOURCES
My house fire blog: After the Fire: Rebuilding House and Life after a Fire
National Novel Writing Month aka NaNoWriMo
Leo Babauta The best goal is no goal
Happier with Gretchen Rubin (Gretchen Rubin and Elizabeth Craft)
For more resources, go to this page: Resources
Related Blog Posts
You Can Teach an Old Dog New Tricks
A New Year of Minimalism (2017)
Starting Over in Mid-life: 5 Suggestions and 2 Warnings
There is a Season: Suggestions for Turning towards Autumn
You are an excellent writer! So down to earth and I identify with your thoughts. I only wish more people had the same mind set.(My brother and I butt heads like crazy about holidays and gifts, my goodness) Goals are very important but throwing in a little spontaneity does not hurt either. A last minute short road trip to see a friend or even just a treat your day that you plan the morning of. I remember one of my favorite co-workers excuses for taking a day off. She said…”I woke up and just felt too darn good to work today” It still makes me chuckle.
Thanks for your kind words, Caren. Sometimes I feel like giving it all up, but then I’ll get some feedback from readers like you that keep me going! (I really like your co-worker’s excuse for a day off!)