3611: Living Small in a Big World by Kerry Ogden on Minimalism and True Fulfillment

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[00:00:45] [SPEAKER_02] Ausgeruht sein? Ganz einfach. Trainiere deinen Schlaf und werde auch du zum Morgenmenschen. Mit der Galaxy Watch 7 oder dem Galaxy Ring und der Samsung Health App.

[00:00:55] [SPEAKER_00] Das ist ein Minimalist Monday edition von Optimal Living Daily. Living Small in a Big World. By Keri Ogden of keriogden.com. And I'm Justin Malek. Happy Monday. Welcome to the old podcast, the OLD podcast, Optimal Living Daily. Where I read to you like a big ongoing audiobook from many different authors. And we're going to get right to it as we optimize your life. Living Small in a Big World.

[00:01:25] [SPEAKER_00] By Keri Ogden of keriogden.com. Quote, Since my house burnt down, I now own a better view of the rising moon. Basho. I've been on a quest to make my world small. It all started when I went big. I had a tiny house before they were vogue because it was all I could afford. I lived within my means and my means were often slim. The word minimalist wasn't used back then.

[00:01:55] [SPEAKER_00] Clean lines were chosen aesthetically and by virtue of necessity. When I got married, I moved into a three-story Victorian that could have eaten my little house for breakfast. At first, it was exhilarating to have so much light and space. Cathedral ceilings. Where have you been all my life? Didn't take long for the stuff to come pouring in, filling empty spaces with the domestic label, home. Along with it came a sense that I had finally made it.

[00:02:24] [SPEAKER_00] While there's nothing wrong with having house pride, without realizing it, I started allowing it to define me. By turning away from my humble beginnings, I lost touch with an important part of myself. Minimalism is a mindset. Our worth is not determined by our belongings no matter how much Wall Street would like us to believe otherwise. Remembering this, I set on a quest to make my world small again.

[00:02:51] [SPEAKER_00] Detaching from stuff requires psychological fortitude. It takes courage to trust that you have enough. That you are enough. But once you feel that bone knowing, your life will never be the same. Integrity becomes a north star that shines a guiding light into all aspects of life. It's what I like most about the minimalist lifestyle. It's deceptively simple, yet profoundly impactful.

[00:03:18] [SPEAKER_00] A friend asks if you've read that Tidying Up book. You haven't? Well, here, borrow mine. You read it, and a light goes off. This is the decisive moment. Some will feel overwhelmed and toss it aside with a wishful sigh. Others react with the zealous of a recent convert, shoving stuff into bags while happily chanting, Do I love it? Is it useful? For those who fall into the latter camp, the life-changing art of minimalism is a breath

[00:03:46] [SPEAKER_00] of fresh air after years of tumbling around in the consumer cycle. Embracing it is to give permission to slow down and remember why we are here. And the answer will be different for everyone. That's the beauty of it. One size does not fit all. And that's because minimalism is a mindset. It's about living intentionally. Master therapist Irvin Yalom said that the work of psychotherapy is to remove the obstacles

[00:04:15] [SPEAKER_00] blocking the patient's path. Minimalism is like that. We remove the extras to make room for what nourishes us. This lifestyle is not new, nor is it a cult, trend, or form of fanaticism. It's a way of being in the world. And its current popularity is simply a sign of the times. We now know that the one who dies with the most toys doesn't win. Focus on what matters.

[00:04:42] [SPEAKER_00] Fact is, the true riches of life cannot be bought. They're created through experiences and connections with others. Period. Think about it this way. If you were to disappear off the planet, what would your surroundings say about you? What would your kitchen, closet, and computer reveal? Are you living in alignment with your best self? Or have you fallen prey to being who you think you should be? Minimalism is about clarity.

[00:05:10] [SPEAKER_00] When we turn down the noise on the shoulda, woulda, coulda, the musicality of life comes forth. Conversely, when we feel overwhelmed, it's hard to appreciate what's in front of us. Without a doubt, technology has made our lives better. We can travel the world from our home and access information at a click of a button. On the other hand, a compelling argument can be made that technology has made life more complex and chaotic. Thankfully, I'm not here to decide.

[00:05:39] [SPEAKER_00] My job is simply to share a few helpful ways to live small in a big world. The following are a few ways I've learned to do this. Number one, there is enough. Scarcity and comparison are the killjoys of life. They spawn anxiety, doubt, and jealousy. More often than not, the thought of not enough occurs below the radar before we have a chance to question it.

[00:06:06] [SPEAKER_00] The first step is noticing your relationship to scarcity. We all feel it. Only by acknowledging it can we make room for compassion, both for self as well as others. Number two, practice gratitude. My favorite way to cultivate gratitude is to appreciate what I already have. When I do, I'm humbly reminded that the real joys in life come from collecting experiences, not things.

[00:06:33] [SPEAKER_00] This has the added benefit of keeping impulse buys in check. When you like what you've got, you don't need more. Perhaps the best part about the practice of gratitude is how quickly it moves beyond material things into the soul of our being, filling our hearts with a sense of contentment. Number three, get outside. There isn't a better or more cost-effective way to recalibrate than communing with nature.

[00:07:00] [SPEAKER_00] It puts our problems into perspective while nourishing mind, body, and spirit. And it needn't be complicated. A walk around the block will do nicely. The point of getting out is to remind ourselves that we are part of something larger. We humans are unique in that we perpetually try to overcome that which we are inextricably tied to, nature. And number four, be culturally aware.

[00:07:26] [SPEAKER_00] Not everyone has it as well as us, and not all Westerners have it equally well. Remaining conscious of the inordinate freedoms and luxuries we have helps us to appreciate what we already own instead of longing for more. This isn't meant to induce guilt. The intent is to keep desire in perspective. More often than not, the grass of our neighbor is not any greener.

[00:07:55] [SPEAKER_00] You just listened to the post titled, Living Small in a Big World by Carrie Ogden of CarrieOgden.com. And I'll be right back with my commentary. The origins of this podcast were once just a dream. That dream turned into the podcast and business you're listening to today. Starting your own business is a dream lots of us share, but too many of us let it remain just a dream. Don't hold yourself back thinking, what if I don't have the skills? What if I can't do it alone?

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[00:09:40] [SPEAKER_00] Thank you to Kerry. In the last 20 years or so, I've lived in many different sized homes, vaulted ceilings to small apartments. So I can understand where she's coming from. For me, the truth is, one home didn't mean more happiness than another. There were certainly just as many great times in the small apartment as the larger places. The same can be said about the amount of stuff in the homes. And arguably, it's less satisfying the more there is,

[00:10:10] [SPEAKER_00] with more to clean, worry about, stumble on, care for, and so on. And personally, I've found the less physical clutter there is, the less mental and emotional clutter there is too. Gratitude can definitely help, something I've been doing informally for a while now. If you can write it down, even better. But if not, just try to think about a couple of things. I find before bed really convenient. So thank you again to Kerry for this one.

[00:10:38] [SPEAKER_00] And thank you for being here with me on this journey. If it got you thinking, please share it with someone who could also use this kind of reminder. That'll do it for today and another Minimalist Monday edition of Optimal Living Daily. Have a great day and start to your week, and I'll see you tomorrow with another article. And where your optimal life awaits.