We all need to start thinking of money in terms of freedom. Money = Freedom. Today, most of us exchange our time for money. Yes, the money eventually pays for housing, for food, for clothing, for vacations etc., but at the heart of it, we are exchanging our time to buy other things. It would be very idealistic of us to state that money is not important. We don't live in a world where money is not necessary, but we can figure out a way to use it for good. 

"We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.

Another year winds down and I'm now already preparing for 2018. Last year, I wrote a post on my search for a good notebook to capture all of my ideas, quotes, notes, etc. I ended up using Ink and Volt for the year, but supplemented it with another notebok. I'm now reviewing the words, ideas and things I wrote and I love that I was able to capture it all.

Without further ado and in no particular order, here's the list of eco-friendly planners and notebooks for 2018.  I have not selected my final notebook for 2018, but I will update once I decide.

Most mornings, I walk and listen to Tim Ferriss podcasts. I've been a huge fan of his for awhile and sometimes take on an experiment or two that he suggests. In episode #250, Tim answers questions from his fans. One of the questions asked was "How to Become More Confident?" Tim cites a few experiments with one of them suggesting that you lay on the ground for 30 seconds without saying a thing on a crowded street. Another was asking for a 10% discount on your coffee 2-3 times without any background or explanation. The point was to get you to do something different and unconventional to get over fear. Fear of rejection, fear or standing out, fear of looking stupid or uncool, etc.

I thought about doing this as a self experiment, but the more I thought about it, the more I came to realize that I already do this and in retrospect it has improved my confidence level overall.

Alright, let me explain how this all ties in with zero waste practices.

Is zero waste possible?

To live a life at 100% zero waste as defined by nature is difficult to achieve. We live in a linear economy and our economic growth is tied to consumption. The challenge with this is that we must create something new to ensure our economy prospers. In "Outsmart Waste" by Tom Szaky, he goes through a great explanation of why waste occurs. Waste is a human creation and a human problem. In nature, there is no such thing as waste.

In the first part of this series, I share what I let go as part of my minimalist journey.  The greatest thing about Minimalism is it's a journey.  It's doesn't just stop one day.  It constantly asks you to look at your life and assess what matters to you.  Minimalism is and should also be different for every person.  Our backgrounds, our values, our dreams and our goals are different, but the one constant is that time is short and we must use it wisely to fulfill our inner intentions.

As I began to let things and old habits go, I felt myself change.  The things that were important to me in my early and mid-20's changed.  Now, in my early 30's, the world looks a bit different and while there are times I wished I could go back time and educate my younger self, the point of life is to learn from mistakes, evolve and grow.

Because my values, my thoughts, my mindset changed, the world around me began to change as well as a way to support the new me. 

I consider myself a minimalist, even though I still have way too many pairs of shoes and my closet is still a bit full.  Our house still gets cluttered, but the reason I consider myself a minimalist is because today I am more conscious of what I buy, how I use my time and what I choose to do.  Perhaps, it's reaching 30 and being a little bit more mature. Perhaps, it's feeling like I don't want the rest of my 30's to be one big chaotic run around  I want to enjoy people, things and experiences. 

This didn't happen overnight.  In fact, looking back, I was the ultimate consumer.  My weekends would be spent at the mall buying stuff I didn't really need.  My weeknights would be attending events that I didn't want to be at.  It was a lot of saying "YES" for fearing of missing out, for not wanting to offend people, for not wanting to be antisocial, for wanting to be liked.  Over time, I felt all of this was making me tired and utterly fatigued.  I began to slowly let go of things, of unfulfilling relationships, of old habits, and of old perspectives. 

This is a two-part series on what minimalism has meant for me.