24 August 2016

Seen and Inspired #1



As I watched inspiring videos on YouTube recently, I thought it might be interesting to share some of those with you around a particular theme, as these videos may inspire you as they inspired me. For this first article, I have gathered a few videos on the topic of stuff and minimalism.


What are the benefits of reducing our possessions? How can they hold us back from our dreams? How can minimalism help us be more aligned with our values?

On TEDx | Adam Baker : Sell your crap. Pay your debt. Do what you love
What is your definition of freedom ? How free are we when we work a job we don’t like to pay the debt we accumulated for things we bought in the past ? In this enlightening talk about freedom, dreams and money, here is a good question to ask ourselves.

What if simplicity and minimalism were a means to get the space, time and resources to pursue our true dreams, instead of an end in itself ?

On TEDx | The less you own, the more you have, Angela Horn  
What is the real impact of stuff in our lives ? How much can downsizing material possessions positively affect our lives ? In this talk, Angela Horn mentions the benefits of less, beyond clear spaces and while walls. How can owning less and focusing less on objects enrich our lives…

On Talks at Google | The life changing magic of tidying up, Marie Kondo  
I don’t believe there is a need to introduce Marie Kondo and her life changing book about tidying up. I have to admit I haven’t actually read her book, as the web and simplicity channels and blogs have overflown with the KonMari method. I did watch this talk at Google though, a 45 mn conference during which Marie Kondo presents the basis of her tidying method.

This is a very practical approach to editing and organizing stuff, but I like her concept of “spark joy”, or how we choose what to keep based on whether the object sparks joy in our life.

On TEDx | Is your stuff stopping you ?, Elizabeth Dulemba  
This is the journey of a woman who decided to sell all of her stuff to live abroad. But it’s much more than that. It’s a story about focusing on what really matters, what we really care about (hint : that is not stuff we really care about).

Many aspects of simplicity are explained clearly in this talk. This video is a good way to get familiar with all this, or a good reminder of why we pursue a simple life.

On TEDx | Why I live a zero waste life, Lauren Singer 
This is a TEDx talk about a young woman who decided to lead a zero waste life and started a company that produces natural cleaning products. I find her talk to be a great way to get familiar with the concept of zero waste, as well as understanding the benefits of leading a life aligned with our values.


I hope these videos inspire you as much as they inspired me lately. I have quite a few articles under my belt to develop some of the topics broached in these videos. You'll find them under the label "Stuff", for everything related to minimalism, how to consume better and the role of material objects in a simple life.

2 comments:

  1. This is so timely. We just finished removing the contents of my in-law's home - a lovely place where they lived over 50 years. It was beautifully decorated - lots of lovely antiques, but that was just the surface. When it came time to clear it out, we found out nothing was ever thrown out - every nook and cranny were stuffed with, well stuff! Elastics, plastic bags, newspapers - even her parents clothes. It made me take a good look at what we have accumulated over the years as well - things that I had to have and now I see as junk. So much money, so much time and all for naught. It seems we spend the first half of our lives accumulating stuff and the last half wondering why it was important, and how to get rid of it. Thanks for the topic today - really hit home.

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    1. Thanks for your kind comment! I've heard a lot of stories of such questioning starting with a difficult move, or having to clean out the home of someone else after they pass away. This is an interesting idea indeed - spending half our lives accumulating things and the other half trying to get rid of the weight it creates in our life. I hope the videos from the post are instructive for you as they were for me :)

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