Saturday, April 23, 2016

Thrashing

Start thrashing now. Do it early while it is cheap. If you wait it is only going to get more expensive.

Over 150 years ago, Henry David Thoreau said "If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours … In proportion as he simplifies his life, the laws of the universe will appear less complex, and solitude will not be solitude, nor poverty, nor weakness."

Be wary of blanket statements such as: "I need to have my cell phone." "I can't get up without my morning cup of coffee." "How do you live without a DVR?"

Why surrender so much power? You don't need this. You don't need that. What you need is essentials (shelter, food, water, clothing) not luxuries. 

Try thrashing to the point where it is uncomfortable. A little discomfort in a comfortable world is not a bad thing. Who knows you may even like it. You can always bring that thing back in your life. 

Ask yourself one question when deciding what to thrash; do I need this item or am I using this thing to distract myself from the world? If you don't thrash this item this time and you are on the fence commit to saying if in 3 months I don't use this item then it needs to go. 

The cost of not thrashing, not taking away the distractions, can be insurmountable. We have more time and access to knowledge and resources than we ever had before in the history of the world. How are we using it? How are you abusing it?