Just finished re-reading this book “The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down“ by Haemin Sunim which is a beautiful book that offers valuable lessons on finding joy, peace and fulfillment in our fast-paced modern lives. Minimalism does provide me with the platform to finding my true self, do not be easily affected by societal expectations and redefine success. But this book does provide further insights and reflections that could help us navigate the complexities of modern life and find inner peace.
Below are some of the key takeaways for myself personally:
1. Embrace the present moment: I guess this is something that might not be easy for most people to realized in a fast paced, information driven and competitive world we live in. But for myself, adopting minimalism does provide me with a lower baseline towards contentment in life and aligns very well with this “Being in the present” mindset. By intentionally slowing down and paying more attention to the present moment, I found joy and contentment in the simplest form like taking a morning walk and having a nice conversation might itself made my day.
2. Cultivate mindfulness: Mindfulness is about being aware of our thoughts, feelings, and surroundings without judgment and letting it flow through us. One important thing is try not to deliberately suppress it so that we could be fully immerse in that moment, accepting what might arise and then move on from there. This will helps us to develop a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
3. Let go of attachments: This is a big part of minimalism which is to let go of our attachments towards outcomes, identities and possessions. By loosing our grip on things we cannot control, we will feel a sense of freedom and inner peace. It is one of the most liberating feeling I ever felt and is a great way to free ourselves from unnecessary burdens.
4. Practice self-compassion: Its a way to treat ourselves with understanding, kindness and forgiveness in a very gentle manner. At the same time, self-compassion allow us to extend the same grace to others by embracing the flaws in humanity which ultimately nurtures resilience and empathy in an imperfect world we live in.
5. Find balance in life: Its important to be able to finding a balance towards work, rest and play so that you could live a meaningful and fulfilled life. This will encourage us to prioritize self-care which ensures sustained well being for ourselves. Minimalism encourages intentional choices, including how we allocate our time and energy towards thing that brings us joy and contentment.
6. Connect with nature: I spent loads of time outdoors in nature which is incredibly rejuvenating and it also have the healing effect towards my mind and soul. This taught me to appreciate the beauty of the natural world and find solace in its simplicity which reinforces my minimalist lifestyle.
7. Nurture meaningful relationships: Frankly speaking, this is a part that I need to work on but at the same time I’m also quite selective of the relationship that I yearn for. I would rather have a few close relationships with people rather than being in large social circles that might dilute my personal conversations time with people – quality over quantity. Having close relationship is one thing but building and nurturing it might not be that easy. Normally, I have to intentionally reach out to people as most people are perpetually busy with work and family. Then from there, we will make a compromise to meet up once in awhile. We really need to invest time and effort in cultivating deep connections with others which is essential towards our overall well-being and these meaningful bonds enriches our lives.
8. Embrace solitude: I personally need a lot of time to be with myself and solitude allows me to recharge, reflect, and reconnect. Carving out time for solitude ensures that I bring my best self to work and family interactions. Solitude allows introspection which is essential towards my writing.
9. Practice gratitude: Minimalism taught me a lot about seeing a glass that is half-empty to half-full ones which is all about perspectives. By having a wider perspectives in our lives, we start to appreciate all the small little joy of what life have to offer us. Being grateful that we are alive is the single most profound mindset that I had learnt and that is where you start to make a difference towards society and live a life that is larger than yourself. This will in turn fuels positivity and purpose in one’s life.
10. Embrace impermanence: I used to think that life should be stable if you keep to certain parameters and not screw up big time. With my very own rollercoaster life journey of being an entrepreneur to being in debt, that was a life changing experience for me and it taught me to embrace uncertainty in life. Life’s stability is an illusion and impermanence is a universal truth. Knowing that change is inevitable, accept the situation, find peace with it by letting go and move on. This will liberates us to live more authentically.
With all the anxiety we feel in our everyday life towards an uncertain future, I would think that this book might be good read for people who wants to achieve a calm state of mind regardless of how bad life circumstances might be. My life goal is to achieve a calm state of mind to navigate through this chaotic world with a low baseline towards contentment. At the same time, I want to live an authentic and fulfilling life on my own terms with a social purpose to leave the world a better place.
