Words Can Heal Pledge

I pledge to think more about the words I use.
I will try to see how gossip hurts people, including myself, and work to eliminate it from my life.
I will try to replace words that hurt with words that encourage, engage and enrich.
I will not become discouraged when I am unable to choose words perfectly, because making the world a better place is hard work.
And I am pledging to do that, one word at a time.

Take this pledge

Minimalism is Confronting

I claim this because ever since I started consciously de-cluttering, there is a sense of discomfort. As a result of freedom from stuff and time wasters, I am left alone with nothing but me and my glaring thoughts. De-cluttering has in a way become a journey toward self-discovery; after each session I see my soul much clearer than before. To feed my INFJ soul, I identified two missions secretly occupying my thoughts for the last few years of practicing minimalism. 

Poverty Alleviation (Materialistic Mission)

Service is extremely important to me. The cause I care about the most is poverty alleviation (even more than fighting violence against women). I was shocked to read the statistics on poverty e.g. half of the world lives on less than $2.5 a day, this is the amount I would probably offer as a tip to a cab driver for a short distance drive. The income differentials are very concerning. I often think whether poverty can be alleviated or significantly controlled through minimalism. Unfortunately, so far I have taken no specific action or effort toward this mission. 

Life of No Comparison and No Judgment (Spiritual Mission) 

We all have come across the Bible quote “Comparison is the thief of joy.” No matter how clichéd it sounds, I find it more relevant each day. I subconsciously compare myself with everyone including my neighbor, my best friend, my mentor, my employer, and probably even you (my reader!). The human mind is so creative that the comparison is performed at several levels (in fact I am embarrassed to elaborate on the levels). Comparison is definitely the fastest way to corrupt one’s soul. This article has inspired me to live a life of no comparison. Another related aspect is judging others. Being judgmental means assigning negative labels on others based on a number of factors, e.g. eating habits, profession, qualification, hobbies and interests, race, relationships, hometowns, (lack of) knowledge and skills, physical features, lifestyle, income, possessions, generosity, etc. Judging others fuels gossip, negativity, hatred, and even enmity. So, I am all in for living a no comparison/no judgment life. 

A Subtle Article on Personal Productivity

The article begins with the author’s current status: “There I sat with my thirteen-year-old daughter on a dirt floor eating rice and beans with some of the poorest people on the planet.” It then takes us several years back describing how much the author wanted his kids to develop sensitivity toward others by travelling and seeing the rest of the world. Back then, he realized he could only materialize his dream by sticking to two habits: weekly introspection and proactive scheduling. I found this article interesting because, unlike conventional productivity articles, it gently conveys the significance of discovering the inner motivation before resolving to develop new habits.

Best Piece of Career Advice

While career is an individualistic journey, it is largely shaped by the advice received from others. The best advice I have ever received is the “ladder-pyramid” analogy. Most professionals perceive career as a ladder that needs to be climbed up and ignore the ease with which one could fall off a ladder. Instead, career should be regarded as a pyramid that is built on a much stronger foundation. For a long-lasting career, one should strive to develop a diverse skill-set and understand the multidimensionality of the occupation. I would like to credit this piece of advice to Carol Bartz, the former CEO of Yahoo!