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!

Summary 2012

2012 has been quite an eventful year.

Started my first post-PhD job

Lost the very same job due to funding reasons (aaah!)

Got listed at the Miss Minimalist’s Blog

Started a new job at a national research lab

Started living all by myself (as a result of the two body problem) – for the first time in my life

Cultivated running habit and ran my first 5K race (in 35 minutes!) 

Learned and Started knitting and finished two projects: lap blanket 1, and lap blanket 2

Actively started using Julie Morgenstern’s Balanced Life Planner

De-cluttered a lot

My wish list for 2013:

Make yoga and running as everyday habits

Publish A LOT of research papers

Take writing, management, teaching courses

Keep knitting

Make some hand-made products

Become super organized

Become more minimalistic

from Downsizing to Tuning in

I still have something you gave me...
For it can neither be tossed, nor be given away

It remains with me no matter where I stay
It makes the ordinary-me feel beautiful from inside

It helps the pauper-me face the material world with pride
It creates the make-believe of 
this platonic connection with you

It keeps me alive with the thought 
that once-upon-a-time I deserved you.
I still have something you gave me...
The best part is that it keeps my soul fiercely pure

So I decide to keep it until I am no more

On Giving Treasurable Gifts

The fragrance always remains on the hand that gives the rose. ~ Mahatma Gandhi
Anything that has real and lasting value is always a gift from within. ~ Franz Kafka

Gift giving is a social norm. On Christmas alone, an average American receives 10-15 gifts every year. Being a minimalist, coming up with gift ideas is even harder. To me, gifting is like making more deposits into the clutter account of the recipient.  Besides considering recipients’ interests, I often think about the treasurability of the gift by asking questions like:  Would they like to keep it forever? Would they forget about it once it is out of sight? Or would they start thinking of re-gifting it? In other words, I am very careful of what I give to others, and I keep accumulating ideas for giving some truly treasurable gifts. Here are my most preferred (mostly tried and tested) ideas:

Hand-crafted Items: If you are a creative person, write poetry or a hand-written note, sketch or paint something. If you are good at crafts, make an item they can use, or a greeting card with cutouts, pictures, or photo prints. If you are a techie, create a video (of yourself and/or friends), or a Flash movie. If you like to be in the kitchen, cook something of recipient’s choice. Or even better, imitate recipient’s talents and interests, like attempting to write a poem for a poet, or be even more creative by intermixing your interests with their talents. 

Off-the-shelf Items: Gift a magazine subscription, or an e-book for Kindle or NOOK users. Create a photo calendar for them, or simply buy a gift card. It is the lazy way out but works all the time.

Intangible Items: Give the gift of time; volunteer, offer help in moving, baby-sitting, cleaning, pick-up and drop service, etc. Dedicate your important works to people.