part0010

Most people these days have an appreciation of the relationship between creating and consuming stuff and the impact that has on the environment. Environmental concerns often encourage people to make the shift to a minimalist philosophy.

Another factor motivating people to move towards a simpler way of living, is their disillusionment with the political landscape. The constant focus on growth and consuming more does not appeal to them. They want to stop being a primary part of the capitalist machine.

Many make the connection that working, consuming, buying and spending often takes them away from the very things or conditions they want more of. Managing and owning less stuff often equals more freedom.

The decision to move towards a life of less can often be encouraged or suggested by a partner, a friend, or family member. It can also be discouraged, and this is something I will discuss later in the book. A person might enter into this lifestyle based on a relationship breakdown.

I could go on and keep listing the ways, and the reasons, people consider living a life with less. Clearly there are many ways to start this journey, and there are a lot of connections, similarities and shared values in the topics just mentioned.

Since I am writing this book from experience, I will give you an indication and appreciation of how I got to this point in my life. It would have been very easy to solely devote a chapter to how I moved into this lifestyle.

It is worth mentioning that my approach is not for everyone. And by my own admission, it is probably on the upper level of extreme. My friends and family definitely seem to think so! As stated earlier, I have no intention to push my way of living onto anyone; this is simply how I choose to go about it. Whatever I choose to do in the future, my minimalist ethos will certainly stay with me.

At the beginning of 2014 I was living what would best be described as a pretty comfortable life. I lived in a beautiful little part of the world about 25 minutes south-east of Hobart in Tasmania on a virtual waterfront property that friends had rented to me for ten years.

In fact it was just a horse paddock between me and a quiet sheltered saltwater lagoon. Each morning I would awaken to sun streaming in through my windows, and a wonderful waterfront view that I never grew tired of.

The location suited my lifestyle of gardening and fishing, and there were plenty of birds in the area as well. For a nature lover like myself, it was a great location. An easy 25-minute drive to work, a four-day week, the flexibility to start and finish my work day when I wanted, and a long weekend every weekend. Life was pretty good.

I worked for the Tasmanian Government at the time in what I often refer to as the best job I ever had. I had a considerable amount of autonomy, and worked with really good people, in a healthy values-based work culture. Working in the Tasmanian community with local business people, and doing work I believed in, certainly helped as well. And there was never one day I ever took it for granted. The practice of gratitude then, and indeed throughout my life, was alive and well.

I never wanted for anything. I always had the money and the resources to buy what I wanted. I had the best health care insurance I could buy. I was fit and healthy, and I was busy working on my other projects and enjoying life.

Several years prior to 2014 I had invested my money in a company on the stock market. To cut a long story short, I not only lost all of my money, but I had also foolishly borrowed additional money on what was a high interest loan to further leverage the investment. So in effect, I lost everything and more. Whilst I was able to manage this debt, it was starting to have an impact on my life. I still had cash in the bank, however I had a big loan to service, and I knew it was going to take me years of working in my current situation to see it paid in full. It was a big hit to my hopes, not to mention my ego. As things would turn out, it was a major catalyst for a lifestyle change.

Several months into the year I decided to get a health check-up. To cut another long story short, a series of tests located a large bleeding polyp in my lower right bowel that required an operation to remove it. In June 2014 I had 15 cm of my bowel removed. Physically and psychologically this shook me; it was another hit I didn't see coming. Thankfully, all is well now.

During this time I was also working passionately on further developing my life coaching, as well as working on another business. Perhaps my long nights of work and study, on top of working throughout the week in my day job, had started to catch up with me.

It was also during this time that I was getting some clear signals that things were coming to an end in my life. These endings centered around home, work, relationships, finances, and lifestyle. Throughout this time it was clear to me that change was on the agenda. I could either try to hang on to these things, or I could take some risks and chance my arm, so to speak. I chose the latter.

By the end of November 2014, I had left work and taken a payout, sold down and gave away around 80% of my belongings, sold my car, and moved out of my long-term rental. From there a friend was kind enough to give me some accommodation in exchange for working a few hours a week.

In less than a week I had gone from a comfortable lifestyle based around long-term secure employment and accommodation, to the direct opposite of that. No job. No permanent accommodation. No car. Not much money. So be it!

What looked like a train wreck was anything but that. I raised all the money I could from my government job payout and belongings, and paid down as much of my loan as I could. I then changed financial institutions to further improve the interest rate. These measures made a big difference to the equation. I had the situation managed.

I had a way to go, but I had lightened the load, both literally and metaphorically, quite considerably. My car was replaced by my mountain bike. My work clothes were packed away, and my new dress code was now shorts and a T-shirt.

Leading up to this extreme lifestyle transition, I had been minimizing and streamlining my expenditure. I cancelled memberships, reduced my physical mail to electronic mail as much as I could, sought out the best mobile phone deal, and identified any area in my life that I could further cut, reduce, or eliminate. Everything was considered. Not too much was sacred.

Up to that point I had a gym membership that I used several times a week. I cancelled that and decided I would work out outdoors. I loved the gym, but I knew this was another area of my life where I could make changes and reduce my spending. It was simply a case of adapting to new ways of doing things.

Then there was the question of income. Whilst I had a little trickle of income coming in from a business I was winding down, a few dollars here and there, I had nothing. My family and friends could not believe that I didn't apply for unemployment benefits. Nobody understood what I was doing. It's fair to say some probably thought I had lost my marbles.

A big part of the reason I made this lifestyle transition and embraced the minimalist way of life, was that I needed new challenges. I wanted to feel truly alive again. I wanted to get resourceful and test myself. I also knew that whatever happened in my life from that point forward, I would be able to manage it and move through it. Safety net? I didn't need one, and I certainly didn't want to be dragged into a system I was doing my best to stay well away from.

So why didn't I choose to use the safety net? After all, I was entitled to it, both in Australia and the United Kingdom. It wasn't because I hadn't used it before in my life. I'd used it during times of need, study and learning. I also have an Associate Diploma of Social Science in Community Services (Welfare Studies), so I do believe, and know, about that side of life. The safety net is an incredibly important part of our system. I didn't need it.

I will briefly mention this here and cover it later in the book. To build trust, to truly test yourself, to put all of your faith into what life has to offer, is to let go and trust in what life holds. In my mind the decision was very simple. I trusted in life. I knew that I created my reality. I also believed in guidance. It was now time to take those beliefs, inklings and knowings in my life, to the next level. It was a feeling so strong, and an opportunity so great, I could not resist it.

Was I free? Not quite, but I was well on the way to freeing myself up and being much more agile and mobile in my life. It has been nearly three years since I made the decision to embrace a minimalist lifestyle. In that time I have rented a flat just once for three months due to a work contract that was offered to me. The rest of the time I have mostly either worked and traveled for accommodation and food, gone camping, or I have managed to arrange pet-sitting and house sitting assignments via my house-sitting business. I have also had a stint at live-in coaching as a variation on my standard coaching practice. In between the occasional government contract and my coaching, I have been able to find a place to live. The freedom for me is simply trusting in life and myself.

And in relation to my possessions and moving into that recent three-month rental? It took me seven minutes to move in. How things have changed.

There is much more to this story, but for now, I hope I have demonstrated the point that I live the lifestyle that I offer my insights in, and write about. Thousands live like I do, and many have far more impressive stories, and have endured far more hardship and challenge than I ever have. There are many inspirational people out there living their lives. People who are all redefining what it is to live a meaningful life.