Superheroes Don't Need Capes

"If you want a golden rule that will fit everything, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful."
- William Morris

Very Recently, I was asked, how do you apply minimalism to keepsakes. In general, whether we are talking about keepsakes or just any item that we have, I think William Morris's rule can still apply. Now, whether that rule is 50/50 or only 1% useful and 99% beautiful, at the end of the day that is up to the individual to decide what works for them.

The retail price of something when we purchase them does not represent the full price of the item. What sometimes people forget is the "hidden cost" of things. The total cost of ownership for anything would always include the "cost" of sorting, storing and cleaning them, sometimes even some sort of periodic maintenance or upkeep is warranted. Now for every amount of time and effort devoted to doing these activities; be mindful that this is time and effort that is deducted from creating experiences and nurturing relationships. I mean do we really want to spend valuable vacation time just cleaning? I don't think so.

I think a funny analogy (or metaphor?) to this rule on utility and beauty, is the feisty character of Edna Mode, from the movie The Incredibles. When Mr. Incredible asked her to design a new suit for him, she was adamant that there will be NO CAPES ! This is due largely to the fact that quite a number of superheroes were killed when their capes got caught in jet turbines, elevators, missiles etc.

Capes are beautiful, but it's not essential for doing real superhero work. And as much as possible, we don't want distractions from being the beautiful superheroes that we are.

Life Edited...More on Graham Hill

Video Link : Less Stuff, More Happiness - By Graham Hill

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One of my favorite TED Talks from Graham Hill the founder of lifeedited.com and treehugger.com.

In this talk he suggests that there's a better way to live this life. That less might actually equal more.

In summary, he proposes that there are three approaches on how to have less stuff but more happiness:

1. Edit ruthlessly-- We've got to clear the arteries of our lives. We've got to cut the extraneous out of our lives, and we've got to learn to stem the inflow. We need to think before we buy. We want stuff that we're going to love for years, not just stuff.

2. Small is Sexy. We want space efficiency. We want things that are designed for how they're used the vast majority of the time, not the rare event. We want things that nest, we want things that stack, and we want it digitized.

3. Have multifunctional spaces and housewares--a sink combined with a toilet, a dining table that becomes a bed etc.

Finally, let's take a second and ask ourselves, "Could I do with a little life editing? Would that give me a little more freedom? Maybe a little more time? "

On Identity

They say that Facebook is a great time waster, but every now and then there are some nuggets of wisdom you would encounter.

The quote below is from my favorite Filipino motivational speaker, Mr. Francis Kong.

He said and I quote :
"What are your dreams? 'To have a house...'. 'To have a car..." etc. 
These are not dreams, these are merely things you want to own. Wrong Focus! This is called acquisition. 
Focus your dreams on what you can become and what you can accomplish. This is called identity. 
Your ' stuff ' do not define you. It's not too late. You may want to refocus your dreams."

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So there goes the perennial question: Who do you want to be when you grow up? 

My Space is Small. My Life is Big.

Last March 2013,  a friend of mine (Nestor Balce), shared this article on Facebook from the New York Times. It was written by Graham Hill, founder of lifeedited.com and treehugger.com. From then on, the ideas that he espoused on this article resonates with me to this day. This is one of those tiny little steps I take everyday to bring me closer to my dream of having a big life. 

I hope this article will inspire you or resonate something within you; hopefully as much as it had on me.  

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Article Link :  Living With Less. A Lot Less. By Graham Hill 

Do I Create Experiences or Do I Buy Stuff?

I cannot pinpoint, the exact time and date when I started feeling restless and had this nagging doubt that there must be more to life than owning things. But five years ago something happened to most of the residents of Metro Manila that left an indelible mark on how we will live our lives moving forward. 

In 2009, during that big flood here in Manila (courtesy of Typhoon Ondoy), while I was watching the news on TV and seeing the tragedy happening to almost everyone;  I had to assess my situation and decide what stuff I would bring with me just in case I need to evacuate. And I saw this Burberry Bag I recently bought then for 600 euros in Korea, and then it dawned on me, those stuff will not be able to save me. It’s just a symbol of my unbridled consumerism.  Years later, when I talk to some friends who had actual first-hand experience with Typhoon Ondoy, they said that the worst part is not in the losing of things; but the utter helplessness that they felt when the decision to dispose of something was taken away from them; when it is a force much bigger than all of us who makes the decisions, whether we like it or not.


Soon thereafter I decided I will never buy Louis Vuitton bags worth a thousand euros per bag or watches more than 200 euros (despite working in an environment where people are into shopping designer stuff, left and right!).  

I know I could afford to buy at least one, but then again my wants have changed from wanting to own things to wanting to create experiences. And If I do buy stuff that are too expensive then I would probably be too afraid to make scratch or a dent on it. Another thing is when I travel to Europe, since I am from a third world country, even if I deck myself head to toe in original designer stuff, there will still be people there who would think that what I own is fake.

In hindsight, these decisions have far reaching consequences, i.e.  it has enabled me to decide to go on vacation in Europe in 2013 and 2014 and visit friends and strengthen my relationships with then.  It has allowed to me really take a break from the daily grind of my work and wake up in some fabulous city like Paris, Munich or Frankfurt, worrying only about what I will eat for breakfast or which restaurant has a better croissant. Believe me this is a great thing! Something that sticks with you forever.