Author: Juli Shulem
We are all spending a lot of time inside our homes. How much do you REALLY need? For those whose homes are a disorganized clutter zone, this could be stressful and result in more anxiety than isolating already brings to the table. If you are constantly tripping over stuff on the floor, and having to […]
We are all spending a lot of time inside our homes. How much do you REALLY need? For those whose homes are a disorganized clutter zone, this could be stressful and result in more anxiety than isolating already brings to the table. If you are constantly tripping over stuff on the floor, and having to look at stacks of papers and magazines on top of various surfaces, or have counters filled with ‘who knows what’ then this needs to change.
During this sheltering experience, I have pondered the question of “How much do we really need?” I’m in the middle of moving – yes, during a pandemic – so back in late February knowing moving was imminent, I packed a lot of items that were, what I consider, non-essential things: artifacts, décor, extra kitchen items, spare bedding items, books, and the like. I then staged my home to show for sale.
Since I keep a pretty minimalistic environment as a rule, there is not a lot of difference between when the packed items were around and the now lessened amount in the staged version. I can now say, however, that after nearly two months of sheltering in place – there is really not much needed to be completely content.
I have always felt that people live with too much stuff – particularly in the United States, and having traveled around the world I can attest to that from what I saw. I found that when I have to consider what my “needs” are based on taking the risk of going to a store, or buying something online and all the cleaning and mindfulness surrounding bringing something into my environment, I am forced to consider “what value is that item bringing to my life?”
I have found that food, good healthy food, is priority #1. So I called up the store that I like buying high quality olive oil and vinegar from and supported their business. I also enjoy good tea (I don’t drink coffee), and purchased teas from three different independently owned shops.
Ultimately, I paid attention to those things that would make my life better or easier, such as noticing that my reading glasses were no longer doing their job and I needed new ones. I have mostly bought things that are necessary, in addition to allowing me to make life easier, more productive, and increase joy.
This way I can do my work, engage in my hobbies, connect with others, and be happy doing so. The reason I mention these purchases is because when I have suggested living a more minimalistic life in past articles, people have countered with their not wanting to stop buying things.
And I am not suggesting you never buy anything again – because that isn’t going to happen – but be realistic with what you do buy. Make sure that what you bring into your home is providing some value. Ask yourself what it will add to your life.
Notice I did not stop being a consumer – but I didn’t waste my efforts on things that were not going to bring something positive into my life for the time, money, and energy expended. This supports the economy and keeps your budget in mind as well of what do you REALLY need.
Be safe. Stay healthy.
***Written by Juli Shulem
Contact Us at WeSpeak Global and follow us on Twitter
Author Profile
The articles, video and images embedded on these pages are from various speakers and talent.
These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by WeSpeak Global.
Building brands takes time. Be patient. Branding is an overused, misused and even abused management term. People think brand is a quick design fix for many management ills. It’s not. Building a brand takes time to root and enact change. The reason being, brands can influence our emotion and behaviour and that doesn’t happen overnight. […]
Robyn Benincasa on Building World Class Teams, one of the highest rated female athlete speakers, and her adventure racing teams have learned about building world class teams the hard way – by competing in and winning the world’s toughest ultra-endurance adventure races. She shares her lessons on ‘Building World Class Teams’ with Fortune 500 […]
Be Unique, be YOU, nobody can be YOU…and so we hear these quotes daily, but what does it really mean to Embrace your Authenticity? Many years ago I attended a conference and the theme was Be different and show up as YOU. For me, at that point in my life, it was a no-brainer of […]
As Covid has made it’s away around the globe it’s brought steep challenges and tremendous loss with it as It Is What It Is from Niki Seberini. Having said that, we must also acknowledge it’s gifted us with lessons in resilience, unconventional connections and a need to recalibrate both our internal and external compass. We […]
How to bounce back after retrenchment or a job loss. Got retrenched? Here’s how to recover and step up One of the most devastating feelings is the realization of the loss of your income. It puts you in an immediate spiral of fear, anxiety, and uncertainty. Retrenchment affects you emotionally and the whole process can […]
Digital Natives have grown up in a world that has been called the VUCA world. This is an acronym that covers four areas outlined below. V equals volatile U equals uncertain C equals complex A equals ambiguous There is a corresponding VUCA response that we can take advantage of as we walk with Digital Natives […]
Success always starts with failure or rather, often starts with failure. Sometimes when you do something, it becomes a success but happens very rarely. When you want to do something or start something new, try it out in a small scale so that the failure is survivable. You should make sure that adequate data are […]
As a keynote speaker on the topics of leadership, connection, resilience, and relationships, I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about Choose Compassion Over Empathy over the past year and Why Leaders Must Choose Compassion Over Empathy. In fact, in my virtual presentations on personal connection, I quickly became aware of the buzzwords associated […]
Our Mission
© All rights reserved 2025. Created using VOXEL THEME
