Hard Days Shaped Me

Motivation should not be such an aggravation.

[harddayshapedme]

Next Week = Me - Job

So it seems like I am about to lose my job next week.

Rent is going to be a problem.

I could go on and put the blame on myself, my boss, my job, etc

But that won't change a thing.

So I have done this so far

1) Spoken to the universe about what I want

2) Applied for jobs

3) About to schedule a day off this week so I have a long weekend to write a book (self publishing on Amazon)

4) Cried a little

5) Felt hopeful a little

6) Taken one step at a time

I have to stay strong.

Minimalist sacked on the day before she was about to announce going handbag free. Now i think I will need that handbag to store kleenex tissues, just in case.

[harddayshapedme]

When You Can Afford To Be Lazy

There are just a few things in life we can afford to be lazy about that ends up benefiting us than doing something about it. Here are some good examples of mine.

  1.        Arguments: more often than not are unnecessary, pointless and a relationship strainer. When you are confronted with a hostile situation, it would be far smarter to not say a word and let the other party rant on. They’ll be sure to feel pretty stupid screaming  their head off others. When people rant, they are giving you ammunition to use back against them by revealing their real thoughts and frustrations. By responding, you are neutralising the situation by offering your weaknesses to them. So why not just let the other party say what they want while you remain cool, calm, collected and unbothered?

  One of the 48 Laws of Power in Robert Greene’s book is “Always Say Less Than Necessary” and he explains this

  “Humans are machines of interpretation and explanation; they have to know what you are thinking”. This is the fundamental principle behind the fourth law. The more you talk, the more information you give away and thus, the more your power decreases. This is because by talking, we reveal our intentions, biases, quirks and personality (basically revealing who we are). When this information reaches the ears of other people, it can be used to stop your plans, it can be used against you or it can be used to gain your favour.

  On the other hand when we say less than necessary, we put others on the defensive. The silence will make them uncomfortable and as a result, they will try to fill in the void with comment and talk. In the process they will reveal something about themselves, which you can later use against them.”

  2.        Friends: I think that people you should be friends with are those who accept you for who you are. It doesn’t matter if you could be polar opposites.  Mutual respect and love is often gained between parties when they accept each other’s opinions and personalities as they are.  In reality, friends come and go, so there is no point making any effort for those who are not accepting of you,  you shouldn’t have to worry about what others think. At the end of the day, we were born alone and we will die alone. The only way to be truly content is to accept the self as it is and be confident in it. The right friends will stick to you, the ones that are not good for you will leave. You don’t need to make any effort for anyone but yourself.

  3.        Insecurities: For each time we say something or think something negative about yourself, you could just banish the idea or postpone it to another day (and when that day arrives, postpone it again.. and again…) Why make effort to dwell on your insecurities? Be lazy about them. Procrastinate on your insecurities and go play a video game or do something frivolous instead.

  4.        Eating Junk Food: (Personally I am still working on being lazy about this law…. But..) You are on the couch watching telly and you want to get beer and crisps or something equally bad. DON’T. Tell yourself you are too comfortable to shift your butt off the couch and stay there, repeat in your head “It’s too comfortable on the couch, I cannot move and I won’t move”. Then fall asleep watching tv and wait till dinner or breakfast or whatever and have a proper meal. J

  P.s. You have to tell yourself you are too lazy to ask your husband or wife or maid to get the beer for you too in case there are people at home.

  5.        Keeping up with the Jones: Impressing others is often a lot of work and money. Let the others buy their fast cars and expensive bags. You are too cool to play that game. You prefer watching the scene and laughing at the losers who are fighting to look more well-off than the others. Aren’t they an embarrassing lot?

  Ok. So these are just 5 of the most random things I can think of to be lazy about. But in general we can all afford to be lazy (and minimalist) about negative things. Why make effort to believe in negativity? J

  Stay lazy peeps. ;-)

[harddayshapedme]

If you are looking for a bag that gets softer and softer, allows you to put an adequate amount of stuff, looks chic and functional at the same time, well made, timeless, i highly recommend my bag,  "Billy" by Parisian brand Jerome Dreyfuss. 

I live in humid singapore and by some miracle, the leather has remained soft (and got softer) still smells great unlike other bags i have owned and the stories of other people's expensive Chanels, Proenza Schoulers, Mulberrys, etc... I have heard about. 

I believe in buying things in the long term. This baby is my long term relationship. :-) He comes in many cool utilitarian colours. 

The best thing is, not many people know of this brand yet. ;-) 

[harddayshapedme]

Follow me on Instagram, @etoilepunk where i strive to be minimalist (somehow!)

[harddayshapedme]

I Quit Facebook Today

Why?

Sucks up my productive time

Sucks up my actual leisure time

Encourages me to stalk people

Encourages me to compare my life with others

And much more.

All of it just brings about extra unnecessary thoughts. And usually of the negative kind. 

[harddayshapedme]

Minimalist Ad for Boston 2013

This ad is extremely minimalist because it reminds us all that at the end of the day, we are all reduced to ONE. We all believe in ONE thing. We all belong to the same team. PEACE

This ad was created by Paris-based ad agency, FAST MOOD

[harddayshapedme]

MINTimalist

These Altoid mints have been around since the 18th century. They come in a neat, mintimalist tin box which you can keep for various DIY projects after you're done finishing them. Not to mention, they just are just pure peppermints, no sugar, no fluff. Perfect. 

What I'd like to share today is how one minimalist tin box can be turned into so many useful things. 

Check out The Art of Manliness post on "Manly Ways to Reuse An Altoids Tin"

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2011/01/30/22-manly-ways-to-reuse-an-altoids-tin/

One of my favourites is the Martini kit. (see video below)

<p>Altoids Tin Martini Kit (by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-u8iojba_Ro&feature=share">spookylean</a>)</p>

Minimalism also means reusing minimalist items you own! 

[harddayshapedme]

A minimalist advertisement

Now that's what I call minimalist advertising. Direct and brutally honest. 

[harddayshapedme]

Marcus Aurelius: Historical Minimalist

I recently read Meditations* by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor and stoic philosopher. I expected to learn about Stoicism but found many minimalist ideas in the book I just had to share. Though he wrote it around 161 - 180 AD, his principles were surprisingly fitting to modern life.  I suppose this shows that even with the rise of technology in our current age, a minimalist way of life remains timeless and one that people of all times should strive for. 

Marcus minimalism might be most applicable to those with a collectivist outlook but here are some of my favourite bits from the book that I would like to share. Also, I did some research to see if anyone else in the world saw the minimalist in Marcus Aurelius like I did. Thankfully I am not the first. 

More Quotes from "Meditations"

"Concentrate every minute like a Roman - like a man - on doing what's in front of you with precise and genuine seriousness, tenderly, willingly, with justice. And on freeing yourself from all other distractions. Yes, you can - if you do everything as if it were the last thing you were doing in your life, and stop being aimless, stop letting your emotions override what your mind tells you, stop being hypocritical, self-centred, irritable. You see how few things you have to do to live a satisfying and reverent life? If you can manage this, that's all even the gods can ask of you."

"Keep in mind how fast things pass by and are gone - those that are now, and those to come. Existence flows past us like a river: the "what" is in constant flux, the "why" has a thousand variations. Nothing is stable, not even what's right here. The infinity of past and future gapes before us - a chasm whose depths we cannot see. 

So it would take an idiot to feel self-importance or distress. Or any indignation either. As if the things that irritate us lasted."

"Look at who they really are, the people whose approval you long for, and what their minds are really like. Then you won't blame the ones who make mistakes they can't help, and you won't feel a need for their approval. You will have seen the sources of both - their judgements and their actions".

"It is the pursuit of these things, and your attempts to avoid them that lead you in such turmoil. And yet they aren't seeking you out, you are the one seeking them.

Suspend judgement about them. And at once they will lie still and you will be freed from fleeing and pursuing"

---

I love how this quotes remind me to FOCUS on what I have to do to bypass all the things and people who get in the way, waste our time and energy to getting our goals. 

  More Links To Post Related to Marcus Aurelius, Minimalist King

Miss Minimalist "Ancient Minimalism Wisdom"

Everyday Minimalist "Quote of the Month"

Minimalist Lifestyle "The Most Important Decision You Will Ever Make"

Annienygma "What Would Marcus Do?"

* Gregory Hays Translation

[harddayshapedme]

Yet another inspirational quote from Marcus Aurelius for minimalists

It is the pursuit of these things and your attempts to avoid them, that leave you in such turmoil. And yet they aren’t seeking you out; you are the one seeking them.

- Marcus Aurelius  

[harddayshapedme]

Minimalist quote & lesson from Marcus Aurelius

“If you seek tranquillity, do less.” Or (more accurately) do what’s essential – what the logos of a social being requires, and in the requisite way. Which brings a double satisfaction: to do less, better.

Because most of what we say and do is not essential. If you can eliminate it, you‘ll have more time, and more tranquillity. Ask yourself at every moment, “Is this necessary”?

But we need to eliminate unnecessary assumptions as well. To eliminate unnecessary actions that follow.

[harddayshapedme]

I need inspiration... Do you?

If you need a quick, succinct yet effective way to get creative. This book is your must-have and serves as a quick reminder to get off your a** and do the work you want to do when you feel unmotivated and uncreative. 

Minimalism friendly

[harddayshapedme]

Fall Winter 2013 Covets Minimalism

Let's take inspiration from the fall/winter 2013 collections where minimalist dressing and style were present all around. It was extremely common to see only one to a maximum of 2 colours being worn in an ensemble. I'm inspired by the smart playfulness of different textures used to make them more interesting, especially in the Felder Felder show.  The stricter the cut of each garment, the more minimal it looked. This was even more obvious in Derek Lam's collection where the cut of each garment seemed to be the main focus. For a more relaxed form of minimalism though, the piping and embellishments peeking out of some of the simple t-shirt dresses on the Isabel Marant fall winter collection was clearly my favourite idea of casual minimalism.

Dressing according to my personal message just adds even more authenticity to what I am trying to achieve. Every aspect of my life needs to be as close to it as possible, even when it comes to fashion. 

[harddayshapedme]

Thankful Diary - get one!

"Gratitute unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity... It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into the perfect timing and mistakes into important events" 

- Melodie Beattie

Go to this website to start your thankful diary today! 

5 reasons why having a thankful diary will not only make you happy but make you feel sufficient. 

1. You start realising what you have 

2. You start appreciating and enjoying what you have

3. You become happier as a result of this

4. You will start to feel more like you already have all that you need

5. All of the above makes you more open to accepting every circumstance that happens to you so you'll never have to worry again

Try it today! :-)

[harddayshapedme]

It's as simple as saying "No"

If you are struggling with something in your life and you need some motivation to get through your negativity, motivation to get through your stress, motivation to get through your anxiety, I hope this little handwritten note from me and method will help you through your struggle. 

Sometimes, it's as simple as saying "no" to every incoming negative worry, thought, fear until it finally gives up.

Have a try. 

Love the world! x

[harddayshapedme]

Keep a minimalist warm & cool

I do not know who these Muubaa guys or girls are but they sure make some disgustingly distressed and ridiculously rockificial leather jackets. And they are for women. This one looks like it has seen better days and worse days. So, basically yin and yang, balanced and perfect for me. It's like 50% off on ASOS now. The one you are looking at is their Quinn biker jacket. 

I can't justify making the purchase seeing I live in tropical 33 degrees all year round Singapore. Someone like Muubaa should explore making leather jackets for Singapore or at least for summer!

Well, you know because a minimalist needs a leather jacket to work with her plain jeans and t shirt, to keep her looking cool while feeling warm at the same time. Actually in the case of Singapore, it'll just keep you very very very very warm and you might look cool for about 15 mins. 

In my next life then I suppose! 

[harddayshapedme]

Ciao Ciao Café! (Coffee)

A nespresso coffee I had in France last December

Scr*w you coffee. You're expensive, you give me anxiety and turn my teeth yellow. It's time to give you up. I have just managed to kill off one of my new year resolutions with a better resolution. "No more coffee". That's more minimal than cutting down coffee, indeed. 

I had a stomach flu attack a few days ago and almost fainted in the midst of hundreds of people passing through the train station. I knew exactly what it was as I felt it during my holiday in France a few weeks back. 

I took coffee the next day to help me feel more energetic for work. It definitely did not help me feel better. I felt worse and even the drugs given to me by the doctor to relieve my nausea and dizziness were not working. Later, I did a google search and found out that I was not supposed to drink coffee when having stomach flu. Oops.

And then it hit me. 

I should have seen this clearly before a long time ago. With all the times coffee has given me anxiety, making me think I am stressed over certain situations in my life when I was not. It confused me and made me associate the anxiety from drinking coffee with negative situations I come across that would normally be something I could easily brush away. If I want to cleanse my mind and start again, I must live without coffee. 

So goodbye, good riddance to you.

If you experience the same as I have, I would strongly encourage you give up coffee too. Good luck to us all. 

Coffee free since 18/1/13 (and counting!)