iman

comma, not a full stop.

[imanatasya]

Out of Whack \ Need to be more Flexible

Since starting my internship, I haven't really been writing or reading or exercising regularly. I would do bursts of it then stop. I'm not in any way blaming this internship, no, but it's made me realise that I've been too rigid with my routines.

One thing's for sure, I always forget to give leeway for tiredness, physically, mentally, spiritually. I think that I'm this superhuman that can go on for days and days, just as long as I put my mind to it. And there's this mind set that if I don't its because I am ill disciplined, lazy, etc. (negative self talk at its worst)

It's not been all bad, I've gone off track, but I've managed to exercise here and there, read once in a while and right now write out my thoughts. I need to be okay with this. And keep working on it, and not give it up.  A little done is still better than none done.

It's alright.

I am okay.

Time to play some WHAM!

Also TGIF!

Love,

Nart

[imanatasya]

Morning Routine

In this gap year of mine, one of the things I wanted to work on was my morning routine.  For a few years now, I've been trying to solidify my morning. Because too many a days, I wake up, chow down my breakfast, blast the shower and then run off to wherever I need to be.  I've read so many different morning routines, and attempted them, but none really stuck. Im not exactly sure why, but I suspect I had put too high an expectation on myself: I would try a morning routine like drink lemon water, 7 min workout, meditate, bathe etc. and usually it would go smoothly on the first few days, but once something comes up and throws this morning routine off... I think to myself: Nope, this morning thing, not my thing. It wasn't so much that the morning routine wasn't for me, it was more I could never commit, because I was too rigid.  Yesterday though, I googled morning routine yet again, and stumbled upon www.morningroutine.com One of the interviews in particular, resonated with me.  In his morning routine, he did specific things, but the bigger picture here was that, he would work on his mind, body & soul. And at the end of his routine; question himself, if I would die in the next moment, would I die happy?  It may sound a bit extreme, but it really was profound to me. The little practices that we carry out here in the morning, are usually things that we usually tell ourselves that we can do "later" when I'm not so busy. We want to do it because we know, it will bring us joy but yet we delay it.  Mind: study & create We learn a bit of something that truly interests us, and not related to our degree or job scopes. Say learning a language, or the piano.  We make. Knitting, or writing whatever floats your boat. In creating, we unleash our inner creative. Body: exerting energy & nourishing your body. Truthfully, I never can bring myself to exercise in the wee hours, but when I do, even if its just a 5 min stroll, I feel more energised than from eating a hearty breakfast. These days, I suffice on a fruit and coffee mmmmm. Soul: meditate & love. Meditation's starting to be more and more of a thing now. For me being Muslim, prayer works in a similar way, so I do my morning prayer which at most lasts for 10 mins, but it really does set the mood for the day.  Last but not least, I don't usually do this, but express love and gratitude to those important in my life. Not gonna lie, its extremely awkward for me to do this with my family but I'm starting with a goodbye a big smile, and when Im ready possibly a hug. Friends though, I'll go straight for a hug. Or a text.  Genuinely curious... Is this normal to have a morning routine for a 20 something year old? Love Nart

[imanatasya]

Going Ambidextrous It's been a while since, I blogged. Not sure, if it was because I was facing a writer's block, hmm not sure if I'm even writer material enough to qualify for a writer's block.  ANYHOW, recently, in an attempt to be mindful in the most mundane of my routines, I have been utilising my left hand.  To brush my teeth To open doors To hold my coffee mug To enter the passcode into my phone The list goes on... Because I am right handed, and no where near ambidextrous , these mundane activities get a lot more tricky and require my attention and focus.  And why would I bother doing this, should you ask? Well... Mostly in an attempt to be present in the now, to allow myself to appreciate these little things in life, that I have come to take for granted.; be it the stroke of the toothbrush against my gums; the cold metal of a door handle; the warm and smooth surface of my m coffee mug; . It's a meditation, a yoga-like feeling, in those moments when I do focus on these mundane activites. Have a go? You may learn something along he way. Like my realisation that hand eye coordination in my case, actually really means right hand eye coordination, because my left hand is noooooo where near coordinated.  Lots of love, left hand on ma heart hurhurhur nart

[imanatasya]

The Day I couldn’t Speak, I learned to Listen

I always thought I was a good listener. When friends and family confide in me, I recall details, pick them up. I make sure I am careful not to be free flowing with my words, because, above all when someone confides in you, it is not so much sympathy but empathy that they seek. 

Well, I’ve been away in Saudi for a while now, and I haven’t really had any motive to write anything for the past few weeks. However, this umrah experience, has given me numerous tales, experiences, sights and sees to reflect on. 

The first of which, was the day, when I lost my voice completely, because of a terrible sore throat. 

Now in Mecca, many say to be careful of your words, your thoughts because in this sacred place, let’s just say be careful what you wish for. 

So I did and I was extra mindful with what I spoke. When I got my fever then lost my voice, I thought to myself, man, I must have said something. So for a while I kept trying to recall my conversations; I probably should not have complained about that cold morning, or the lady who elbowed me, or the arab immigration..

More importantly though, the whole day, I was forced to listen to people talk and even when I disagreed, I couldn’t bring myself to raise my voice because my throat was too sore. 

The most significant moment of the day was when someone had said quite a thoughtless petty remark and I was SO determined to correct her. That changed my whole perspective on this I-cannot-talk-because-it-feels-like-someone-is-scraping-my-throat-with-their-nails. I realised then, that it wasn’t me having to listen to people talk, but me listening to me. 

That day, 

I really started listening to myself better. 

And because it took that much more effort to speak, you become REALLY selective with what you have to say, so you become a lot more mindful with your speech. This throat ain’t got time for petty talk, and lame rebuttals. 

I learnt that speaking just isn’t talking. You can speak, with your tears, your laugh (that was painful but worth it) & the best one your smile.

Maybe, I did say something a bit meh, I don’t mean to give myself excuses, but we do slip up sometimes. Regardless, I definitely think the greater takeaway or takeaways, was worth all those strepsils. 

Lots of Love 

Nart

[imanatasya]

The Only Person you Need

Dress nice 

Say Kind Words

Hug

Cup your Cheek

Touch the tips of your Eyelashes

Pat your Back

Massage those Shoulder Aches

Smile

Smile Widely

Laugh

Laugh until your Stomach Hurts

Be Silly

Giggle

Hold Hands

Caress your Forearm

Look you in your Eyes

Stare

Stare deeply

Listen

Listen without Judgement

Listen with Empathy, with Kindness, with Love

Cry

Cry a Lot

Comfort

be Comforted

be Comfortable

& Love,

Love.

Love.

Love.

[imanatasya]

Physical Minimalism Part III: Your Body as a Temple

HEALTH (is wealth)

Its Purpose

This is the physical state of our body, the medium, or the gateway and not a hindrance for us to pursue whatever we want.

How do we do this?

Eat the most nutritious and healthy foods, so that we fuel and not dry out our bodies. Too many food comas, not such a good idea. Take out the junk, we only can eat so much every day, let’s not waste it on food that hardly give us any nutrients. Let’s stop giving ourselves excuses, you and I know that with a little effort, healthy foods can be delicious. No seriously, I am not kidding.

Keep active, we don’t all have to be triathletes, but keep moving. Its the little things like choosing to stand on the train, washing our sibiling’s dishes, or parking at the lot in the farthest corner. Do things that are fun, don’t run if you hate it. Find an activity that you enjoy so you can keep doing it, don’t make it difficult for youself to get moving. ( I like to clean and dance)

Keep our homes light, airy, fresh and clean. This comes in play with decluttering our homes. When we have lesser things, its that much easier to maintain a cleaner space, because with lesser things, its easier to clean all the creeks and corners. Let’s keep the dust at bay, because sneezing all the time and a bad complexion is not very fun.

Eventually...

On a side note, I just want to say that This is something that is especially difficult for me, because for so long, the only reasons why I ate healthier foods and kept active was for vanity purposes.

I am now, slowly but constantly trying to change this mindset, so that my reasons for doing so is the long term goal of being healthy and fit enough to do as much physical activity for as long as I live. If I can work towards this, I am sure the looks will come naturally.

Lots of Love

Nart

[imanatasya]

When it comes to Love, each & everyone of us speaks a Different Language.

Book Recommendation: The 5 Languages of Love by Gary Chapman

So, I was googling books on love the other day, to find a book that may enlighten me a bit more on this topic that genuinely interests me. Aside from the fact, that I am a person that craves Love from people, from my hobbies, from a spiritual higher power, from me. I think Love is such a fascinating emotion and has the power to make people do unexpected things. 

In this book, Chapman writes that there are 5 languages when it comes to Love. Regardless your cultural background, status, gender etc. You would be able to identify with one of these languages as one of your main primary language when it comes to Love. The languages are:

Acts of Service

Words of Affirmation

Quality Time

Physical Touch

Receiving Gift

Of course, no one speaks strictly one language. In most cases, we are all an amalgamation of these languages, just that one speaks out more to us than the others. If we did, love wouldn’t be so complicated and interesting really. 

To understand more about each quality, you can easily go over to his website to read about it, and even do a quiz to figure out your scores in these different languages at

http://www.5lovelanguages.com/

Cheesy as it sounds, and borderline gimmicky, to categorise Love into FIVE specific languages, I found a lot of truth, AHA moments and humour even when I read his book, because I saw these different languages in the different people in my life. Not just love from the relationships I’ve been in, but also love from my friends and family and of course myself. If you knew a person well enough, it would be relatively easy to identify their primary Love language, and the rough hierarchy of these languages in them. 

And to see if it was really true, I tested waters. Before I told anyone about this book I was reading, I tried to identify the languages of others in my family, especially the ones which don’t speak the same language as me. In other words, the cause for our disagreements and conflicts at times. Instead, in a few days, I took the effort to actually vocalise my pride for the person (Words of affirmation) Before, where I would internalise this, I now took to saying it out loud. And you could almost immediately see the positive effect it left on people for quite a prolonged period during the day. It sounds ridiculous, but it works!

Love Languages, dialects, words aside however, I think the most profound thing to me was that, even if we all could identify every other persons love languages accurately, that’s it, end of story; love will prevail. No. The most profound thing for me was realising that in identifying another’s love language, even when it conflicts with our own language, we choose to learn and “speak” it, even when it is not in our nature. We choose to do it, out of love. Because we love the other. Simple or straightforward as it seems, I found this extremely eye-opening. 

So if you have time, I highly suggest reading it or listening to the audiobook. Its brought me a lot of clarity to my understanding of people, my relationships with my friends and family. It also helps you decide if some people are worth the effort or not...

“Do not Fall in Love darling... Rise in Love,” - The Dreamer

When we realise that we all don’t necessarily speak the same language, but choose to learn another for a loved one, we are giving more than “just love” but encouragement, hope, motivation, support, empathy, inspiration for the person. With this understanding and effort, we can be so much more meaningful and enriching to others. And I can’t help but think about it, but don’t you think if two people mutually did this for one another, the amazing things that can come out of it?! 

Call me a dreamer, but I’d like to think that some dreams can come true, with time and effort of course.

Lots & lots & lots of Love

Nart 

[imanatasya]

Physical Minimalism Part II: What Fills your Temple?

Our Belongings

Its Purpose

These things should only be the essentials that we use. If not exactly useful, the only reason why they should be kept is because it brings you happiness.

How do we do this?

After tossing out the obvious trash, there are always a few different level of importance to the things we have left.

The most sentimental things that bring us so much happiness that we will never be able to forgive ourselves if we part with it

The things that are still in useful condition, but we can easily part with

The grey area things (& also the most difficult to decide): They either hold a little sentimental value or some level of usefulness, but you only realise this when you found it in the dark corner of your cabinet.

Start with the trash first.

This should be followed by useful items that can be given away without much regret.

Then our most sentimental items, (these items should somehow scream to us when we hold it.

& then the grey things. Since I’ve done my share on decluttering, from my experience, what I did was to hide them all in a cupboard. And if I needed an item from the stash, I would take it out, and when I was done, I would return it somewhere else. I gave it a month or so, after which, all the items still left in the cupboard, I gave away or threw out without a lot less difficulty actually.

Now that we know, what we have are essentials only and happy items, we can be more mindful when purchasing new things. We can ask ourselves, if we really need it, if we might already have the item, and if we can use this money on something more fruitful.

& Eventually...

The idea is to declutter once and for all, not having to do it over and over again. Be smart, be Lazy. Get it right, the first time round and you may never have to declutter again.

to be continued...

[imanatasya]

Before Minimalism: Scarcity & Materialism

This the 2nd of a series of posts with regards to going beyond minimalism.

Before we had this movement of people having to declutter or do spring cleaning, there was a time where people simply did not have enough*. Everything which was within a household was purposefully bought and used, and if people needed an item but did not have it, they would go over to their neighbours to borrow whichever item this was. 

My nenek (grandma), lived in this age, as did my parents to a certain extent. But I see this most in my nenek, because everything she owns till today, she mentally notes its price. Its amazing how its all in her head, she being illiterate, and although, I may never know if the prices are true, it clearly showed that there was a lot of value attached to each and every item. 

People were frugal, and necessarily so.

These days, many of us, in the age of materialism, where we are able to afford basic household items, but beyond that, are able to splurge on expensive clothes or cars; people are having too much. Not everything within a household is necessarily there because it is used on the regular. In fact many of the items we own end up being stored in the storeroom, collecting dust and adding up to the clutter. 

For me, it got to the point, where I had too may pieces of clothes that I couldn’t “find” anything to wear, so eventually I’d usually end up using my mom’s cloths (we’re the same size, and her taste is pretty contemporary, if you’re wondering), because I “didn’t have anything,” to wear. On top of that it was pretty ridiculous, the amount of time, I would spent dressing up. When I finally realised this, I felt excessive. 

We weren’t being frugal anymore, we were excessive. 

Yet, it is encouraging that there is a movement away from materialism as seen in many of the first world nations. Many of us are realising, that there is little value in attaching our happiness to these tangible objects. People feel like they have enough, or rather they’ve had enough (of things) 

Some go back to the basics, purging modern life entirely. Some go back to being frugal. And some others, decide to embrace a middle ground between modern life and frugality. (I’m in that last gang)

Overall however, the common ground for these groups of people is that they have chosen not to spend their money carelessly on things. They, and some of us included, have become the anti-materialists. 

To be continued..

*I’m writing in a 1st world context

[imanatasya]

Beyond Minimalism: Experientialism

For a while now, I have been reading on minimalism. The idea of getting rid of clutter, of simplifying. But then, it also made me think, what next? What was the purpose of doing this, to simplify. We weren’t all made to live like monks. Even the monks would say so, I’m certain. 

And I realised then, that minimalism, is really just a baseline of sorts. It sets the foundations for you, so that you are rid of clutter, physically, mentally and spiritually so you can experience life. 

For example:

1. M: We rid the junk food to be healthy -> E: Being healthy, allows us to run a marathon or climb a mountain

2. M: We rid time spent on social media -> E: We socialize in real life, meet new people and establish real relationships

3. M: We rid our judgements on others, and ourselves -> E: We become unafraid, not inhibited, and we are able to truly pursue what we want. 

Away with materialism, in with experientialism. These days, more and more of us are catching on to the trend. Gone are the days where owning a Longchamp bag was enviable, these days, its about who’s picnicked at Laneway, who’s had a sneak peek in the National Gallery or who has walked over to Coney Island. It’s not about the things we own, its about the things we do. 

There’s so much I want to write about this, because it truly excites me, but I will stop here for now, because as far as possible, I would like to write it in a concised manner. 

In any case, a lot of these thoughts, were sparked from a book called Stuffocation, that I’ve been reading the past two days I was stuck in bed with my fever. Have a read! I would really recommend it.

Lots of Love,

Nart

[imanatasya]

Having Fun: One day at a Time

So since I’m on my gap year, I’ve had relatively a lot more time than I ever had before to when I was schooling, interning etc. And even though, I’m on a break of sorts, I didn’t want this free time to turn me into a vegetable. So I’ve been trying to plan my days and occupy them with things that I can do, and most importantly learn something from. 

While doing this, the past few weeks, one of the things I realised, is that I’ve forgotten how to have fun. I know, it sounds ridiculous, but in all my years of studying, I forgot how to do it. I’d only do it in little bursts during my holidays and when school started, goodbye world, I’ll be in my cave hiding. 

But like any diet, this of course is hardly sustainable. It’s as if I don’t eat for months (4 to be exact) and then binging in 3. I mean unless you go into hibernation mode, this is not healthy at all. And it shouldn’t be in little junk food snacks of fun, where you just fill your stomach, with hardly filling or nutritious foods that matter. Not scrolling through facebook fun, double tapping instagram fun or online shopping fun. Similar to how we should feed ourselves with real nutrient dense foods, we should feed ourselves with REAL FUN. DENSE FUN.

So, as much as I’m taking the time to learn, I’m also using the time to have fun. 

Movies. Films. Binge Watching Shows. Museum Hopping. Cafe Hopping. Just Hopping. Face to face Conversations with your friends. Conversations with strangers. Conversations with yourself. Forest Walks. Beach Walks. Pavement Walks. Dancing. Singing. Acting. Birthdays. Festivities. Festivals. Parties. Concerts. Listening to Music. Playing Music. Reading Fiction. Reading Poems. Drawing. Painting. Making Sculptures. 

You get the idea.

“The Time you Enjoy Wasting, is not Wasted Time,” - Bertrand Russell

My idea of fun is probably very different from yours, but I’m having it at least for an hour a day. (2 hours ideally) And while I’m having my fun, there shouldn’t be any distractions. If it means being discipline about my fun, so be it. 

Brb, binge watching the Office. 

Nart

[imanatasya]

Mindfulness Does Not Always mean choosing the Most Mindful Choice

Yesterday, while eating dinner there was a brief moment where I felt quite full just a little into my meal. And I paused, and I acknowledged this “fullness” This meant I probably have had enough, and then I should stop. But I did not. Somehow, I managed to convince myself. The conversation in my head went something like this:

Voice 1: “Wow I’m really full after 2 bites..”  Voice 2: “Nah...I can’t be full, I’m only 2 bites in..”  and then  Voice 1: “Just stop, you can always eat later if you get hungry again..”  Voice 2: “But I might as well eat now if I’m only going to be hungry later...”  and also Voice 1: “You know you don’t always need to eat a complete meal to feel full..” Voice 2: “BUT But but, you can’t just have carbs, you need your proteins, your fats...” 

It was an internal debate, and one that I’m realising now happens on a pretty regular basis. No, I’m pretty sure I’m mentally sound. It’s just that now that I’m trying to be more mindful of my thoughts, I usually can hear this two conflicting voices especially when I have to make a decision on something. A decision that can be as minute as taking another bite or choosing to take another breath. If you break it down to the most smallest of actions, it almost happens in every mili-moment-second of your life. 

The takeaway for me here though, in making the “wrong” or the “bad” decision, I was well aware, I was doing so. I was mindful, that I was doing the lesser of the options. I could have stopped, but nope, I listened to you Voice 1 & 2, and although Voice 2 isn’t thaaat convincing either, I would like to eat some of that stir fried beef, oh yes I do.  So I do not regret taking that extra few bites, because to be mindful, to listen to my thoughts without judgement is, this awareness, at least for me, is a step in the right direction. 

Lots of Love

Nart

p.s. The reason why I chose this photo, is that every time I come across a “short” cut across the grass or the long and windy concrete pavement, I’m always at a crossroad, cross path..? I can’t decide if I should take the short cut or the long and windy path for a myriad of reasons and the voices start going into a frenzied state. Does anyone else feels this way too? PLEASE, I NEED TO KNOW. T.T

[imanatasya]

Self Compassion: Every Moment is a New Sunrise

A few days ago, I stumbled upon a quote that said something along those lines, that every moment is a new sunrise. I can’t remember where I saw it or the exact words (goldfish memory of mine) but I guess how I interpreted it was that in every moment, be it 7 in the morning, 7 in the afternoon or 7 in the evening, take it as a new opportunity to make the best out of it.

For me, I crave and long for sunrises, (I feel like I am  a rare breed of morning persons) its also because I always associate sunrises as a fresh start, a new beginning, a clean slate to set the right tone for the day.

But the problem is that if my morning does not go right, that’s it, my day is going to suck: I hate going out, I hate cars, I hate people, I hate everything.

And it is this rigid idea of a perfect morning = perfect day = many perfect days = perfect life, that keeps me this way. So how I end up dealing with my bad moods is to sleep it off away through the night, so that when I wake up the sun greets me, and I can try again.

I don’t think it’s wrong, but I worry, that too many days end with a lousy bang, or rather lack of a bang and I end up sleeping it off hoping to end with the make it perfect the next day. I just need to realise, that my sunrises, or fresh starts can be in every moment of my life, I don’t need to be dictated by the sun. I can decide for myself, when my next sunrise is going to be.

And if, I try to make the best of the moment, but it does not happen as I hoped for, it is, okay. It is alright. I am only human. That moment does not define the rest of my day, neither does it set the tone for the rest of my moments. Everyday will not end with the loudest Bang, some bangs are softer than the others, but that is fine too.

So make your own sunrise in every moment. It is not all unicorns and rainbows, no, it’s going to be quite difficult at times; a constant and ongoing effort, but I will, and I must try.

Lots of Love

Nart

[imanatasya]

Physical Minimalism Part I: Create your own Temple 

(or Mosque, or Church or Synagogue...you get the idea)

This is a continuation of my Minimalism to me post

Physical Minimalism, to me can be broken down into 3 components:

i. The Physical Environment we Occupy: Our Home

ii. How do we Fill this Environment: Our Belongings

iii. Us in Our Environment: Our Health

The Physical Environment we Occupy: Our Home

Its Purpose

This is where we return every day to rest and recuperate. It should be a space that allows us to be calm, to be centred, to be grounded.

How do we do this?

Well for starters, keep it clutter free. Don’t keep the trash, throw it out even though some times we might get lazy. Do it. As far as possible, throw out, donate or sell the items that we don’t use anymore. We don’t have to do this in an overhaul fashion, but just take it upon ourselves to declutter for as little as 5 minutes a day first thing in the morning, sets the right tone for the day. 

Visualise as much as possible our house, or our room (essentially, the space that we have control over) how it would look like if we didn’t have so many things.( For some reason it always helps me to visualise MTV Cribs coming over to my room, HA HA, and what my room would look like if I had to show it to everyone) What is this ideal visual or look that we want our rooms to look like? In most cases, I think it doesn’t include a pile of clothes in the corner, or last weeks biscuit wrapper and used tissues on the table. 

& Eventually...

With this idea of our space in mind, it makes the cleaning up that much easier. We don’t just do it to please our mothers anymore, but because creating a space we actually feel a sense of peace or joy, comes from within ourselves. And that’s always a stronger motivation, than our mothers breathing down our necks unfortunately. 

to be continued...

[imanatasya]

This is a recorded version of this post, my script is slightly different but the gist of it is similar. 

Why become Minimalist?

There are so many reasons why the minimalism bug caught on to me, and although I’m really new to it, I really want to share what I’ve learned so far because from the little that I’ve learnt, it has given me a lot of clarity to my thoughts, to which I admit was a colossal mess before. We could all benefit from a little minimalism in our lives. No, we don’t all have to be monks, but being monk-like in some aspects of our lives, I believe, could do us a whole lot of good.

The whole idea of minimalism, is to live less on physical things and instead a life full of experiences. Or like how Bruce Lee says it

“It’s not the daily increase, but the daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential,”

Purpose

I’ve mentioned before, but the purpose of doing this, is so that my energy will be focused on the important things in life. For me this would be my health, my relationships, god, and my passions. I believe, spending time and energy on these, will bring me a fulfilling and really a happy life. Because, ultimately, and maybe seemingly naive, all I really want to be is happy.

Well for starters, I’m taking Mr Lee’s advise. Hack away at the unessential! I’m very new to this minimalism thing, so I’m learning as I embrace it slowly. And I realise that one of the important things about minimalism is that it’s really not just an aesthetic or stylistic trendy instagrammy thing, it’s a lifestyle that goes beyond the physical or tangible things.

To make this more simple for myself, I’ve broken this down to a holy trinity of sorts, when introducing minimalism into my life.

Physical Minimalism: this involves the living environment you create, the things you fill in your living environment & you in your living environment. In other words, your home, the things you own & your health.

Mental Minimalism: this involves the environment in your head. Like Physical minimalism, what kind of environment have you created for yourself, what do you fill it up with & what is the state of your mind? In other words, your headspace, the thoughts that occupy it, & your mental health.

Spiritual Minimalism: this involves the environment in your heart. What is your conscience like, what are your beliefs & what is the state of your conscience? This is tricky but for me I understand it to be as your faith, the practices you do & the state of your soul.

I will continue on each one of these aspects individually, because they are quite different from one another. To me, constantly working on these 3 aspects of my life will lead me to an easier path of happiness, not that I’m depressed, but knowing that I am working on it, as of now, already makes me happy.

Lots of Love,

Nart

[imanatasya]

Be Childish

Whenever I hear the remark that someone’s childish, I get pretty pissed off. Besides the fact that I get mistaken for a secondary school student, I honestly think that children or childishness for that matter, don’t deserve the negative connotation that’s always associated with it. 

Because children, in all their youth and rawness are the most innocent of us, and if anything, have the most room or ability to learn, to grow for the better. 

Hold on tight to that inner child of yours whether you’re 20, 50 or a 100, because he/she will sustain that curiosity, the restlessness & the no-fear attitude to try new things, and keep having fun. 

Did you just call me childish? Well... sucks to be you.... you Adultish thing. I’d rather be childish any day.

neh-neh, nee-booboo

Nart

[imanatasya]

Why become Minimalist?

There are so many reasons why the minimalism bug caught on to me, and although I’m really new to it, I really want to share what I’ve learned so far because from the little that I’ve learnt, it has given me a lot of clarity to my thoughts, to which I admit was a colossal mess before. We could all benefit from a little minimalism in our lives. No, we don’t all have to be monks, but being monk-like in some aspects of our lives, I believe, could do us a whole lot of good.

The whole idea of minimalism, is to live less on physical things and instead a life full of experiences. Or like how Bruce Lee says it

“It’s not the daily increase, but the daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential,”

Purpose

I’ve mentioned before, but the purpose of doing this, is so that my energy will be focused on the important things in life. For me this would be my health, my relationships, god, and my passions. I believe, spending time and energy on these, will bring me a fulfilling and really a happy life. Because, ultimately, and maybe seemingly naive, all I really want to be is happy.

Well for starters, I’m taking Mr Lee’s advise. Hack away at the unessential! I’m very new to this minimalism thing, so I’m learning as I embrace it slowly. And I realise that one of the important things about minimalism is that it’s really not just an aesthetic or stylistic trendy instagrammy thing, it’s a lifestyle that goes beyond the physical or tangible things.

To make this more simple for myself, I’ve broken this down to a holy trinity of sorts, when introducing minimalism into my life.

Physical Minimalism: this involves the living environment you create, the things you fill in your living environment & you in your living environment. In other words, your home, the things you own & your health.

Mental Minimalism: this involves the environment in your head. Like Physical minimalism, what kind of environment have you created for yourself, what do you fill it up with & what is the state of your mind? In other words, your headspace, the thoughts that occupy it, & your mental health.

Spiritual Minimalism: this involves the environment in your heart. What is your conscience like, what are your beliefs & what is the state of your conscience? This is tricky but for me I understand it to be as your faith, the practices you do & the state of your soul.

I will continue on each one of these aspects individually, because they are quite different from one another. To me, constantly working on these 3 aspects of my life will lead me to an easier path of happiness, not that I’m depressed, but knowing that I am working on it, as of now, already makes me happy.

Lots of Love,

Nart