Since I started Minimal Student, my once a week posting schedule has forced me to reach for my laptop at least once every few days to write posts, answer email and reply to comments. Not to mention all of the other habits I’ve developed whilst being connected, like constant checking and refreshing like a crazy…
“What I propose is a spiritual revolution” ~ Dalai Lama As political freedom spreads to more people and technology integrates into our lives, one would think that man’s quest for happiness is more obtainable than ever. And yet, there is still so much suffering in the world. There is still discrimination, war and violence. People are…
Live simply so others may simply live ~ HH Dalai Lama Six billion people live on this planet. Each and every one is worth just as much as the next. But many of them have to struggle to obtain basic human needs such as water whilst others are wasting it washing their cars. According to…
Patience is waiting. Not passively waiting. That is laziness. But to keep going when the going is hard and slow – that is patience. The human lifespan is short. That’s why we’re told to constantly cram as much as we can into each day. We do things that we like think are important, but aren’t really,…
Two shoe makers go to a remote village. One of them immediately gives up and goes home, declaring, “It’s hopeless! Nobody here wears shoes.” The other, smiling, declares “What a glorious business opportunity! Nobody here wears shoes”. Opportunity is something that you discover, not something that you wait for Whether it’s new business idea,…
This is the final part of a five part series on Seneca’s On the Shortness of Life. Read Part I – Finiteness, Part II – Protecting time and living in the present, Part III – Desire and life goals, Part IV – Learning. A typical person living in the Western world is expected to live until about 70-80 years…
Back when I was an aspiring career girl who thought the epitome of success was earning a Director’s title and a generous bonus package every year until I retired comfortably at 65, I used to be obsessed with productivity. How could I get more things done in less time? How could I fit more into my…
It was my 27th birthday this month. Although I don’t feel that old yet, almost every day I’m reminded of memes I don’t understand, trends I haven’t heard of, or technology I didn’t know existed. I feel a big difference between myself and ‘kids these days’. In fact, I have a brother who is 11 years younger…
An often misunderstood part of minimalism is that it is an all or nothing deal. With popular books, articles and videos showing ‘minimalists’ living in white boxes with just three shirts, two plates, and one pen, it’s no wonder why most people get the wrong idea. A minimalist lifestyle is defined by each individual’s own terms. For some, owning…
A lot of people mix up travelling with ‘escaping’. They think that people who travel are trying to run away from bad things in their lives, or bad things that will/might happen to them like work, debt or demanding bosses. But the problem is, it’s not simply enough to ‘run away’. That’s what a vacation…