I'm a regular girl raised in a Chinese family. My parents had high expectations of me. I knew from a very young age that I absolutely had to get to University, even though I had no idea what I wanted to be. I was creative and excelled in arts, but I went on to study accounting. I graduated with mediocre grades but somehow made it to one of the biggest accounting firms with a somewhat respectable tittle.
Growing up, I was very reserved and lacked confidence. I did not strongly stand for anything and hence, I fell for most things. I was influenced by friends and I've been delusioned into excessive consumerism of this world. I worked at a job to help support a lifestyle that I supposedly wanted. I spent my precious life and energy consuming things, whether it's the latest technology or the most fashionable clothes, to impress, to conform and compete. A couple of years ago, I even thought of settling for a man I did not love, because this was what society told me to do. I've cried because I don't understand what my life has come to. I was over-worked, stressed and exhausted.
Deep inside, I was also a free-spirit. Often a little spark of idea led me to embark on a crazy adventure. When I went to Africa, I was not able to carry much due to the space that my camping equipment required. During that month, I lived with the wilderness, the mountains, the nature, the rivers...I did not have access to hot water, I walked around barefoot, and I lived with the basics. I was reminded what happiness was all about, and how little we actually needed to feel that. Looking at that vast land and beautiful sunset fulfilled me...
When I came back home from that trip, something changed in me. It got me thinking about my lifestyle, my values and what I stand for. My attitude towards material possessions changed, not immediately of course, but slowly. It made me wanted to live simply. Consumerism suddenly made me feel sad. The more stuff you have, the more stuff you need, the more you need to work. This is the vicious cycle of consumerism.Why do people work an unfulfilling job to pay for things they do not need or want, that added no value to their lives? Why do people feel this need to fill their houses with things that aren't meaningful? Just to represent their wealth? What has the world come to? The stuff we own, end up owning us. In a way, we created our own hell on earth.
Travelling developed my self-awareness, and I learned to have confidence in what I believed in. When I backpacked in the white mountains, I lived out of my backpack and only carried what I needed. One more possession was another weight on my shoulder. Every time I backpack, I'm reminded of how little we actually need to thrive. It keeps me grounded.
I'm inspired by the tiny-house movements, by a boy who traveled in a school backpack across Africa by thumbing lifts, a man who lived out of a Prius, being able to fit all belongings in one suitcase, people quitting high-paying corporate jobs to sell ice cream in a developing country, people being self-sufficient by growing their own food...but of course, you don't have to be all of that to be a minimalist.
I'm drawn to nature, simplicity, the basics...and uncluttered spaces. A year ago, I was shopping for storage and now, I'm donating most stuff I own. It feels very liberating. However, decluttering is not only an external process, but internal as well; it's to actively choose to not subscribe to this excessive consumerism in our world, to let go of internal baggage, to make space for what makes me thrive. I'm allowing myself to focus on me, and what I value.
