Mindfulness improved my life

Mindfulness had always seemed to me a little bit... cult-ish. Something only monks or erudites could practice or achieve.

Then around 2012, I found Leo Babauta, and he basically made Mindfulness seem approachable and easy to practice.

After reading a few of his thoughts and books, I had started implementing a foundation for eventually becoming a lot healthier, happier, and intentional about my life.

One of the key aspects for such a strong foundation was the emphasis on doing things very slowly. It took me a year to build up a proper habit of eating slowly. I could've probably rushed it, but I'm not sure it would've had the same impact on my life.

While I no longer sit down to stop and breathe everyday, I found that doing that for a couple of years made me hyper-aware of the present moment. I do still practice being aware many times throughout the day with breathing exercises.

And along came minimalism

Around 2013, I discovered The Minimalists, and Everything That Remains became one of my favorite books. In there I learned about the concept of living without goals or ambition, which I had learned to write down, review, and follow frequently.

I've been doing it ever since, basically following my passions, according to my priorities.

In a way, I minimized my goals and ambitions to that single one.

After starting my mindfulness journey, I've been able to lose over 30kg (66 pounds), become healthier, more aware, content, happy, and ultimately intentional about my life. My wife and I also sold and gifted a lot of our material possessions, which helped create spaces for stillness. It certainly became harder to do after having a child, but not impossible.

At least once a year I also go through a "digital spring cleaning", where I review and delete accounts, apps, and services that I no longer need or use.

If you have any ideas or questions about mindfulness or minimalism, I'd be happy to provide further insights and learn more!