Weekend Reading: Essentialism

Cultivating mindful living.

Weekend Reading: Essentialism

weekend-reading-essentialism-by-greg-mckeown-de-smet-dossier

If you haven’t noticed, I am constantly pursuing a minimalist lifestyle. This doesn’t just involve  owning less material items, but it also pertains to how I spend my time. I went on a road trip a few weeks ago and as I drove, I listened to the book Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. It changed the way I make decisions, plan my schedule and approach life’s challenges. I’ve gathered some of my favorite quotes from the book which acts as a Cliff’s Notes version. The book delves into real life examples of how people implement each of these things and how it positively effected their life.

“The way of the Essentialist means living by design, not by default. Instead of making choices reactively, the Essentialist deliberately distinguishes the vital few from the trivial many, eliminates the nonessentials, and then removes obstacles so the essential things have clear, smooth passage.”

“Remember that if you don’t prioritize your life someone else will.”

“What if we stopped celebrating being busy as a measurement of importance? What if instead we celebrated how much time we had spent listening, pondering, meditating, and enjoying time with the most important people in our lives?”

“We can either make our choices deliberately or allow other people’s agendas to control our lives.”

“Essentialism: only once you give yourself permission to stop trying to do it all, to stop saying yes to everyone, can you make your highest contribution towards the things that really matter.”

“the killer question: “If I didn’t already own this, how much would I spend to buy it?”

“It is about making the wisest possible investment of your time and energy in order to operate at our highest point of contribution by doing only what is essential.”

“If it isn’t a clear yes, then it’s a clear no.”

“EVERY DAY DO SOMETHING THAT WILL INCH YOU CLOSER TO A BETTER TOMORROW. —Doug Firebaugh”

“NO IS A COMPLETE SENTENCE. —Anne Lamott”

More recommended reading:

 

99U // Stop Trying to Do it All

 

Steve Paulina // 10 Reasons You Should Never Get a Job

 

Business of Fashion // The Real Dangers of Border Adjusted Tax for Fashion

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DE SMET

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