For Sale: YOU

Stop selling pieces of your life just for money! For most of us, that is what has been happening for decades. We want, desire and lust for things, so we sell our time and a significant portion of our very lives to jobs and enterprises that suck us away from family, love, intimacy and nature. We don't actually sit and think about it much, we just accept that this is the way it is. The world told us something years ago and we just kind of let it happen, follow the crowd, compromise. We have been selling our life to things that ultimately bring no lasting satisfaction or fulfillment. Basically we walk around with a sign on our foreheads: For Sale.

A minimalist philosophy may be just what you need to get life back. It requires some huge sweeping changes but you can slowly get there with a little bit of determination.

Here is what you can expect to come naturally once you're on the trail to minimalism: Health, happiness and harmony.

Health improves because you have time to get outside and run, hike, bike, camp, climb and sit in silence...where health is born. The stress fades and as a result virtually every system of our bodies heals and rejuvenates. In my life, the biggest decision I make on many days is simply, "where do I want to hike today?" Your diet will improve because you begin to take back control and your minimalist decisions consequently manifest themselves in improved health.

Happiness is not something you will enjoy occasionally, or look for, or hope for. Rather, happiness will define you. Your simple, carefree life will create a sense of well-being, peace, inner joy and consistent happiness.

Harmony. Your minimalist lifestyle will not only create harmony within your own mind and body. You will find yourself mindful of the connection you have to the world itself. To others, to nature, to God.

Please take time to follow us here at mtn-min without selling a piece of your life. Give us a chance to encourage you from time to time, right here. We will respect that time because we KNOW you're not for sale!

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Minimalism and Meditation

"I'm very happy," a person might say. In many cases it may actually mean, "I am content". Content is a good thing for sure however, if it means that I have settled into a life that works but it's surely not perfect then maybe it is time to review. Minimalism, as it pertains to a lifestyle and, meditation, which we will define here shortly, together offer an extremely powerful component to finding freedom and an indestructible sense of well-being.

Minimalism in short might be well defined as a philosophy and a lifestyle that is developed and bred from an understanding about what we need as persons. The great religious leaders of the past and the tenets of those philosophies are rooted in minimalism. From the Noble Truths of Buddhism to Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, minimalism is not only suggested but, mandatory. Yet, hardly even a tiny portion of those who espouse these faiths and philosophies actually live consistent to them! This is amazing to me, we seem so sure about what we believe yet it is in a rather morbid contrast to how we live!

Minimalism in simply realizing that we "do not need". I used to counsel parents and their kids and I have heard, and in more than just counseling sessions, "you need", "I need" and "we need". Need carries an enormous amount of stress with it and stress, we are learning, might be at the root of virtually every problem we face as people and even as nations.

Even when we use the word "need" in sincere ways, i.e. I need my job or I need my spouse or I need my family, it really isn't true. For example, the person who says they "need" their children is in an even worse world of hurt if that child is somehow taken from them in death. A tragedy indeed! But, that person will continue to breathe and be forced to go on. It's a reality. It's true! One will not cease to exist, breathe, eat and drink. At the core of minimalism is an understanding that I don't need. I may want, in fact this is even better. I would personally rather be in a relationship where I am wanted rather than needed. I would rather have someone hold me closely and enjoy me rather than be addicted to me. This may sound cold. Please allow it to simmer for awhile. Once we let go of things to which we thought we "needed" we can find ourselves free to be even more, to love more, to smile more, to be wholly content! If we can get to this point surely we can easily begin to change the way we think about our possessions (cars, boats, clothes, houses, toys, etc).

Meditation is a scary word to some people who do not believe in a spiritual realm. To others it is a ambiguous thing. Well, it isn't difficult. Meditation is really thought. I call it thought therapy. There is directed thought therapy and free thought therapy. We discuss these in other articles. But for here, today, meditation is a bio-chemical and neurological process. we can see its affect in the brain. If there is a spiritual element to it, that is one thing but, the improved emotional control, lower blood pressure, increased health and other benefits to meditation are measurable. They are bio-chemically and neurologically physically measurable. That being said, "thought therapy" is highly effective and it marries amazingly well with minimalism. Meditation or thought therapy is most effectively practiced when we get rid of all the stuff and settle into a place of our, breath. Breathing! What we actually NEED is the breathe of life. It's just about all we need. Yes, food, water and shelter but right now...the breath of life!

Think on this for awhile and see how the two compliment each other and, watch for more information and inspiration here at mtn-min.

For now, I need to go. Ooops, wait a sec. I don't need to go, I am simply going out to the trail for an all day hike!

Minimize to Maximize

There is no greater inspirational metaphor for life than backpacking and living out of doors. Globally, the bane of our existence is our insatiable desire for comfort, show and luxury. As a result, our personal health and well-being suffer while we try to carry a pseudo-happy attitude through the crowded and cluttered streets of our lives.

This delusion infects all of society and culture. Consequently, we find ourselves groping for anything to mitigate the pain and lack of fulfillment including: pills, electronic devices, mood-altering foods and chemicals, expensive cars, homes, toys and more. Ironically, the very indestructible-sense-of-well-being we seek to possess, eludes us, all while the natural world and the finger of god are beckoning us to a satisfying and sustainable life of peace, contentment and an abiding joy. This is simplicity. This is minimalism. This is the recipe and the design for happiness. Lighten the load! Embrace what is real! Have less, do more, be more.

We are Mountain Min. Seize the day, choose life!

Mountain Minimalist

Eating and Minimalism

"Whoa, I'm stuffed. That was an awesome meal." This is likely something you've said many times and have probably heard it many times more. It certainly sounds like a good thing, doesn't it? I mean, all that yummy grub served up at the family holiday get together, the county fair, the church social and the all-you-can-eat buffet?

But, perhaps it is not something of which we should be proud. Every second of every day someone dies of hunger. 1,000,000,000 suffer from hunger on our planet. 1 in 6 people do not have enough food to sustain life and health! One billion people will NEVER say what you just said as you struggled to get out of the recliner to use the restroom after that turkey dinner!

Here in the West, we suffer the effects of poor diet and yet we lay back on our sofas with a remote in hand while we pass gas, belch, use a 1/4 roll of toilet paper and move uncomfortably all while declaring, "I'm stuffed. That was awesome".

This folks is an illness. A disease that we don't want to recognize. A cancer of thought. But, minimalism fosters a healthy attitude towards eating.

While most of us would say that how food tastes is the most important part of eating, the minimalist says, "I am happy to have healthy foods and control over my desires" Taste may be important, but it is not the motivating factor when it comes to food consumption.

My last backpacking trip was delightfully light and enjoyable. No stove, no messes and no bulky foods to lug around. Eating a cup of oats in cool water, with some dry milk and sweetener and thoughtfully chewing on almonds and walnuts while surrounded by incredibly beautiful mountain vistas is far more energizing and rewarding than filling a plate at grandma's table several times before filling it yet again with cake and ice cream.

Minimalism fosters mindfulness and awareness. As a result it builds intellect, compassion and creativity. So, enjoy that apple, but not just because it tastes good! Enjoy it because you are becoming more and needing less.

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