5 stars for The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store by Cait Flanders.
I chanced upon this book last October during one of my weekly visits to the library. I am not sure what to make of this self-help memoir at that time but I decided there and then to procrastinate in reading and make it my first review of the new year instead. Looking back, the choice to make this book my first read of Year 2020 turns out to be a life-changing decision.
The Year of Less is practical, sensible and very real. It is packed full of lessons for all of us on finding meaning in our lives. The author is a former binge consumer turned mindful consumer of everything. She shares in her book how she rid of excess things and live life based on experiences rather than worldly possessions, how she practices living intentionally with a goal in mind and be a more mindful consumer, and how she embraces minimalism and learns to live with less.
Suffice to say, this author is proof enough that "where there's a will, there's a way". If we are willing to let go of the things we think we need, if we are willing to walk away ready to change our life, we can have a life we really want. Ultimately, it boils down to changing habits and routines; changing the fixed way of doing things that we have unconsciously spent years perfecting.
I think I have never made a better choice by appointing this book my first book (review) of the year. It certainly paves the way for a great start. The author's personal stories motivate me to stop shopping, simplify, declutter and focus on things that are important to me. She has also inspired me to be braver in my life, to let go of the things I thought I need and get out of my comfort zone to pursue a life I really want.
I foresee Year 2020 to be a year of Less. My year of less, but also a year of more. Because less is more. Less quantity, more quality. I have finally plucked up the courage to turn the life I truly want into reality. With changes come uncertainties - that is for sure - but I also know that whenever we let go of something negative in our lives, we make room for something positive. I am excited and looking forward to saying goodbye to negative vibes, lost money, lost dreams and lost opportunities, Year 2020 shall be the beginning of my saved money, saved dreams and saved opportunities.
If you want changes but have been afraid, be it of uncertainties or failure, then this book is a must-read. You will be inspired to take steps towards a better future for yourself and the people that matter to you.
Publisher: Hay House Inc.
Publication date: 16 Jan 2018
*** Favourite quote 1 ***
...I said good-bye to the wasted money, wasted dreams, and wasted opportunities. Or maybe it was the opposite. Maybe it was the beginning of saved money, saved dreams, and saved opportunities.
*** Favourite quote 2 ***
Changing a habit and routine you’ve spent a decade perfecting is never easy.
*** Favourite quote 3 ***
One lesson I’ve learned countless times over the years is that whenever you let go of something negative in your life, you make room for something positive.
*** Favourite quote 4 ***
Advertisements and marketing campaigns had conditioned me to believe everything was now or never. It never occurred to me to wait until I actually needed something. The truth, I was learning, was that we couldn’t actually discover what we needed until we lived without it.
*** Favourite quote 5 ***
..I had also always been stuck in the consumerism cycle. I thought I needed to earn more money each year, so I could have more of what I wanted. That cycle meant I was constantly spending the extra money I was earning, rather than saving it, and I still wanted more on top of that. But the ban proved another theory: When you want less, you consume less—and you also need less money.
*** Favourite quote 6 ***
I also didn’t want to work at a job where all I cared about was getting a promotion and a raise every year, and when you live in a big city, it can feel like that’s all there is to work toward. More work, more money, more stuff. I didn’t want any of it. And now, I didn’t need any of it. All I needed was to make enough money to live, save, and occasionally travel, and the shopping ban showed me exactly how much that would cost.
*** Favourite quote 7 ***
..smaller cities naturally come with slower lifestyles, and are filled with communities of people who are grateful for all the little things life has to offer. I wanted to be surrounded by those who valued living over working, spending time outdoors over spending time online, and doing things for themselves over paying for every possible convenience.
** Favourite quote 8 ***
..something I had learned time and time again was that every small change you make pays compound interest. It helps you make another change, another mind-set shift, another decision to live a new way.
** Favourite quote 9 ***
Falling into the cycle of wanting more, consuming more, and needing even more won’t help. More was never the answer. The answer, it turned out, was always less.
~ The Year of Less
Cait Flanders
@}--->>--->>-----
The Year of Less is a self-help memoir that documents my life for the first twelve months of my two-year shopping ban. At every stage, I learned that the less I consumed, the more fulfilled I felt. But the challenge became a lifeline when, in the course of the year, I found myself in situations that turned my life upside down. It was then that I realized why I had always turned to shopping, alcohol, and food—and what it had cost me. Unable to reach for my usual vices, I changed habits I’d spent years perfecting and discovered what truly mattered to me. Blending my story with insight and practical guidance, The Year of Less will leave you questioning what you’re holding on to in your own life—and, quite possibly, lead you to your own path of less.
*Blurb from author's website*
Add to:
Links to purchase:
No comments:
Post a Comment