Creating Clarity Through Minimalism
Last week my friend Dan and I travelled to Tasmania. Tasmania was a destination I had wanted to visit for some time. We decided to follow a small circuit beginning in Hobart, moving through Queenstown, Barrington and Falmouth. Our stay was brief, but we saw a lot in that short time.
An approximation of the route we followed in Tasmania
Tasmania is a beautiful place with some marked contrasts, especially when it comes to weather. The west of the island is wet and cold, while the east side, protected by the mountains in the centre, is a lot more arid. On the day that we visited Hobart, the temperature hit 28°C, which was unexpectedly warm, and a lot more typical of my home in Western Australia. There is such a variety in landscape; beaches, mountains, pastures... It’s amazing that so much can fit on one small island!
Tasmania
When travelling, my world view tends to change. I begin to see the bigger picture, and the small things that bothered me before begin to disappear.
When you are doing what suits you best, you tend to find this sort of clarity. For me there are a few things that produce this feeling. Writing, making videos, and above all else, hiking. Every time I reach the top of a mountain, no matter how arduous the journey has been, I feel like I am in the right place. I feel like everything I have done up until that point is correct.
Finding these things is not something that just came to me one day though, this is something I have worked on my whole life. I’ve spent many years experimenting with what works for me, but today I offer you some shortcuts to create clarity in your life.
Figure out what creates satisfaction in your life. Establish what you definitely enjoy doing with your time, and what you definitely do not. Life is short. Write a list of your top fives ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’.
List your values. While it might not be obvious to us at all times, our actions often reflect our inner most values. What are the top five things you value in life? Set goals around these values to make them more prominent features in your life.
Determine which relationships support you or produce roadblocks in your life. They say we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with. You need to know which people make you feel good, and the ones who make you feel bad. You might find that you want to spend more time with certain people, less with others, or maybe you need some new people in your life to help support your true values.
List and scrutinise your daily habits. Do your habits reflect what satisfies you, what you value, and the relationships you want? It may be time to overhaul the habits that sabotage you from making the most of your time. It’s extremely difficult to simply remove a habit, so try to replace them instead. Be consistent as it takes around 66 days to form a new habit.
Finally, journal this process. Writing things down is an excellent way to take stock and measure progress.
Cradle Mountain National Park
Finding our true path is something that many of us crave. Much like most aspects of our lives, this process takes work and practice. I hope you find these words helpful.
❤️
