Are You Happy?

My entire life I valued material things and money above all else. But I was not happy. I felt bad physically, which resulted in feeling bad mentally. In 2026, I decided to completely change my life through practicing Minimalism.

Minimalism is the shedding of the material to focus on the important things in life in order to create a meaningful life.

• Health
• Passions
• Growth
• Connection
• Giving

Together, these make up the Five Values to a meaningful life. All must be practiced every day in some form, otherwise we may find ourselves out of balance. In this blog, I will be applying minimalism and reflecting on my experiences and how I incorporate the Five Values in my life.

Blog

• A Hot Dog Is Not a Salad
  When I turned thirty, my health spiraled into an unpredictable mess. My entire body hurt when I moved and I wanted to lay in bed all day. I was eating whatever I could get delivered from some fast food joint every day just trying to get through the day. I felt bad because I was… Read more: A Hot Dog Is Not a Salad
• The Expensive Part of Owning Less
  Becoming a minimalist has been a difficult transition for me because I’m thinking more about what I really need for stability. This week I realized I did not need a closet for clothes at all. There are only three things in my closet now, a laundry bag and hamper, an ebike, and my DoorDash backpack… Read more: The Expensive Part of Owning Less
• How I Simplified Money to Breathe Again
  I lost three jobs in four years. The jobs were low pay, long hours, and unfulfilling. After being laid off in March 2024, I was burned out with only one month’s worth of expenses. After some research, I found a minimalist approach to money: find your Ikigai, budget, pay off debt, save for emergencies. Find… Read more: How I Simplified Money to Breathe Again
• Seeing the Floor Again
  Initially, minimalism is absolutely about the stuff. This week I began decluttering my three hundred square foot studio apartment in Chicago. Things had accumulated, and I was overwhelmed inside this small space. It’s often said the way a person’s living area looks is a representation of their mind. All my clothes were laid out in… Read more: Seeing the Floor Again
• Beginning the Journey
  On January 6, 2026, I became a minimalist. A beautiful thing about living is we have choices. We can do things and other people have no say in what you do. In 2025, I did not like living. Everything around me seemed dull like an artist created a masterpiece and whitewashed it. Whenever I went… Read more: Beginning the Journey

Read All Posts