Experiences and Possessions

I’m breaking my attachment to physical power and possessions, because only through destroying myself can I discover the greater power of my spirit. The liberator who destroys my property, is fighting to save my spirit. The teacher who clears all possessions from my path will set me free.

Just because you believe something is beautiful, doesn’t mean you have to buy it. You can merely acknowledge that it exists.

I’d rather lose all my money starting a business than losing it by buying stuff I don’t need.

If you lost it, would you buy it again?

Some of our unhappiness is simply due to the burden of all our things.

You buy furniture. You tell yourself, this is the last sofa I will ever need in my life. Buy the sofa, then for a couple years you’re satisfied that no matter what goes wrong, at least you’ve got your sofa issue handled. Then the right set of dishes. Then the perfect bed. The drapes. The rug. Then you’re trapped in your lovely nest, and the things you used to own, now they own you.

Once we have extra storage space, we inevitably start to store extra things.

Think of stores as your personal warehouses, and the city as our personal floor plan.

It’s actually open space, left empty, that gives us peace of mind.

You won’t need to depend on your possessions for happiness because we’re already equipped with systems that let us feel happy simply by connecting with the people around us.

When you reduce the number of things you own, you can devote more time and energy to your interpersonal relationships.

We need to learn how to enjoy things without feeling entitled to them and without clinging to them.

You’ll feel a much richer sense of contentment by building your experiences rather than buying items, because your experiences resist comparison with others’.

If you don’t know what you want, you end up with a lot you don’t.

It’s experience that builds our unique characteristics, not material objects.

It is only after you’ve lost everything that you’re free to do anything.

Above all, cherish love and relationships over experiences, and experiences over possessions.

The experiences you gain through your actions can never be taken away from you.

What to look and ask for when renting a home:

• Outlets in good locations
• What’s included in the price. heat? electricity? internet?
• A landlord that you can manage dealing with. meet them in person
• Distance to public transit
• Bugs
• What your neighbors are like
• How many days notice
• Planned rent raises
• Shared rooftop
• Shared outdoor space
• Soundproofing
• Easy laundry
• Natural light
• See the apartment in person before signing anything
• Cell reception
• Water pressure; see how long it takes to switch between cold and hot
• Smoking policy

Something everyone should experience at least once in life:

• The northern lights
• A night sky without light pollution
• Financial stability
• Forgiveness
• Living alone
• A sunrise or sunset on the beach
• Love
• Feeling loved
• Standing on the summit of a mountain
• Traveling alone
• A meteor shower
• Taking a leap of faith
• A concert of your favorite band
• Hitting rock bottom
• A best friend
• Total solar eclipse
• Skydiving
• Death
• Rejection

The sense of home is heightened when we are warm in bed yet can hear the rain on the roof and the wind whistling under the eaves.

The contrast between inside and outside accentuates the meaning of being inside; the sense of cold outside makes warmth meaningful.

The unfamiliar and insecure world may threaten, but it is at the interface between it and the ordered center that we find all new experience, and hence the excitement and adventure of life.

To live fully one must both journey out and return.

Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but memories.

Do more things that make you forget to check your phone.