Years ago, while I was paying my bills, I had a profound realization. I realized that I was paying a crap load of money for a life that I wasn’t even enjoying.

At the time, I was pumping myself full of caffeine and sugary junk food just to get through my challenging work day at a job that I absolutely despised. By the time I finished working, preparing dinner, helping with homework, and trying to spend quality time with my daughter before tucking her into bed, I was too wired to get to sleep. So, I had to take sleeping pills, which left me oh-so-groggy in the morning, so I had to pump myself full of caffeine just to get through the day at a job that I absolutely despised.

Sound Familiar?

This unhealthy cycle continued for years until I finally admitted that I was exhausted and that everything was hurting my feelings.

Once I admitted that, I felt a tremendous relief. Then I started laughing hysterically, because facing the truth of how I was actually feeling, something that I was conditioned to avoid doing at all costs, actually made me feel better. So then I started to tell the truth about everything that I was feeling, just between me and God, and it was the most healing shadow work session that I have ever experienced.

I now realize that my past life circumstances left me feeling weighed down by resistant energy and that I was doing my best to keep up with people who were actually flowing through their lives. At this point, I made the decision to figure out how to get some of that vibrant Flow State energy to start working for me too. After learning how to generate positive energy as well as how to release unnecessary negative energy, my nervous system was finally soothed enough for me to enter my own unique flow.

After this discovery, I devoted my entire life’s mission to help other people to find their flow too. One of the easiest ways to accomplish this is through my 7-week online course entitled, “THE FLOW STATE METHOD”.

Please keep in mind that “THE FLOW STATE METHOD” is actually a simplified version of my private 12-hour sessions entitled, “Metaphysics 101: An Enlightening Course for the Inquisitive Mind”. I know that most people do not have time to probe deeply within themselves in this way, so I took it as a personal challenge to simplify my private sessions with the busy seeker in mind.

Another easy and effective way to enter into your own Flow State is to practice temporary minimalism. I stress the word temporary, because many people will completely disregard the benefits of minimalism simply because they are not interested in a complete lifestyle change. This is understandable. It is important to note that minimalism will prove to be beneficial in one’s life, no matter the time span. It can be practiced daily for three months or three years or more.

FOUR BENEFITS OF (TEMPORARY) MINIMALISM:

RELIEF, SUCH SWEET RELIEF

Most people do not realize just how much relief they will experience when they make a conscious decision to slow down or cease all unnecessary spending. We are so used to this hustle more and buy more culture that we do not realize just how much anxiety and stress that we are placing on your own selves just for a fleeting feeling of external satisfaction.

When you allow yourself to unplug from the unending cycle of consumerism, you will be amazed by the fact that it is possible to find genuine joy within your own self, which is what we are all ultimately seeking.

FINANCIAL FREEDOM TO PURSUE YOUR PASSION

The truth is that the longer you practice minimalism, the more money that you will be able to save for valuable future expenditures, business ventures and investments. My advice to young people is to instead of living life above your means, which we have been conditioned to do, try living life below your means, even if it is for a short period of time. When you live life below your means, you will be able to save more money than you can even imagine.

I understand that this is often difficult for people to do since their friends and family are all going into debt in an effort to be able to flaunt their worth like the others. But if you can manage to step out of the comparison game and practice minimalism for at least 2 – 4 years, you will be able to discover who your real friends and supporters are. This insight will come in handy when it’s time to pursue the vision that you have been diligently saving for. (Minimalist Tip: Do not tell anyone that you are intentionally saving money.)

TIME ABOUNDS

I used to feel as if I never had time to do anything that I actually wanted to do. This is because I had accumulated so many things that required some portion of my valuable and limited time and attention, whether it be time spent shopping for it, cleaning it, fixing it or even working extra hours just to be able to afford it. My sheer number of possessions kept me in an endless cycle of maintenance.

So, the solution is simple. The less things that you have to maintain, the more time you have to spend doing things that you actually want to do. Imagine that? I mean it. Imagine being able to have the time to cross some things off of your bucket list sooner rather than later. How does this vision make you feel?

DELIGHTFUL SELF-DISCOVERY 

For so many of us, the simplicity of minimalism is revolutionary. This is because, once you make the conscious choice to spend less, you will be in a position to experience life as it is, in the present moment without the usual excessive distractions.

You now have the time to discover your true self. You can read, meditate, workout, hike, jog, go fishing. Many people even begin to relish in solitude. One of the reasons that people are so uptight is because we have been conditioned to plan our days full of productive activity until burnout comes in the evenings. I used to even try to squeeze in something productive when I had only 15-minute intervals of down time before my next appointment.

But not anymore. I now give myself the space and freedom to enjoy the gifts that the present moment has to offer, even if its only for 15 minutes. I whole-heartedly agree with the 19th century Danish author, Hans Christian Anderson when he wrote, “The whole world is a series of miracles…but we’re so used to them we call them ordinary things.”