"Repack My Bags"

Those who know me well know that this is a saying I live by. As I have engaged in a minimalist lifestyle, the frequency of those quote has increased. It has event transferred from my personal life into my professional life.

I started by going through every through every room in my home. I only put back what I used. "What I used" was a phrase I thought I knew. It took me three years to go through my home because the definition kept being redefined. By having less and less clutter around, it makes my life much calmer and not so overwhelming.

In my professional life, I started applying it to all the jobs I had. Looking at how much was taken out of taxes and how much I got to keep, I started resigning from some of my part time jobs since free time when becoming much more valuable to me. As a project manager, this phrase helps me focus on the priorities.

I started using this phrase with my friends as well, if you an imagine. I was in some toxic relationships and often found I was putting all the work into the friendship. If I did not set something up or organize an activity, I was not invited. I stopped reaching out to the people who did that to me. Some friendships returned because this allowed them to see what they were doing and would acknowledge they should do more. Some friendships fizzled and did not return. It allowed me to see who my real friends were.

By thinking about all the elements in my life, including physical, mental, professional....I got to reprioritize what I was spending time on. As a result, I because a much happier and healthier person.