Writing and photo by Everett Bogue | Follow me on Twitter
I’m going to get a little scientific on you, and let me tell you in advance that I’m no scientist, so forgive me if I have this all wrong. I was reading My Stroke of Insight this afternoon, which is a brilliant book about a woman who loses use of the left half of her brain because of a stroke and discovers oneness with the universe, she later regains use of that side of her brain and writes the book –anyway, I’d suggest reading it.
The author, Jill Bolte Taylor Ph.D., was explaining the difference between the left and the right hemispheres of the brain. The left hemisphere is the side that worries about things, thinks about the past and the future, it’s that little voice inside your head that’s always screaming at you that you’re doing things wrong. She was describing the right side of the brain as like the part of the brain which embraces the now, and can comprehend the big picture. The author lost use of the left side of her brain, hence finding Nirvana.
This got me thinking about how elegant minimalism is.
By adopting a minimalist approach to life you’re reducing things like…
- What kinds of food you eat
- How busy your schedule is
- How much money you spend
- The amount of stuff in your house
…You start to free up space in your brain to be creative, to look at the big picture, and just be open to what happens to you. It’s a very effective way of balancing the left and right hemispheres of the brain.
And this opens you up to an entire universe of understanding that just isn’t possible when you’re overwhelmed and overburdened by your life.
Pursuing this way of life can open you up to an entire new universe.
- You can begin focusing on the big picture. This is really important, without the ability to focus on the broad spectrum of existence, you’re trapped in a world of day-to-day monotony. Repetitive daily tasks and letting the little voice inside your head rule your life keep you from seeing what’s really possible.
- You can spend more time doing what’s important to you. You’ll be working less, and spending less time organizing, among tons of other things. So You can spend more time with your family, with people you love, talking about things like neuroscience!
- You can start making your dreams happen. Because you’re not spending as much money, you can work less and start investing in what you really want to do with your life. You can begin building your house, working towards the job you want to do, saving for retirement, or traveling…
…Which I’m going to be doing this weekend. I’m out for the rest of the week, because my girlfriend is town for a brief 5-day period and I’m going to spend every second with her! Because she’s awesome.
But be sure to check in. Tammy from Rowdy Kittens will be guest writing an exciting post tomorrow, and my minimalist roommate Anika will be posting on Friday. Don’t miss what they have to say by subscribing to our RSS feed.
