{"id":13284,"date":"2014-10-10T05:49:53","date_gmt":"2014-10-10T12:49:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/becomingblog.wpengine.com\/?p=13284"},"modified":"2019-09-28T05:00:08","modified_gmt":"2019-09-28T12:00:08","slug":"learn-ourselves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.becomingminimalist.com\/learn-ourselves\/","title":{"rendered":"The Most Important Lessons are the Lessons We Learn About Ourselves"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Personal Journal Entry: Friday, October 10.<\/em><\/p>\n I flew home yesterday afternoon after being gone for eight days. I landed seven hours earlier than planned, but twenty-four hours late.<\/p>\n Last weekend, I attended<\/a>, presented<\/a>, and enjoyed the first-ever SimpleREV conference in Minneapolis, MN. I was excited to meet Patrick Rhone<\/a>. I was\u00a0challenged by Brooks Duncan<\/a>, impressed by David Delp<\/a>, and an instant fan of\u00a0Chris\u00a0and Sarah Wehkamp.<\/p>\n All credit to Joel Zaslofsky<\/a> and Daniel Hayes<\/a> for dreaming, organizing, and putting on the event. I hope there are more.<\/p>\n Following the conference, I attended a friend\u2019s wedding in Duluth, MN. I love weddings and it was great to see some old friends.<\/p>\n On Sunday afternoon, I drove by myself to a friend\u2019s cabin in the woods. I am working on a new book. And four days of distraction-free writing seemed like the perfect environment to get started on it.<\/p>\n But three days into my stay, I called my wife and told her I wanted to come home. The next morning, I called the airline to arrange an earlier flight.\u00a0I landed seven hours earlier than planned, but twenty-four hours late.<\/p>\n I learned a lot about myself this week:<\/p>\n I love\u00a0being alone. But I most\u00a0enjoy being\u00a0with people I love.<\/strong> The week was an experiment in extremes: the energy of SimpleREV, the significance of a wedding, followed immediately by the solitude of a cabin in the woods. I loved being alone… for about two days. After that, I couldn\u2019t wait to get home. The solitude was good. But getting home was even better.<\/p>\n I write best in limited quantities.<\/strong> While at the cabin I received a text from a friend\u00a0that said, \u201cI used to write at a cabin in Tahoe. I\u2019d write for six hours, go for a run, and then write some more.\u201d It became quickly apparent this would not be my experience. I write best in short spurts of 60-90 minutes followed by anything else. I need the distraction. This proves to be the best formula for me at home and alone in the wilderness.<\/p>\n I rely heavily on the Internet for progress.<\/strong> My cabin did not have Internet access. I was okay with that going in. In fact, the owner\u2019s graciously offered to get it for me, but I declined. I wanted the environment to be distraction-free. That was probably a mistake. While it was marginally helpful to have the temptation eliminated, so many of my thoughts have been articulated online, I found myself often wanting to go find them. My inability to access information quickly became the distraction.<\/p>\n I am motivated by deadlines and the presence of others.<\/strong> On Tuesday afternoon, I drove to a local coffee shop. I needed the Internet to send out a newsletter<\/a> and I wanted the change in environment. My two hours at the Chattering Squirrel Cafe<\/a> turned out to be two of my most productive. Certainly this was, in part, due to a looming deadline. But additionally, I found myself uniquely pushed by the simple presence of others. I found motivation in their motivation.<\/p>\n My life is more than minimalism.<\/strong> I am passionate about what I write. I believe the message of owning less has power to change and improve the lives of all who hear it. The book is a long way from being complete and I am excited about the possibilities already. But I was reminded this week that I am more than minimalism. It guides my life but does not define it.<\/p>\n