The Barter Project

Survivor Week Lessons

I drink a lot of Diet Coke. In the past few years, with all the inconclusive studies and research going around, it seems like people have been divided into two schools of thought on the issue: those that look at you with sorrow- like you just announced you had a month to live- at finding out you drink diet soda…and those who still drink it. There doesn’t seem to be a “pro choice, don’t care if you do but would never do it myself” party, and it always seems like opinions are strong for such a small issue. 

When I started simplifying, I had never really heard about this giant minimalist movement that’s been brewing, and is now just barely reaching the surface of mainstream America. I have to admit, it was a bit uncomfortable at first because I was writing to a crowd that knew more about my topic then I did- and people liked what I had to say. I felt like the new kid with the shiny bike; was the bike a quick way to gain attention, or was the kid atop the bike just as cool, and here to stay?

Like Diet Coke, it seems there are two schools of thought on minimalizing and simplifying: some people love and understand it, are fed up with bills and want out from the stress of owning things… and some people don’t get it. They like their possessions, their car, they love all of their toys and electronics, and would have it no other way. I’m not going to tell you that the people who don’t understand it are too jaded and attached to their things, because I don’t believe this. We’re all different, and some people love working on cars and creating model trains just as much as others love traveling with a backpack and owning 27 things. What I’ve learned through this survivor week stuff is just that: there is no correct way to live the perfect life. No matter what you read, no matter how many “13 Ways…” or “8 Tips…” blog entries you consume, you’re never going to figure it out unless you get out there and try it out for yourself. Try it all- buy some stuff, sell some stuff, give yourself time to experience all of these feelings. Just because one person feels best living out of a backpack doesn’t mean you will, and there’s nothing wrong with that. 

I started the survivor weeks because I felt bad, felt there was more that I could do to simplify and be more responsible about every aspect of my life. I exited feeling almost the complete opposite. You can’t be dependent on your lack of things to give you happiness or create change. You have to be dependent on yourself, on being able to simplify yourself inside to the point where you can make logical sense of your position and figure out how to fix it (if it needs fixing). If the things are a distraction, then sell them! However, if I had to do it all again, I think I’d switch the purging stages around. Stage 1 would be personal, emotional purging, because things don’t matter enough to make them the first priority.