The Luxury of Less. the Five Rings of Minimalism

the

of

The Five Rings of Minimalism

byKarol Gajda

Less

Less

2 Copyright © 2010 - Karol Gajda

The Luxury of Less – The 5 Rings of Minimalism

By Karol Gajda

Note on this PDF version of The Luxury of Less: You are reading a limited

edition available one-time only, through the 3 Day Minimalist Book Sale.

Future editions will only be available on Amazon’s Kindle and in print.

http://amzn.to/kindle_


In the spirit of minimAlism, my unoffiCiAl GoAl wAs to

make The Luxury of Less readable in about an hour. i had a lot to say in

this book, and the process of writing it involved scrapping most of the

content once and then editing heavily after rewriting.

while many people believe a lot of words equals better content, i believe

that less words hold more power.

thank you for appreciating The Luxury of Less.

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Table of Contents

The Luxury of Less – The 5 Rings of Minimalism 2

About Me 5

A Luxurious Introduction 6

What Are The Five Rings? 9

Ring #1: Health 13

30 Day Challenge #1: Drink Only Water 24

30 Day Challenge #2: Eat a diet consisting solely of whole, natural foods. 31

30 Day Challenge #3: Find an exercise you love and do it regularly. 34

Ring #2: Wealth 35

30 Day Challenge #4: Start the Debt Tsunami 38

30 Day Challenge #5: Build an Emergency Fund 41

30 Day Challenge #6: Plan Your Business 44

Ring #3: Relationships 45

30 Day Challenge #7: Analyze Your Current Relationships 49

30 Day Challenge #8: Complete A Solo Social Activity 55

30 Day Challenge #9: Get Rid Of TV 58

Ring #4: Experiences 60

30 Day Challenge #10: Decide On An Epic Experience 63

Ring #5: The Void 64

Appendix A: Work and Life and Balance 66

Appendix B: The 5 Rings 67

Appendix C: The 30 Day Challenges 68

Acknowledgments 69

For More 71

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About Me

You’ll Get A more fleshed out story

in this book, but here it is at the core:

• i own almost nothing.

• i live and work wherever i please.

• i travel whenever i want to.

• i don’t eat animals or animal products.

• i have ridiculously extraordinary freedom.

i inspire people to do epic shit at

ridiculouslyextraordinary.com.

i invite you to change your world: enlist as a

freedom fighter. it’s free.

Lek's Elephant Nature ParkChiang Mai, Thailand

http://www.RidiculouslyExtraordinary.com/

http://www.RidiculouslyExtraordinary.com/freedom-fighters/

http://www.RidiculouslyExtraordinary.com/freedom-fighters/

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A Luxurious Introduction

ThinK bACK to the lAst time you mAde A purChAse thAt

you were really excited about. not an everyday purchase, but something

you yearned for and looked forward to taking home.

how did you feel?

how big was the smile on your face?

how eagerly and with how much fervor did you crack open the seal on the

box and begin using your new toy?

And how long did that feeling last?

if you’re human (while i hope i have extraterrestrial readers, i haven’t

heard from them yet), the feeling probably didn’t last very long.

most likely, after a few days you either

stopped using whatever you bought (a

video game, maybe?) or began taking

it for granted (a big screen tV, for

example).

think back to that feeling again.

feel it right now. feel the joy. feel the

unending smile spread from ear to ear. Photo by Mr Theklan

http://www.flickr.com/photos/theklan/1361277704/


that is how i feel almost every day and i very rarely buy new “stuff.” (i say

almost because it’s impossible not to have bad/down days sometimes, no

matter how much life is generally rocking.)

It wasn’t always like this, but nowadays I regularly find myself breaking

into a smile or laughter while walking down the street or just sitting and

thinking.

the feeling comes precisely from the fact that i have exactly what i want

and exactly what i need.

it’s a feeling i call the luxury of less, hence the title of this book.

it’s a feeling that is attainable for you if you’d like to open yourself to it.

it’s not an overnight process. it will take time and you might run into some

stumbling blocks along the way.

that’s okay.

simplicity is not a race. minimalism is not a race. Life is not a race.

i mean that if you own 3,000 things, the goal is not to get to 100 things

tomorrow.

your goal may never be to get down to 100 things. the actual number of

things you own is not important.

i love the freedom of having almost nothing, although i’ve never actually

counted my items. it doesn’t matter to me.

what matters is the feeling i described above. what’s important is being

mindful of what you own and mindful of what you buy. i also call this the

thrill of living.


Again, this is not about getting rid of everything immediately. it’s about

aspiring to achieve things that matter and getting rid of what doesn’t. A

big screen tV does not matter. A bigger house does not matter. A faster car

does not matter. there is no convincing argument for any of this stuff.

if you’re not happy with what you already have, then you won’t be any

happier by buying something shiny and new.

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What Are The Five Rings?

In The LuxurY oF LeSS we’re GoinG to tACKle the fiVe

rings of minimalism.

My life over the past couple of years has been heavily influenced by an

ancient samurai text which i rarely talk about, known as Go rin no sho.

Also known as the book of five rings by miyamoto musashi.

musashi was a samurai who never lost and he wrote this text at the age of

60 to pass on what he called The Way, his sword fighting strategy which

didn’t utilize any strict school, but could beat anybody trained in any one

school.

i believe the luxury of less is the best school of minimalism because it’s

pliable. it’s not an exact science, but a feeling you achieve by getting back

to basics. i also believe you have to study the other schools of minimalism,

because they all teach very important lessons.

the luxury of less is for the samurai warrior within all of us. we’re

fighting for a good life, but we’re fighting ourselves as much as anybody

else. our sword is our brain. or enemy is consumerism.

miyamoto musashi’s the way consisted of five rings: Ground, water,

fire, wind, and Void.

The Five Rings that form the Luxury of Less

Ring #1 is Health. like the Ground, it must be stable for us to live well.


Ring #2 is Wealth. wealth is like water. it can rise and fall like the

tides. But if we harness its power, it will flow steadily like the Amazon.

“Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless - like water.

Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup, you

put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle, you put

it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can

flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”

– bruce lee

Ring #3 is Relationships. relationships are like fire. sometimes they

burn us, but sometimes they clear the way for something new to grow. we

must learn to harness the fire, allow it to light the path, and utilize it to

the benefit of ourselves and those in our lives.

Ring #4 is Experiences. wind, in and of itself, is an experience. we

must let wind blow free.

Ring #5 is Void. it is everything. it is nothing. it is.

The first 4 Rings are the support system for life. The Fifth Ring

encompasses everything and is only available to you once you’ve

interlocked the first 4 Rings. No single Ring is more important than any

other. they are all intertwined. without one ring you may still have a

good life but it will be less stable. if you’re living without two rings you

may well be deeply depressed.

i know many people who have their health, wealth, and relationships

handled, but their lives are still empty. why? lack of experiences.

i also know many people who have great health, awesome relationships,

and fascinating experiences. their lives are also empty because they lack

wealth. (we’ll cover exactly what i mean by wealth when the time comes.)


And then of course i know people who only have zero, one, or two rings

and their lives are a crumbled mess.

It is impossible to live a happy, fulfilled life if you have two or less Rings

fulfilled.

Know that it’s okay if you don’t have a grasp on the five rings just yet.

we’re going to work on that together.

the goal with luxury of less is to make each ring strong. with each ring

strong, the whole structure (your life) will be balanced.

i don’t mean this in a work-life balance sort of way. we’ll cover this in

more detail, but there is no such thing as work-life balance. your life

should be balanced and work is part of that.

why should you listen to me?

I’m not a doctor. I’m not a financial guru. And I’m not perfect.

what i am is someone who has worked hard to improve my life to the

point that when i wake up (sometimes early, sometimes really late) i feel

good.

i used to be suicidally depressed. if you’re there right now or if you’ve been

there before you know what this feels like.

you wake up and wish you hadn’t. you wish someone would come along

and slit your throat. i used to have visions of somebody breaking into my

house and ending it all point-blank execution style. morbid, but true. i had

those types of thoughts almost every waking moment of my life for years.

i would literally wake up wishing i hadn’t. every day. For years.


it’s such a deep, dark depression that unless you’ve been there, you have

no idea what it’s like. if you are there i want you to know that there is a

way out and nothing, no matter how all-encompassing it feels right now,

nothing is worth ending your life by your own hand.

The rub? I was making well into six figures/year during these dark years.

i had a 2,500 square foot house and a bmw 530i that i paid for in cash.

i had a Gibson sG guitar, which was my dream guitar since before i even

started playing. one day i wanted a new watch, so i went online and

bought the first one I liked. $500 gone in the blink of an eye. Without

much thought. that was my life.

none of that stuff mattered.

if you’re currently living paycheck to paycheck I know it seems like

maybe a mansion and a Ferrari will solve all your problems, but

it won’t.

problems are internal. external forces, situations, and people cannot help

you more than you can help yourself.

the luxury of less is your external map to internal problem solving.

Less


Ring #1: Health

AlthouGh i stAted thAt All the rinGs Are equAlly

important, ring #1 may be the most important of the five rings. without

optimal health your wealth, relationships, and experiences suffer

monumentally. in actuality, without health you can’t even enjoy wealth,

relationships, or experiences at all.

health doesn’t include just physical health either. it includes mental and

emotional health. We live in a time when a very significant percentage of

the population is depressed or dealing with other mental issues.

i know what that’s like because i was there. As i’ve already stated, i spent

many days not wanting to wake up or live.

Getting rid of the extraneous garbage in my life helped tremendously.

even if you aren’t depressed, getting rid of excess will help you live with

happiness, clarity, and purpose.

That’s why the first step to a strong Health Ring is to get rid of stuff.

stuff has ruined our lives, whether you’re ready to admit it to yourself or

not.

Getting rid of my stuff was a slow process. i started minimizing in 2008

and it wasn’t until i set out an a never-ending journey on september 1,

2009 that I had minimized enough to fit all of my belongings in a small

32-liter backpack, which is actually only about 80% full.


you know yourself better than me, though. maybe you can make the

transition immediately. if so, fantastic! i’m going to recommend the slow

and mindful journey towards minimalism, because that’s the one i took.

As i mentioned earlier, this is not a race.

what you need to do is make a commitment to simplicity right now. it’s

simple: “i will get rid of everything i don’t need and stop buying more junk

that clutters my heart and mind.”

i’d like you to take a minute and rephrase that in a way that resonates with

you. it must be succinct and direct. no wishy-washiness allowed here.

[Pause break – This is not a mistake in editing. Take a

minute and commit to simplicity.]

now that you’re ready and committed, where do you start?

the truth is it doesn’t matter so much where you start and it depends on

your situation. If you own a 4-bedroom home, your current reality is far

different from someone who rents a 1-bedroom apartment.

your end goals towards simplicity may be similar, but your starting point

is far apart.

if you have a large home, start with one room. And get rid of everything.

this is what getting rid of everything looks like:

you pick something up and either put it in the trash, put it in a donation

bag, or put it in a “to sell” box/bag.


those are the three options. there is no “keep it” option. the fact that you

have an extra room with stuff means you really don’t need any of that stuff.

The Fire Approach

the easiest way i’ve found to think about what to keep is this: if my

home burned to the ground, what would I miss?

your gut reaction might be: “i’d miss almost everything!”

Go past your gut reaction and really feel it. you lost everything. what are

the things you need to start living life again?

A couch? even when i was in the midst of consumerism, i lived for a year

without a couch. it was never necessary.

A tV? no way. i got rid of cable in 2006 and haven’t missed it. it’s not that

i’ve never watched tV since then, but it’s impossible for it to consume my

life if i have no easy way to watch.

if you’re truly simplifying, there is no room in a life of luxurious less-ness

for daily tV watching. there are many arguments for watching tV. And an

alcoholic will give me many arguments for why they need another drink.

they’re all unfounded.

A desk? probably not. personally, it’s much easier for me to work on a

desk. but as a traveler, i’ve had to make due with my lap for months at a

time. it’s not always ideal, but it’s doable.

A bed? yes. And even more than that, get the best mattress you can. it’s

worth it. (the luxury of less in practice.) while traveling, a quality bed is

something i don’t get. it’s a trade-off i’m willing to make. when i lived in

one place, my $1,000+ mattress was the one luxurious expense I never felt


was wasteful. i spent years suffering from insomnia and a good mattress,

along with an uncluttered mind, is an important part of good sleep. Good

sleep results in better health. (do you see how all of this is integrated?)

Clothes? yes, you obviously need clothes. but do you need multiple pairs

of shoes and a different outfit for every day of the month? No.

i’ve been living for more than a year with three t-shirts, three pairs of

socks, three pairs of underwear, and one pair of pants. you will probably

never go that minimalist, but that’s okay. extreme minimalism is for the

select few. minimalism, the movement, is for the masses.

here is what the average person’s minimalist wardrobe should look like:

• 1 pair of nice shoes.

• 1 pair of casual shoes.

• 1 pair of athletic shoes.

I don’t need a pair of nice shoes because I don’t work in an office. If you

don’t work in an office, you probably don’t need them either.

if you aren’t athletic then you don’t need athletic shoes. Although we’ll

cover this later and you actually will need athletic shoes. ;)

you’ll need casual shoes for every day living. something black and

unassuming, so it fits with almost anything you wear.

As for the rest, a minimalist wardrobe shouldn’t consist of more than a

week’s worth of clothing.

that way you have something clean to wear every day, you only need to do

laundry once per week, your clothes don’t take up a lot of space, and you

still have lots of options.


personally, as mentioned earlier, i lived a year with three of everything.

every three days i would hand wash my clothes with organic vegetable

soap and hang them to dry. sometimes i would even wear “dirty” clothes.

Clothes don’t automatically get dirty just because you wear them for one

day. we’ve just been conditioned to believe so.

think about this—do you wash your coat or jacket every time you wear it?

how about your winter hat? or your gloves? or your pants?

the answer is probably no. so why do you need to wash your t-shirt every

time you wear it? if it smells or you sweat in it or spilled something on it,

then i can understand. but otherwise, there’s no problem wearing it again.

nobody will notice; i guarantee it.

That covers wardrobe. What about everything else that burned in our fire?

you’ll need to replace a computer. A 13” laptop that you can also travel

with will work perfectly for 99.9% of the people reading this book. i won’t

get into the mac vs pC debate. it’s all good. Get something small and

portable.

unless you’re into heavy video production or something of that sort, you

do not need anything else.

And if you’re thinking, “well, i need a big screen!”—o, you don’t. i work for

myself from anywhere in the world, and i’ve used netbooks for months on

end. i’ve used both 7” and 10” netbooks, ut neither of them are ideal unless

you only use them for e-mail and web browsing. that’s why i recommend

a 13” laptop. they’re the perfect size for the majority of people.


The Kitchen

the kitchen is a place where lots of us seem to go mad with buying too

much stuff. what do you need to make a kitchen work? A set of dishes, a

set of cutlery, a pot or two, one skillet, a wooden spoon, and a good knife.

because i drink lots of tea, i’ll also throw in a mug and an infuser (for

loose tea).

unless cooking is your passion, you don’t need anything else.

if cooking is your passion, the simple dollar has a great article about the

minimalist Kitchen here.

Car or no car?

i’m not going to make the claim that to be a minimalist you can’t have a

car. unfortunately, for much of the world it’s just not doable.

what is doable for almost everybody who lives in an urban locale is to go

car-lite. that means only using your car when it’s absolutely necessary.

A trip to the corner store? not absolutely necessary to use a car. ride a

bike or walk.

pouring rain and you need to make a trip to the corner store? understood.

:)

personally, selling my car was one of my favorite feelings in the world. And

i will never live in a place where i need a car again. will i use or drive cars?

yes. i’m not saying i’ll never need to use a car. i’m saying that, for 99% of

my life, i can get by without a car. in the majority of life situations you can

do the same.

http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/07/01/the-minimalist-kitchen-what-you-need-and-dont-need-to-set-up-your-first-workable-home-kitchen/

http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/07/01/the-minimalist-kitchen-what-you-need-and-dont-need-to-set-up-your-first-workable-home-kitchen/


An added benefit of not having a car is you won’t have the burden of

insurance and repairs and maintenance. let’s completely low-ball it and

say you only save $2,000/year by not having a car. That is extreme low-

balling, but even so, $2,000 is a lot of money.

tammy, from rowdyKittens.com, has written extensively on going car-

free and car-lite, and goes into more detail about the hows and whys of not

owning a car.

for the times you absolutely need a car there are services such as ZipCar

and other car-sharing services (Car2Go in Austin, tX and Germany) that

will allow you to rent a car by the minute, hour or day. And, of course, if

you need longer term rental, you can rent cheaply using expedia.com.

You won’t spend $2,000/year on rentals unless you’re on vacation for a

couple of months. :)

What About Other Stuff?

there are dozens (maybe hundreds) of books and blogs about uncluttering

and getting rid of junk and they can teach you the details. i needed to

cover some basics and i won’t delve much deeper into the logistics.

Check http://www.LuxuryofLess.com/resources for an updated list of

books/blogs I recommend for help with logistics and philosophies of less.

the truth is, it’s very simple: we need a lot less than we think we need.

but, and this is maybe what sets me apart from lots of other minimalists, i

believe whatever you do have should be the best you can afford. (meaning,

the best you can pay for in cash.)

for example, getting the cheapest knife from walmart will result in

frustrating experience after frustrating experience. one good chef’s knife

http://www.rowdykittens.com/

http://www.LuxuryOfLess.com/resources


will cost more than most sets of knives from a discount store, but it will be

worth it.

quality, not quantity. frugal, not cheap.

i own at least one thing most people might not consider minimalist—a

guitar. to be completely truthful, i own a few. the others have been living in

my parents’ basement for years. since they’re not worth much, i won’t sell

them. And i won’t trash them because that’s wasteful. ideally, i’d like to give

each guitar away to someone who wants to learn to play. if i hadn’t been

able to leave my guitars at my parents’ house for the past 10 years, what

would i do with them? i’d get rid of them. no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

except one. i built a guitar in india. we’ll cover that later when we talk

about Ring #4: Experiences.

i love playing guitar. i need to play guitar. And this is where minimalism

has leniency. the luxury of less is not luxurious if you don’t have hobbies

and interests that help you grow and engage the mind. (that doesn’t

include watching tV.)

Again, we’ll cover all of this in Ring #4: Experiences.

Physical Health

the fact that you purchased this book proves to me at least 3 things.

1) you live in a resource-laden society. meaning you have access to good

food, good technology, and don’t live in the third world.

2) you have a little bit of extra spending cash. otherwise you would not

have spent it on this book. (thank you for that!)


which leads me to ...

3) you have the ability to be at peak health. by this, i mean your peak.

we’re not comparing ourselves to superstar athletes or Jack lalanne.

we’re comparing ourselves to ourselves (life lesson #99).

No matter where you are right now. No matter how unfit you are. No

matter how many prescription medications you take right now. If you fit

into #1 and #2 you can attain #3, peak health.

let’s talk about the current state of western health, which is quickly

become first world health.

the western diet and exercise routine consists of:

• processed junk for breakfast. (Assuming you even eat breakfast.)

• processed junk for lunch. (eaten in 30 minutes or less.)

• processed junk for dinner. (probably from a box or from a fast food

restaurant.)

• processed drinks throughout the day. (soda, store-bought juices,

energy drinks/shots.)

• no exercise.

in no way, shape, or form, is any of this good for you. one day of junk

and no exercise? yeah, whatever, no big deal. A lifetime of junk and no

exercise? slow, painful death.

think about this ...

Are you tired throughout the day?

do you need coffee to wake up in the morning?

http://www.ridiculouslyextraordinary.com/101-life-lessons/


do you need more coffee to make it through the day?

or maybe you rely on “energy” drinks instead?

do you feel sluggish after meals? otherwise known as “food coma”.

A note on coffee: i have no problem with coffee. i don’t drink it myself

(I’m a tea fan), but coffee has been shown to have health benefits. In

moderation. if you need two cups of coffee to wake up and then a pot to get

through your day, you are over-caffeinating yourself.

food and drink should be used as nourishment for our incredible bodies.

if you use food for pleasure, it’s because there’s something missing in your

life. your 5 rings are not holding strong and you are compensating and

rationalizing by using “i love food!” as an excuse.

loving food does not make you special. (you’re special for a host of other

reasons, of course!) everybody loves food.

i love food as well. black beans. quinoa. bananas. blueberries.

strawberries. Apples. brown rice. Cayenne pepper. Avocado. mango.

Jackfruit. pineapple. oats. broccoli. tomatoes.

the problem stems from the fact that we confuse “i love food” with “i love

junk food.” that one extra word makes a big difference.

what i propose is that we need to move from “i love junk food” to “i love

food that gives my body natural energy, nourishes me, and allows me to

live an exceptional life.”

Going back to that example, loving coffee is perfectly fine. I’m not asking

you to give up coffee. i’m asking you to give up the need for coffee. the

addiction. when you don’t need something, you will enjoy it considerably

more.


yes, that contradicts my “use food as nourishment” statement, but i’m not

anti-pleasure. :)

i’m anti unhealthy pleasure.

As for me? i grew up on tea. outside of the u.s., tea is a much more

popular drink. my mom used to drink tea regularly, so i drank it regularly

as well.

As I got older and began learning about the health benefits of tea, I became

even more intrigued. “wow, i can drink this stuff that i love, and it’s good

for me as well? sign me up.”

but i don’t need tea. it doesn’t help me get through the day. it provides a

soothing, tasty, anti-oxidant-rich beverage when i want it. nothing more,

nothing less.

The mounting evidence of its health benefits does spur me to seek it out

more often that not, but sometimes i go days without drinking tea. it

doesn’t run my life.

I mean that both figuratively and literally because the caffeine in coffee

literally runs many people’s lives.

water should be your go-to beverage of choice. Cool, clean, tap water.

revel in the fact that wherever you live, you have access to this fantastic

natural resource. not everybody on earth is so fortunate.

Less


30 Day Challenge #1: Drink Only Water

There Are seVerAl ChAllenGes in luXury of less, but

don’t do more than one challenge at a time. single-minded focused action

breeds success.

first step to making ring #1 strong: quit drinking anything except water

for 30 days. if it becomes unbearable, drink freshly squeezed (not store

bought) juice when you want some flavor.

This 30 day trial will be difficult if you’re currently addicted to unhealthy

beverages.

i used to be addicted to soda. And when i say addicted, i mean that i used

to drink it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and throughout the whole day.

pepsi and dr pepper were my drinks of choice and i guzzled them to the

tune of at least two liters a day.

somewhere around the age of 20 i decided it was time to stop. i was

always tired. i always felt like shit. i knew soda wasn’t good for me. i knew

i was addicted. so i stopped.

i would never have imagined what happened next. weeks of sweats,

shakes, headaches, and general hell. that’s when i knew i was making the

right decision. i had been poisoning my body so horribly that it became

dependent. detoxifying was a grueling process. (And if it’s this bad for

caffeine, i can’t even imagine what’s it’s like for harder drugs.)


i replaced soda with water and juice. lots of water and lots of juice. (At the

time i wasn’t smart enough to use freshly squeezed juice, so it was store

bought.)

today? when i feel like it, i’ll have a soda and sometimes i’ll go through a

“soda phase”. it’s not often. on average, i probably don’t even drink soda

once a month. And you know what? when i do have a soda (preferably

something unique to the country or regions i’m visiting), usually it’s fairly

enjoyable. that said, if you’re the type of addictive personality that can

never “go back”, then don’t. you know yourself better than i know you.

I Used To Get Sick 2-4 Times Per Year

no joke. my brother used to tease me about how frail i was. i can recall at

least two times while in junior high and high school where i missed two to

three weeks of school. not over time, but two to three weeks straight.

And it wasn’t because i had some kind of crazy illness.

No, usually it was just a nasty common cold or flu that would not go away.

i’d get drugged up by the doctor and feel a little bit better. but as we know,

doctors don’t cure patients, they just make symptoms easier to deal with.

so i downed cough medicine, i took pain medicine, and i got shots of who-

knows-what in my bum.

this cycle of illness went on and on and on into my 20s.

by that time i stopped going to the doctor. i just buckled down and dealt

with the symptoms. no sense in masking them.

But I didn’t find “the cure” until I was about 27 years old.


up until then my diet consisted of:

• pizza

• tacos

• frozen dinners

• bananas (the only fruit i ever used to buy consistently)

• burritos

• french fries

you get the point.

it was the standard American diet (known as sAd) and exactly what i was

referring to earlier.

since embracing the diet i explain soon, i have been sick far less. i actually

went two years before getting a cold again. there aren’t many perfect

immune systems, and considering mine used to be exceptionally weak, this

is fantastic.

the beauty of being human is that we can change. And when we make

small changes, such as to our diet, they make a big difference.

there is a lot of evidence proving the deadliness of the western diet. i

probably don’t need to convince you of that. i’ll go so far as to assume you

expected me to state this diet is just no good.

so what is good? what is a healthy diet?

• A diet that gives you energy. in other words, a diet that doesn’t put

you in a food coma, but actually makes you want to get active.

• A diet that is easily digestible. The more difficult a diet is to digest,

the more likely it will put you in a food coma. you should be able to eat


and run a few miles (if you wanted to) as opposed to eating and sitting

on the couch for a couple of hours while your food baby digests.

• A diet that provides you with all of your necessary nutrients.

• A diet that is natural. no chemicals, no garbage.

• A diet that is sustainable. less pollution, more awesome!

• A diet that curbs cravings for junk food.

• A diet that is respectful. to you and to others.

the luxury of less diet, my diet, consists mostly of the following:

• whole grains

• fruits

• Vegetables

• legumes (beans)

• nuts

• water and tea

i use very little salt in my cooking, but i do love spicy cayenne pepper on

almost everything. :)

not only is this diet incredibly healthy, but being seemingly confined to

these categories of foods has opened a world of new tastes to me. that is

the luxury of less in action. the most common phrase in musashi’s Go

rin no sho is variations of “you must study this well.”

you must study this well. (i will pepper this phrase throughout this book,

although not nearly as much as musashi.) i don’t want you to blindly

believe anything i write. find out for yourself. experiment. feel. the proof

will present itself to you without my help.


A side benefit of this diet is that it is impossible not to reach your natural

weight eating like this. the only foreseeable way you can gain weight on

this diet is if you eat far more nuts and oils than you should.

your natural weight is the weight at which you are neither overweight, nor

underweight. many people look at me and tell me i’m skinny. while that is

true, I’m well within the confines of healthy weight. I’m essentially right in

the middle using the body mass index (bmi) scale.

Toss your scale

but weight loss itself is not the point. throw away your scale. how much

you weigh does not matter. Know that if you’re eating a diet rich in

products that nourish you, you’ll reach your ideal, natural weight and stay

that way without trying.

besides that, tossing your scale means one less thing to take up space in

your house and in your mind.

Strength?

is it possible to be strong on a plant-based diet?

while at the franz Jozef Glacier in new Zealand in november 2009 i

went on a hike with 5 other people. somehow somebody brought up

vegetarianism and i mentioned i’m vegan, i eat a completely plant-based

diet.

the discussion and circumstances that followed were interesting.

essentially, i was told that it’s impossible for a vegan diet to provide

enough energy to live. i was told it can’t possibly be healthy and you need

meat to be physically fit.


Two hours later, we had done a loop. It was only 4:00 p.m. and I thought

we’d take another trail and do another two to three hours of hiking until

dark.

me: “hey, do you all want to do this other loop? it looks like it’s only about

an hour to the bridge and then we can turn around and come back.”

everyone had some excuse that was ultimately: “i’m tired, i’m heading

back to the hostel.”

me: “uhh, okay, see you later then.”

And this is from a guy who hates cold weather. :)

that type of thing is actually a pretty regular occurrence. if you’re not

filling your body with junk, you will have the energy to do whatever you

like.

you can run marathons like matt frazier from nomeatAthlete.com

and you can run ultramarathons like scott Jurek, two-time winner of

the badwater ultramarathon, aka “the world’s toughest foot race.”

badwater is a 135 mile race through death Valley where temperatures

reach upwards of 120°f/50°C.

so if you’re worried about strength on the world’s healthiest diet, don’t

worry.

Sustainable?

I don’t mean this as far as environmental impact (although it’s definitely

the most environmentally friendly diet), but as far as is it sustainable over

the long haul?

http://www.nomeathathlete.com/


yes.

not only is this diet possible for the long haul, it’s possible almost

anywhere in the world. i know because i’ve been traveling on this diet

since september 1, 2009.

if you’d like to learn how i travel on this diet, click here.

there are no excuses. if you do your research into this diet you’ll see that it

is the most beneficial to your present and your future.

instead of trying to convince you, i’m going to ask you a few questions:

• do you want what’s best for you?

• do you want to feel great when you wake up in the morning?

• do you want to have the energy to party until sunrise without

unnatural pick-me-ups?

• do you want to be able to utilize your body like the machine that it is?

if the answer is yes to even one of those questions then let’s do this...

http://www.ridiculouslyextraordinary.com/how-to-travel-as-a-vegan/

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30 Day Challenge #2: Eat a diet consisting solely of whole, natural foods.

Simple meal ideas

BREAkFAsT: oATMEAl + slIcEd BANANAs. GlAss oF soY/oAT/

quinoa/spelt milk. if you get vanilla soy milk, i almost guarantee you will

like it. i drink plant milks when i can’t get b12 via other sources. i make it

easy by preparing my oatmeal with the plant milk instead of water.

lunch: brown rice + black beans + sliced tomatoes

dinner: quinoa (a complete protein which is becoming easier to find

worldwide) + sauteed onions + avocado + sliced tomatoes

snacks (to be eaten regularly throughout the day at any time when you’re

hungry): apples, oranges, nuts, celery sticks, tomatoes... you get the idea.

you can eat anything you’d like on this diet as long as it’s plant-based and

grown naturally.

Eat As Much As You Want

seriously. let me repeat that, because unhealthy diets are restrictive and

go against this rule: eat as much as you want.

you will probably be hungry more often than when your digestive system

was being overworked with your normal diet. that’s okay. eat.


drink as much water as is necessary. 8 cups/day? i don’t know. if you’re

thirsty you’re not drinking enough. so drink more. :) drink freshly

squeezed juice if you’d like. drink a few cups of tea per day if you like it.

drink coffee as well if you like it.

this 30 day challenge is to be done after Challenge #1. that means you’re

no longer dependent on coffee. if you’re the type of addictive personality

that can’t go back even a little, then don’t drink coffee. if you can handle it,

you should be able to drink a cup a day (or whenever) without it running

your life again.

Exercise

i used to hate exercise as much as anybody else.

you know how people say you should do what you love and it won’t feel

like work? the same holds true for exercise.

i love riding my bike.

so i ride my bike a lot.

simple!

it doesn’t have to be complicated. Just get up and do something.

The trick is you may have to try a lot of things before you find something

you love.

if you need help, read this article: Get fit in Just 1 minute (or how i

Almost died from heat exhaustion)

be careful that you don’t have to buy new gear for each thing you try.

http://www.ridiculouslyextraordinary.com/get-fit-in-just-1-minute/

http://www.ridiculouslyextraordinary.com/get-fit-in-just-1-minute/


borrow, rent, or buy used on ebay or Craigslist.

You can usually find whatever you need secondhand and then sell it for the

same price you bought it for if you don’t want to continue using it. (or if

you’re moving.)

everett bogue from farbeyondthestars.com wrote about how to rent a

bicycle for free in any city here. you can use this same strategy for most

things, not just bikes.

the luxury of less in exercise is that you don’t need to do much to

get fit and you don’t need a lot of equipment, either. you must

study this well.

body-weight exercises don’t need any free weights or equipment.

if you learn to love running all you need is shoes. or, like leo babauta,

maybe you’ll go barefoot.

if you do a variety of sports, you’ll need some kind of all-purpose shoes.

which brings me to this point: the one piece of equipment i recommend

for exercise is a pair of shoes exclusively for athletics.

this, of course, depends on what you do. i do a lot of walking and hiking

and riding my bike. i’ve been using my casual everyday shoes for athletics

for over a year and they are utterly ruined. i won’t change that while i’m

traveling, but if i stay put for more than three to four months in one place

again, i will get a pair of athletic shoes that i don’t have to worry about

ruining.

http://www.farbeyondthestars.com/

http://rowdykittens.com/2010/02/how-to-rent-a-bike-in-any-city-for-free/

http://rowdykittens.com/2010/02/how-to-rent-a-bike-in-any-city-for-free/

http://zenhabits.net/barefoot-running/

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30 Day Challenge #3: Find an exercise you love and do it regularly.

it has been said that you only need to work out for 30 minutes a day and

just 3 times a week to get fit. I don’t know if that’s enough. When you lose

the TV, begin eating a healthy diet, and find an exercise you love—you’ll

want to exercise more often. when it’s sunny outside i ride my bike every

day. sometimes for just an hour, sometimes for a few hours.

Exercise doesn’t only make you physically fit, but mentally fit as well. It

provides clarity and focus. You’ll find many good ideas come to you when

you’re in the midst of a tough workout.

Your challenge for the next 30 days is to find that exercise that you don’t

feel you have to do, you simply want to do it. it can be almost anything.

running, biking, yoga, swimming, basketball (or any team sport), weight

training, body-weight training and so on.

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Ring #2: Wealth

WeAlth is importAnt. there, i sAid it. from A Guy who

constantly states that money doesn’t buy happiness, it might seem odd

that i place value on wealth.

And by wealth, i do mean monetary wealth.

but i also mean wealth in health, relationships, and experiences.

remember when i stated that the five rings are intertwined? they are.

they each hold their own, but they support each other as well.

if one ring is weakening, you can use another ring to build it back up.

for example, if your health is suffering it could be for a myriad of reasons.

maybe you’ve become a bit sad or depressed. use the relationships ring

to pick yourself up.

maybe you’ve been eating poorly. use the wealth ring to buy the freshest,

most healthful produce available to you. when your wealth ring is strong,

you don’t worry about how much nutrient rich foods cost.

if your experiences are lacking, use the wealth ring again to do

something you’ve always wanted to do.

A personal example: one section of my Experiences Ring is filled with the

time i built a guitar by hand in india. while it wasn’t incredibly expensive

to do so (around $2,000, including the workshop and housing and food for


three weeks), if it wasn’t for my wealth ring i would not have been able to

do it in the way i did.

what i mean is, i had the idea to learn how build a guitar, i researched

locations where i could do that, and i booked it.

that’s not the way most people do things because most people have a weak

or nonexistent wealth ring.

with a weak or nonexistent wealth ring, my guitar building experience

would have went something like this:

1. have the idea to learn how to build a guitar.

1. research locations where i could do that.

1. figure out exactly how much it would cost.

1. spend X amount of time saving for it.

1. book it and stress about all the money i just spent.

the wealth ring is not about excess. it’s about never worrying about basic

necessities. And then ...

A fully strengthened Wealth Ring gives you the opportunity to

do what you want, when you want, with no worries.

what you have to know is that building a strong wealth ring, just like the

other rings, takes time.

sure you might come into an inheritance or win the lottery, but don’t

count on that.

speaking of lottery, if you’re really interested in building your wealth

ring you will never play the lottery. As i like to say, instead of playing the


lottery, buy a sandwich. but truthfully, that lottery money would be better

saved to build your emergency fund.

building your wealth ring will come from hard, smart work and

consistent, focused action.

The first step to Wealth is deleting debt.

while it is possible to build wealth and get out of debt at the same time,

for most people getting out of debt first is easier. You know yourself better

than i do, so you will have to tackle this in whatever way works for you.

what i suggest is that you put a system in place to get out of debt. once

you’ve focused on a system for debt relief, you can transfer focus to

building the rest of your wealth ring.

Adam baker, from manVsdebt.com, writes about what he calls the debt

tsunami.

it’s his strategy to get out of debt based on what debts take the most

emotional toll on you. the best way to deal with debt is to take emotions

out of it. if you’re emotionally affected by certain debts, then that’s

impossible.

I love this strategy, because it fits perfectly within the The Five Rings.

debt is stressful. Certain debt is even more stressful. All debt is bad for

your wealth. it weakens your relationships and hinders your experiences.

the most stressful debt is the worst for your health, so it makes sense to

get rid of the most stressful debt first.

http://manvsdebt.com/debt-tsunami-the-ultimate-method-for-paying-off-debt/

http://manvsdebt.com/debt-tsunami-the-ultimate-method-for-paying-off-debt/

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30 Day Challenge #4: Start the Debt Tsunami

Don’t foCus on AnythinG but settinG up the debt

tsunami system.

if you need additional help, Adam sells a very low cost guide called

unautomate your finances that goes deeper into setting up a debt relief

system.

this is very important. if you’ve already got a debt relief system that is

working for you, then you obviously don’t have to complete this 30 day

Challenge.

if however, you’re in any amount of debt, you must start now to delete the

debt.

most people who read my blog, ridiculouslyextraordinary.com, know i’m

anti-job.

but in this situation, i actually believe getting an extra part-time job to

build the first part of your Wealth Ring is a very smart move.

it doesn’t have to be a traditional part-time job either. maybe you’ll write

freelance articles for sites like ehow.com or maybe you’ll do freelance

work. or maybe you’ll start a small dog-walking service or something of

that sort.

the key is to do something that will help delete your debt, but doesn’t have

any (or many) startup costs. we’ll get into starting an actual business soon

enough. the startup costs won’t be huge, but there will be startup costs.

http://www.ridiculouslyextraordinary.com/go/debt.html

http://www.ridiculouslyextraordinary.com/

http://www.ridiculouslyextraordinary.com/21-reasons-you-should-quit-your-day-job/

http://www.ridiculouslyextraordinary.com/21-reasons-you-should-quit-your-day-job/


On Being Conservative

i’m very conservative. not politically, of course. :)

but when it comes to building the wealth ring i believe in a methodical,

systematized approach that takes it slow and just works.

one of the quickest ways to crumble your wealth ring is to not have

enough money to handle an emergency.

yes, i’m referring to an emergency fund.

you need one.

Absolutely. no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

i’m actually so conservative that my personal emergency fund can sustain

me for more than a year. that said, i didn’t start there and i don’t think a

12-month emergency fund is necessary.

A strong wealth ring is supported by an emergency fund that can absorb

most big emergencies.

Many people advocate a 1-month or $1,000 Emergency Fund.

that’s a great start.

ultimately, a strong wealth ring is supported by an emergency fund that

looks like this:

• At least 3 months of living expenses.

• the total deductible on your health insurance.


I have high-deductible health insurance. My deductible is $2,500. so,

I know, if worst comes to worst, I won’t spend more than $2,500 at

the doctor or hospital. (ideally, due to my health ring, i spend almost

nothing.)

That $2,500 amount goes into the Emergency Fund automatically.

3 months of my living expenses are hard to gauge. to be conservative i’ll

say it’s $2,500/month.

That means my Emergency Fund should be $2,500 + ($2,500 x 3) =

$10,000.

i call this the never Any stress whatsoever emergency fund.

Put yourself in my shoes for a second. If you had a $10,000 Emergency

fund how much less stressful would your life be?

you could absorb almost any catastrophe without worry.

this brings upon us an interesting dilemma if you’re in debt.

how are you supposed to build a huge emergency fund if you’re in debt?

the simple answer is that you don’t. once you’ve done 30 day Challenge

#4 and established a system for debt relief, it’s time to start a small

emergency fund.

that means that while you’re paying off debt you should also force yourself

to find extra cash for an Emergency Fund. Again, that can be with a short-

term job or something like that.

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30 Day Challenge #5: Build an Emergency Fund

We’Ve AlreAdy estAblished i’m ConserVAtiVe And

believe you should have a massive no stress emergency fund.

But you first need to start with a If My car Breaks down And I Need A Tow

truck emergency fund.

$100.

Your goal for the next 30 days is to scrounge up $100 for an Emergency

fund.

It’s important not to change anything from 30 day challenge #4. Meaning,

don’t take away from your debt relief to find this $100. Your debt relief

system is sacred and is not to be touched.

if you’re not in debt, then your goal is to build a 1-month living expenses

or $1,000 Emergency Fund. Whichever is greater.

If your living expenses are $1,300/month then build a $1,300 Emergency

fund ... in the next 30 days. :)

that might sound crazy to you, but it is doable.

And this is how you’ll do it:

sell your crap.


you’re probably wondering why a book on minimalism has focused so little

on getting rid of everything.

it’s because minimalism to me is more than just about the things we own.

it encapsulates everything in our lives. what i mentioned earlier about

getting rid of stuff, i want to reiterate again: get rid of everything you don’t

need, which is almost everything. use the “what if everything burned in a

fire” scenario to figure out what really matters to you.

study this well. :)

Start A Business

this really is the only way to build a truly powerful wealth ring. i’m not

saying you can’t become filthy rich in a job. It’s true, you can. What I’m

saying is you will never be truly free in a job, and that is more important

than filthy rich.

These days, starting a small, profitable business does not have to cost a lot

of money. back in 2002 I started my first 6 figure business for less than

$119.40.

the most important advice i have for starting a business is to find the

cross-section of what you love and what people will pay for.

the beauty is, due to the internet, that audience is getting bigger and

bigger. you don’t have to reach people in your community, you can reach

people worldwide.

in the book Crush it!, Gary Vaynerchuk gives five interesting examples

of small niches (and not-so-small niches) that he thinks somebody with

passion can dominate over the coming years. i generally agree.

http://www.ridiculouslyextraordinary.com/how-i-created-my-first-6-figure-business/

http://www.ridiculouslyextraordinary.com/how-i-created-my-first-6-figure-business/

http://amzn.to/deukuO


that said, if you’re passionate about a large niche, don’t think you can’t

dominate a section of that niche. The fitness niche, for example, is

incredibly crowded. you’d think it would take lots of money and a long

time to start dominating in that niche. but look at what matt frazier

(nomeatAthlete.com) and steve Kamb (nerdfitness.com) are doing.

they’ve chosen a small niche within a large niche and are kicking ass at it.

if you go into a large niche, it helps immensely if you’re unique like matt

and steve.

http://www.nomeatathlete.com/

http://www.nerdfitness.com/

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30 Day Challenge #6: Plan Your Business

I don’t Know whAt Kind of business fits with your

personality. maybe you don’t like writing and don’t want to be a blogger.

that’s okay. you can still create information products without a blog. you

can still create informational websites without creating products or a blog.

i have far too many examples of businesses and business ideas to list here,

but i want you to think about this when starting your business—can you

see yourself doing the same thing in five to ten years?

so take a minute and ask yourself: “can I see myself doing X in five to ten

years?”

if the answer is no, then you will never give your idea the attention it

deserves. if the answer is yes, then your chances are good. personally, i

can’t see myself not writing publicly and privately for the rest of my life. i

don’t think or dwell on a time that far ahead because i live in the present,

but i don’t see myself doing anything other than exactly what i’m doing.

which means that today i’m working on exactly what i should be working

on. every day i work towards improving what i’m doing and affecting

more people. study this well.

Although this 30 day Challenge is to plan your business, the most

important part of any business is actually taking action and getting started.

so if you already know what you want to do, then your 30 day Challenge is

to start your business.

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Ring #3: Relationships

RelAtionships CAn tAKe mAny forms. A few of the most

common are romantic, platonic, familial, your relationship with a pet, and

your relationship with your stuff.

There is no such thing as a perfect relationship and there is no

single rule for a good relationship.

The most important aspect of a relationship is that it’s beneficial to

everybody involved. If it’s not beneficial, then it’s toxic, and you have a

weak ring.

so in that regard, the most important rule to follow with relationships is

this:

Avoid The Unhappy and Unlucky

“When you suspect you are in the presence of an

infector, don’t argue, don’t try to help, don’t pass

the person on to your friends, or you will become

enmeshed. Flee the infector’s presence or suffer the

consequences.”

– Robert Green (Author of The 48 laws of Power)

if you’re like me or any other fairly normal person, you probably want to

help people who very clearly need help. whether that’s helping them up off

the ground when they fall or giving someone in front of you at the grocery

store a dollar because they’re short on change, we all like to do good. but

that direct do-goodery is not what i’m talking about.


The Bad Kind of Good

At one time or another, we’ve all had a friend who brings us down. we try

to help, giving our time and soul, but it’s to no avail. we think we’re “doing

good,” but we’re not. not only does this friend not listen, they complain

that whatever you’re offering isn’t going to help.

they do anything they can to keep digging themselves in a hole because

then they can be “right.” you know: “well, i knew that wasn’t going to

work out.”

it almost turns into a contest. how many shitty things can they be right

about?

you already know i don’t believe in luck. life lesson #94: there is no such

thing as luck. you either make good things happen or bad things happen.

if someone consistently tells themself something bad is going to happen,

then something bad is going to happen. And then they can be right! And

more bad stuff will happen, because they so, so, so want to be right they’ll

do everything they can to keep being right!

it’s almost fun for them to be right in the wrong way. “i’m right about how

much my life sucks and nothing ever goes the way i want it to. yay!”

Unfortunately, You Get Dragged Down As Well

yeah, you know what happens.

they bring you along for the ride.

you start feeling like garbage. you begin to feel the same way your friend

feels. And when you start feeling worse, your friend goes even further into

the pits of despair. it’s a sick, sick cycle.



How To Break Ties With Toxic Friends

first, know this—it’s okay to not want to be friends with someone you’re

currently friends with.

second, know this—there is no easy way to break the ties.

It’s going to be difficult. Extraordinarily difficult.

if you’ve already broken the ties with someone before, you know exactly

how difficult it can be.

there are two approaches you can take to getting rid of friends who

are bringing you down. first, the direct approach. second, the indirect

approach. everything falls into one of these two camps.

let’s break it down.

The Direct Approach To Getting Rid of Unwanted Friends

the direct approach is tough. you basically state that you just don’t want

to be friends anymore. it’s just as awkward as breaking up any other

relationship. :)

depending on how you do it, this approach may be too harsh. And if your

friend is mentally unstable it may result in dire consequences.

if you’re going to take the direct approach, don’t attack or accuse. bring

the fault upon your shoulders.


The Indirect Approach To Getting Rid of Unwanted Friends

this approach isn’t much easier, especially if it’s a friend you talk to hang

out with very regularly.

that said, this is the way more friendships end—naturally. they fade away

instead of burning out.

only, in this case, you’re actively fading away.

how?

when your toxic friend wants to hang out, have other plans. ignoring

someone is weak, so don’t outright ignore them if they contact you. Just

don’t go out of your way to hang out with them, knowing they’ll make you

feel like shit in the end.

if you do hang out with said friend (considering you’re fading away,

instead of burning out, this may happen), don’t take the bait. meaning,

when they complain or gossip or do anything to bring themselves and

you down, don’t react. Change the subject or state something positive in

response.

And if it gets really bad, just leave.

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30 Day Challenge #7: Analyze Your Current Relationships

Are you in A toXiC relAtionship? Are you in multiple

toxic relationships? they are dragging you down. it could be family,

it could be your best friend of 10 years, it doesn’t matter. you need to

disassociate yourself from anybody who is toxic.

your challenge over the next 30 days is to completely disassociate from the

most toxic person in your life by whatever means necessary. of all the 30

day challenges, this is by far the most difficult.

What you’ll find is, after just 30 days, your life will progress by leaps and

bounds. Again, this is not an easy challenge (it is a challenge, after all), but

it is necessary.

Minimizing Romantic Relationships

i know very few men who aren’t married and believe in monogamy and a

mindful approach to relationships. the truth is, chasing multiple romantic

relationships is not healthy, any more than being an alcoholic is healthy.

I don’t believe in wasting time with women who are not right for

me. And so, i’ve been in exactly one relationship that has lasted a really

significant amount of time. (Four plus years.) What I realized after that

relationship is that most people are in relationships they shouldn’t be in.

And that’s why divorce rates and general unhappiness are both so high.


if you spend most of your time with somebody who makes you often

unhappy, then you’re going to be unhappy. there is just no way around

that.

this might seem like i’m limiting myself or have a long laundry list of

“wants.” that’s not true. like most people, i have a general type of person

i’m attracted to, but that is pliable.

the most important traits are somebody who is generally happy,

independent, and active. yes, that is limiting (especially with the

previously mentioned sAd diet so pervasive), but it’s limiting in a good

way. i know immediately if i’m wasting my time.

i don’t necessarily believe there is one person for each of us. i think there

may be more. what i do know for sure is there are an incredible amount of

people we shouldn’t spend our time with no matter how good it feels in the

moment.

spending your time with people (romantically and otherwise) who don’t

contribute to your growth contributes to stagnation and regression.

i’ve known many people who get into relationships just because. yes, that’s

the reason. It’s not that the person is a good fit. It’s “he’s hot” or “she’s hot”

or something else equally superficial. Nothing wrong with somebody being

hot, of course! it’s just not a good basis for a sustained relationship.

i’ve also known many people who don’t leave relationships when they

should. A girl i used know who was dating a guy for over two years told

me, “i don’t love him, and we don’t really get along, but if we break up i’ll

be alone.”

unfortunately, that type of thinking is common.


if you’re in a relationship that isn’t right for you, this is what you have

to do: leave. yes, it is that simple, no matter how much you want to tell

yourself that it’s not.

You can tell yourself every excuse in the book. You can fight it. You can

put it off every which way. but the truth is, you know when you’re in a

relationship that is not beneficial. Free yourself.

Minimizing Platonic Relationships

A common complaint among people, and i include my former self in this

group, is: “i don’t have enough friends. i want more friends.”

listen, if you don’t have any friends, i can understand that loneliness. And

so, if you don’t have any friends, yes you do need at least one. fortunately,

that’s not so difficult.

i’ve never had a lot of friends, but i’ve always had friends. instead of

nourishing and embracing those friendships, i probably did too much

thinking like, “man, i need more.” As a result, i’ve ruined a lot of

friendships i shouldn’t have. i don’t feel bad or guilty about this, because

better i know it now than never.

Additionally, sometimes friendships are fleeting.

life lesson #1: friends really do come and go. some come back. some

don’t. that’s okay.

so how do we minimize our platonic relationships? don’t live in the future.

don’t “need” more. if you have friends, embrace them. that’s not to say

you can’t make more. you’ll make more friends naturally by living an

awesome life.



what about if you don’t have any friends? no matter how introverted

you are (“hello, my name is Karol and i am an introvert”) you can still go

out and meet people. it’s easier if you begin by meeting people who are

interested in the same things as you. Guitar, comic books, travel, running,

whatever the case may be. so how do you meet people if you really don’t

have any friends? it’s actually not incredibly complicated. like most

things, we complicate situations in our head. Get out of your head.

i have friends in almost every city in the world. i’m not saying that to

brag. i don’t even know most of them. :) it’s because i’m a member of

couchsurfing.org. It’s not just about a play to stay. It’s a chance to meet

amazing people in other cities or your city. every single person i have

introduced to couchsurfing (and there have been many, especially through

my free couchsurfing Black Book) has come back and told me about the

amazing people they have met.

As for close friendships, i don’t have too many. Know that you don’t need

a quantity of friendships. this goes for platonic and romantic. quality is

far more important. but more than that, quality relationships feel better.

they’re not empty. that is the luxury of less.

when i’ve talked about this in person i’ve usually been met with

resistance. “it’s not that easy to not want more friends.”

yes, it is. don’t want more friends.

maxwell maltz put it very well when he said, “if you make friends with

yourself, you will never be alone.”

A lot of our problems with friends—wanting more, wanting better, wanting

different, wanting—is a result of not being friends with ourselves.

personally, i love spending time alone. thinking, reading, writing,

http://www.ridiculouslyextraordinary.com/blackbook001/


listening to music. And i even enjoy going out by myself doing what i call

solo social Activities. these are activities that most people do with others,

but if I can’t find someone to do them with, I’ll do them alone.

examples of solo social Activities:

• travel

• movies

• dinner

• sporting events

• industry events/Conferences

• theme parks

i have gone to every one of these types of events alone.

sometimes when i tell people what i did on a particular day or a particular

evening, the reaction i get is along the lines of “wow, you’re a loser.” never

that unkind, of course. usually the verbiage is “you must’ve been bored” or

“that sounds so boring” or “were you bored?”

the reason i get that reaction is because it’s from someone who isn’t

friends with themselves. someone who doesn’t enjoy their own company.

“I don’t want to be lonely, I just want to be alone.”

– daniel Johns

that’s the ticket right there. loneliness and being alone are not the same.

if you’re lonely, being alone may make you feel horrible.

so how do you break that cycle? If you can’t find someone to go out with,

go to a social event alone and meet people. even if you’re incredibly

introverted.


make it a goal to attend an event and speak with just one person for more

than 60 seconds. if you want to leave after you’ve done that, then leave.

And do it again another time. each time, stay longer, talk to more people,

or have deeper conversations with less people.

yeah, you’ll have anxiety and you might sweat and you might want to

vomit. don’t worry, I’ve been there. The first time you do this will be very

difficult, but it’s necessary. The other alternative is to wallow in your

loneliness. if you’re okay with that, then far be in from me to stop you. but

i really don’t think anybody is okay with that.

Where do you find events that you can attend alone?

couchsurfing.org Groups (each city has a group) are my favorite.

facebook events and meetup.com are another possibility.

And of course, your regional magazine or newspaper will have a list of lots

of current events.

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30 Day Challenge #8: Complete A Solo Social Activity

Whether you hAVe A lot of friends or not it’s

important to become friends with yourself.

At least once over the next 30 days go to an event that is usually a group

event, but go there by yourself. don’t invite anybody.

friday night? Go to the movies. this one really freaks people out because

almost everybody at the movies on a friday night is there in groups of 2 or

more. when you’re freaked out about doing something you know you’re

growing.

i’ve gone to the movies by myself at all times of the day and night in 5

different countries. i’ve also gone to the movies by myself at all times of

the day and night with other people in 4 different countries. (India was the

outlier, i went to the movies just once, solo.) the point is, if i want to see a

movie, it doesn’t matter what the situation is, i’ll go. reaching that level of

comfort with yourself is the point of this challenge.

“Learning about what you’re made of is always time

well spent.”

– henry rollins


Minimizing Our Relationship With Stuff

while it’s important to get rid of toxic people in our lives, it’s also

important to get rid of the toxic things in our lives as well.

we’ve been conditioned to believe we need lots of stuff to live happy lives.

far be it from me to say you’re wrong if you believe that, but you’re wrong

if you believe that.

extraneous belongings cloud our thoughts. they take up mindspace and

keep us from achieving great things.

think about one of your heroes right now. it can be anybody. business

person, sports star, neighbor, whatever. do you think any of them got to

where they are by watching tV?

not a chance.

even people who work in television don’t watch much tV. why? they’re

too busy creating mindless programming for the sheep who do watch.

i got rid of tV in 2006. And by “got rid of” i mean i canceled cable. i still

had the tV and a dVd player and, eventually a wii. (i did get rid of All of

this stuff in 2009.)

i lived in an area that got literally only 1 free tV station, so i immediately

stopped watching tV altogether when i canceled cable. it’s a decision i’m

incredibly happy i made and if you make it i guarantee you will not miss it.

here’s why: tV is toxic and there are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. i’m sick

of people saying, “but i only watch discovery Channel” or “i only watch

the history Channel.” “tV is educational.” yeah, right. no you don’t. no

it’s not. read a book.


Go out and make your own discoveries.

participate in the present, which will be history.

there is luxury in less, but the tV brainwashes us into believing that

luxury is in more.

one of my personal problems, and this is normal with most tV watchers,

was i would literally watch tV all day long if i was at home. since i worked

from home, i almost never even turned the tV off, even while i was

working. i can lie to myself and say i was productive (i was, to a point),

but i could have gotten much more done in a lot less time without tV.

Nowadays, without the TV to distract me, I finish projects much quicker

than before.

Think about how much more fulfilled your life would be if you could spend

your time on hobbies that you love. Guitar, reading, and writing are mine.

what are yours?

by the way, limiting tV does not work. it’s all or nothing. Get rid of it.

there is not a single person i know who has achieved five ring status and

gives a shit what happened on lost or who won American idol. it’s either

or. you can’t have it both ways. this is the way.

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30 Day Challenge #9: Get Rid Of TV

Tyler terVooren fiGured out thAt you CAn Add 8.2 yeArs

and $133,369 to your life by getting rid of your tV.

if that isn’t enough motivation, i don’t know what is.

this 30 day challenge should actually be called a “lifetime challenge.”

if you keep your cable and your tV, it’ll be nearly impossible to actually

complete this challenge. the easiest way to complete this challenge is to

call your cable company right now and cancel. then, after 30 days of bliss,

sell your tV.

Additional Thoughts On The Luxury of Less In Relationships With People and Stuff

you already know i don’t have many close friends, i don’t believe in one

night stands, and, in general, i don’t approach relationships with anybody

or any thing like most people.

After years of honing this approach, i know this is the best way to

experience relationships.

there is a lot of power in forming fewer relationships that actually matter

instead of lots of superficial relationships that never will.

I’m not necessarily saying you shouldn’t have lots of superficial

relationships. what i’m saying is, don’t focus on growing that relationship

base. focus on creating and nurturing close relationships.

http://tylertervooren.com/advancedriskology/how-to-add-8-years-and-133369-to-your-life/

http://tylertervooren.com/advancedriskology/how-to-add-8-years-and-133369-to-your-life/


This also extends to our relationship with stuff. instead of

three pairs of pants, how about one pair that you really like? instead of

multiple cheap guitars, how about one really well made guitar? instead of

buying your appliances at a bare bones discount store, how about getting

something really well made that will last a long time?

A lot of people confuse minimalism with being cheap. while being frugal is

awesome, being cheap creates a cycle of frustration and constantly buying

new stuff to replace the old stuff.

The Luxury of Less means indulging when it makes sense to

indulge.

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Ring #4: Experiences

RING #4 Took A loNG TIME FoR ME To GRAsP. YEARs uPoN

years. now, i’d much rather spend every single penny i have on

experiences than things.

The beauty of experiences is that many of the best ones don’t

cost much money.

three examples of my own fun (and fairly low cost) experiences:

1) in August of 2009 i was in the tatra mountains in Zakopane, poland

with some friends. We hiked 26km, 13km in good weather. After the first

13km, while we were congratulating ourselves for a job well done, a dark

cloud started rolling through. we had to hike back through a deluge of

thunder, rain, lightning, and hail. none of us had any rain gear. we had

shorts and t-shirts and nothing else. well, we also had oh-so-very-useful

sunglasses. :)

it’s an experience i will remember forever (you can read a summary of it

here if you’d like). you can’t buy that kind of experience at mcdonald’s. my

expenses were for a hotel room ($80/night for two nights), food, water,

and rations ($50 for three days), and train tickets ($40). An experience I

will never forget cost me just $250. Wow. That is an exponentially better

deal than buying a wii or a new camera or a bunch of dVds. (we could

have saved a lot of money by staying in a hostel, but it was actually my first

hotel stay in about two years. sometimes the comfort and cleanliness of a

hotel is worth the extra expense.)

http://karolgajda.posterous.com/life-is-a-hailstorm

http://karolgajda.posterous.com/life-is-a-hailstorm


2) A few years ago my friends and i joined a canoe-camping trip in

northern florida over labor day weekend. two nights, three days, 50

canoes, and over 100 people. we’d stop on the shore, set up our camp

city, party, sleep, wake up, pack up, canoe further down the river, and do

it again. Total cost for this trip was maybe $50 total to cover gasoline and

food.

3) In February of 2010 I flew business class (using frequent flyer miles)

to India where I spent about $2,000 learning how to build a guitar. That

guitar has been with me to india, thailand, poland and the u.s. if i

had bought a guitar for $2,000 I could have gotten something fantastic,

something that probably sounds better, plays better, and is better made

than the guitar I built. (can’t expect perfection on a first build.) But the

experience is what makes my guitar more special than any guitar i could

trade for cash.

let’s break this example down ...

Guitar #1:

person: “oh hey, nice guitar, what kind is that?”

me: “oh, thanks, it’s a martin.”

person: “nice!”

Guitar #2:

person: “oh hey, nice guitar, what kind is that?”

me: “oh, thanks, i built it in india with my bare hands and no power

tools.” ;)

person: “wtf! tell me about that!”

i’m not trying to make this seem like it’s about showing off or bragging.

that’s not it at all. it’s about the story, the experience. we get to write our

own story. it’s a blank canvas and we have control over most aspects of it.


why not make it an interesting story instead of something store bought?

most people live a store bought reality. force fed conformity. made to

believe a university education and a good day job (an oxymoron if i’ve

ever heard one) are the ultimate goals in life.

so this is all well and good, right? “yes, Karol, i understand we need good

experiences.”

okay, now what?

do them.

Go do epic shit.

that can be almost anything.

stop letting life live you and start living life. Maybe in theory it’s difficult,

but once you actually do, it it’s really easy.

you can start having amazing experiences while you’re in debt, while

you’re unhealthy, and while you’re working on wealth. yes, that’s right.

because it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money, and many times will cost

nothing.

Additionally, immediately starting on the path towards living an amazing

life will make it easier to achieve completeness in the other rings. study

this well.

And the most beautiful part of living an amazing life is that you get to

define amazing. I can’t tell you how to live your life.

i can give you a general roadmap (this book, my how to live Anywhere

course, and my blog), but you have figure out what’s right for you.

http://www.howtoliveanywhere.com/

http://www.howtoliveanywhere.com/

http://www.ridiculouslyextraordinary.com/

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30 Day Challenge #10: Decide On An Epic Experience

DreAm BIG, dreAm weIrD.

most people have that one thing they’ve always wanted to do in their lives.

maybe it’s a trip around the world. maybe it’s something much logistically

easier, like a skydive.

whatever it is, decide on an experience you can do in the next 30 days.

then, and this is important, do it!

maybe logistics will prevent you from doing the experience within the next

30 days. in that case, put the wheels in motion.

for example when i decided i was going to sell all my stuff and travel, i

bought a plane ticket 6 months in advance of my departure date.

If a round the world trip is your experience, buy a flight.

if skydiving is your experience, put down a deposit and reserve a time.

make it a memorable experience and enjoy it fully.

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Ring #5: The Void

In the booK of fiVe rinGs miyAmoto musAshi sAys the

void is where nothing exists.

“it is about things outside man’s knowledge. of course the void does not

exist. by knowing what exists, you can know that which does not exist.

that is the void.”

heavy, right?

he goes on: “to attain the way of strategy as a warrior you must study

fully other martial arts and not deviate even a little from the way of the

warrior.”

the Void is when you’ve attained such an immense amount of knowledge

on a topic that you “know” things without knowing them.

if there’s anything you’ve ever studied hard, you know exactly what i

mean.

maybe you play guitar and you naturally get in the pocket if you’re

jamming with friends. nobody needs to tell you what key or chord

progression, you just know.

if you’ve ever been amazed by somebody’s talent because they make it

seem easy or natural, they’ve entered the Void. it’s not that it’s easy or

natural, it’s that they’ve immersed themselves so fully they’re no longer

consciously performing actions.


how does this apply to minimalism? it’s simple. in the beginning it

will be difficult. There are a lot of schools of thought when it comes to

minimalism. there are a lot of theories as to what is minimalist and what

isn’t.

only when you get in the trenches and get rid of most of your possessions

(yes, that is essential to minimalism) will you get a natural feeling for what

minimalism is to you. if you’re new or haven’t even gotten started yet it

may seem overwhelming. study the various schools of minimalism, then

be a minimalist.

it’s that simple.

And “simple” is what minimalism is at the core, isn’t it?

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Appendix A: Work and Life and Balance

You’Ve notiCed i didn’t touCh muCh on worK/life

balance in this document. personally, i don’t believe in work. i love what

i do. i love writing. if i didn’t do it i wouldn’t feel whole. how can that

possibly be work?

writing on my blog is a joy.

writing in general is a joy.

Connecting with people online and in person as a result of my public

writing is a joy.

that’s not work.

if you currently have a job that you dislike, my best advice is not to quit

today. but put the wheels in motion right now to quit what you don’t love.

that is the essence of the luxury of less. less allows you the luxury of

doing what you love.

It’s not the only path to freedom, but it is definitely the happiest, most

fulfilling way to Freedom.


Appendix B: The 5 Rings

The 5 rinGs in miyAmoto musAshi’s booK of 5 rinGs Are

Ground, water, fire, wind, and Void.

the 5 minimalist rings are:

Ring #1 is Health. like the Ground, it must be stable for us to live well.

Ring #2 is Wealth. wealth is like water. it can rise and fall like the

tides. But if we harness its power, it will flow steadily like the Amazon.

Ring #3 is Relationships. relationships are like fire. sometimes they

burn us, but sometimes they clear the way for something new to grow. we

must learn to harness the fire, allow it to light the path, and utilize it to

the benefit of ourselves and those in our lives.

Ring #4 is Experiences. wind, in and of itself, is an experience. we

must let wind blow free.

Ring #5 is Void. it is everything. it is nothing. it is.

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Appendix C: The 30 Day Challenges

1. drink only water. no other beverages.

2. eat a diet consisting solely of whole, natural foods.

3. find an exercise you love and do it regularly.

4. start the debt tsunami to delete your debt.

5. Build an Emergency Fund. $100 if you’re in debt. $1,000 or 1

month’s living expenses if you’re not.

6. research/brainstorm/plan your business.

7. Analyze your current relationships and remove toxic people from

your life.

8. Complete a solo social Activity.

9. Get rid of your tV.

10. decide on an epic experience. then do it.

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Acknowledgments

BeCAuse ChAnGinG the world isn’t A solo mission.

walden by henry david thoreau. this book is available for free in

the public domain. it’s a fairly dry read, but it’s an important book for

minimalism and for life.

Vagabonding by rolf potts. this is the book that helped me with the

confidence to travel solo around the world with just a backpack.

leo babauta – his website Zenhabits.net and book The Power of Less

were the catalyst for my minimalism and to this day his writing inspires

me.

The Minimalist Bloggers (and contributors to the 3 day

Minimalist Book Sale)

Adam baker from manVsdebt.com

henri Junttila from wakeupCloud.com

everett bogue from farbeyondthestars.com

tammy strobel from rowdyKittens.com

Charley forness from Yousimplified.net

david damron from theminimalistpath.com

Joshua becker from becomingminimalist.com

sam spurlin from thesimplerlife.net

brett oblack from step1minimalist.com

Annie brewer from Annienygma.com

meg wolfe from minimalistwoman.com

http://www.zenhabits.net/

http://www.ManVsDebt.com/

http://www.WakeUpCloud.com/

http://www.FarBeyondTheStars.com/

http://www.RowdyKittens.com/

http://www.YouSimplified.net/

http://www.TheMinimalistPath.com/

http://www.BecomingMinimalist.com/

http://www.TheSimplerLife.net/

http://www.Step1Minimalist.com/

http://www.Annienygma.com/

http://MinimalistWoman.com


thank you all for rocking and for spreading the minimalist love!

special thanks to chris o’Byrne for editing and fixing all my

grammar school mistakes. :) You can find out more about him at

publishingyourworld.com.

And a big thanks to Charlie pabst from charfishdesign.com for always

kicking ass and taking my “err, i’m not a designer and don’t know what i

want this ebook to look like” ideas and turning them into works of art.

http://www.PublishingYourWorld.com/

http://www.charfishdesign.com

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For More

i write three times/week at www.ridiculouslyextraordinary.com

twitter: @KarolGajda

if you’d like to get in touch via e-mail you can contact me here.

thank you!

http://www.RidiculouslyExtraordinary.com/

http://twitter.com/karolgajda

http://www.ridiculouslyextraordinary.com/contact-karol/

The Luxury of Less. the Five Rings of Minimalism

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