Owning Nothing Leads To Freedom

I'd die if she leaves me.

I couldn't live in another country without my family and friends.

I'd get on the streets if I'd lose my job.

I cannot start my day without a coffee.

I need to follow my very strict diet every day.

Nothing on this planet is permanent. Neither this letter, nor the beauty of today.

The more things we are attached to, the more complicated life becomes. There is a factor sitting before our joy and peace: change.

Fears are fictional scenarios produced by the mind which are purely related to changes in our lives.

How many times you wanted to try something new but abstained because of what could've gone wrong?

People who are living this way are unfortunately living the life of what if.., which is the most painful life in my opinion.

Compare that life with one of a homeless individual. He surely doesn't have the same living conditions, but his life's intensity? It's enormous. He has to overcome any obstacle, change, severe weather, not having what to eat, trying new places to hide, new pitches to gather money.

I'm not passing any judge here, but I believe it's productive to think at any kind of person in this world, even if it's less accepted, and study the strengths. Could you benefit from them?

Our reflex to judge and associate is extreme, and sometimes we omit growth opportunities. Separate persons from their actions, traits and characteristics, and you'll see the world differently. Also the judgement rate will drop as you'll understand human's nature better.

The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.

The following three statements bring suffering and vulnerability into our lives:

I own it.
Nobody can take it from me.
I cannot live without it.

Since life is not always fair and it's common for us to face difficult situations where we don't have immediate control, it is sensible to think we can never lose either a person, object or routine.

Think about the times in 20th century when governments took away resources from people and families that had more wealth (animals, terrain, gold) just to "balance" the economy.

Or think you have a small business, a coffee shop, and your country suddenly gets under war. Or an earthquake hits the city. It's devastating, but you just cannot control either of them.

Say you cannot live without drinking alcohol or smoking as it's part of your day. If you get a stroke or any other severe health issue, or you need to quit them to be able to donate blood for a loved one, I guarantee you'll do your best to take action.

The examples I mentioned are terrifying and rarely happen, but they represent the reality and how fast it can change. And the most valuable question is: What do you do?

Everything is simply happening. Sometimes you can control it, but usually you cannot.

Besides that nobody can take away this kind of skills, there are plenty of other benefits if you only care about the skills you own, not the things.

The mindset of owning nothing reduces the fear of loss, as attachment to material and intangible things is minimized. This leads to greater peace of mind plus it makes it easier when a big change is required.

By not tying your identity to possessions, you shift your focus from material wealth to personal growth and well-being. Even how you see other people's status will change, because you'd be aware of what truly matters. The peace of mind.

In my opinion spiritual growth is the most important benefit of detachment. Buddhism encourage the the mindset of impermanence for a good reason:

For your visualizations to manifest, you should be prepared to give up on parts of your present.

Money is today's currency, which can change in 20 years.

How much money you make is directly proportional to how valuable your skills are.

Skills in demand can come and go. Though, there are 3 skills that never went away and are here to stay:

Building
Selling
Marketing

Plus, these skills are business/idea agnostic, being able to be applied anywhere:

Medical system
Body massage business
Fitness
Free-lancing
Beauty salon
Coaching: tennis, life, fitness, foreign-languages

Even as an employee you need to stand out when going to interviews or demanding promotions. You have to be slightly different, market what you know, sell your experience on good money, persuade how good you are and that you deserve that much money.

Of course, even if you're so good, you may be undervalued by most companies by couple of reasons:

That job is not highly valuable to earn $100k/year
Competition is so high that they prefer to take 2-3 persons underskilled to earn quantity

The solution to that? I've seen 2 so far, and both require tremendous effort.

You either look for a business that will actually give the money you're asking for, or start your own business in that area.

I wish you to obtain anything you want in life, a car, house, nice clothes. And if it comes a time you'd lose it, not to despair, but to be grateful you can buy them again because you've been invested in your values, not your belongings.

On your way to freedom, be open to let go of anything or anyone.

Letter's Quest

Since this topic is vast, there are 2 sections to try for the next 7 days to feel another type of freedom.

The first one requires you to pick an item you highly value. Can be anything from a pen up to a car or house. Reflect on why you’re attached to it and how you would feel if you lost it. Write down your thoughts and consider what life would be like without it.

The final scope is to observe and understand that there are alternatives if the worst happens.

The second one is about trying non-attachment by giving away or donating something you own but no longer need. Notice your feelings during this process.

The reality is that something went away, but that is just an object, not you, not even a piece of you. Something strictly independent to you.

There are always alternatives, but oftentimes your mind is hiding them for comfort.

Until the next letter, I wish you success in everything you're up to!