With relationships, there is not a “right” answer or a “wrong” answer. There is only “What can I live with?”

Change ahead sign

Relationships are complex, and they require maintenance. This goes for ALL kinds of relationships; lovers, friends, brothers, sisters, parents, children, co-workers, even neighbors. But the equation for deciding whether or not to hold on to a relationship is still no different than that of holding on to our possessions and activities: Does this add any value to my life? Do the pros outweigh the cons?

The trouble is, we are often morally conflicted when it comes to our relationships. “Sure he is lazy, negative, and makes me feel bad about myself. But it would be wrong to just let him go.” “All she does is spend my money, and party all the time. But she really hasn’t done anything malicious.” I have heard many excuses like these.

Here is the truth. People that add no value to our lives are adding no value to their own life, and are likely using us as a crutch. By cutting them off we do both parties a favor. First, we rid our-self of dead weight and bring value back to our lives (obviously). Second, we force them to have to stand on their own whether it is financially, emotionally, spiritually, or whatever. In doing this we force them to make them-self a better person. In essence, by letting them go you are doing more for them than you would be holding on to this destructive relationship.

Beauty obsession. Lose the cosmetics and let your natural beauty shine through.

Cosmetics-300x276I recently came across a FB post of a friend of mine with a picture of her sitting in her car with no makeup on. I was immediately shocked for two main reasons. First, she is never without makeup; I barely recognized her in the picture. Second, she was absolutely beautiful without the makeup in the pic. Don’t get me wrong, I always thought she was beautiful before. But usually when I always see a woman with makeup on I assume it is because she is either “hard favored” or hiding something less than attractive about their face. After all, why would one constantly makeup their face when they leave the house unless they were hiding something? I left the comment: “OMG, I have never seen you without makeup. you are so beautiful.” to which she replied: “OMG, I can’t believe this picture is up.” Obviously this post was not her doing. Her feelings on the matter broke my heart a little.

But unfortunately this is common. I see it in small doses all the time. People (women particularly) are obsessed with this idea of beauty coming in the form of flashy vibrant colors they paint their faces with. It doesn’t stop there either. They wear uncomfortable high heels to appear taller, push up bras to increase their bosom, toxic hair product to create the illusion of healthy voluminous hair. It’s a lot of work and pain.

Over the course of time we have built this idea of what “beautiful” is supposed to look like, and made that the standard by which all women compare themselves.

This is yet another example of how people choose fashion over function. High heel shoes are impractical. Face makeup causes premature aging, allergies, poisoning. That’s right, the toxins in makeup have been known to cause severe headaches at the very least.

Let’s bring back natural beauty. Lose the eyeliner, mascara, lipstick, foundation, blush, heels, and restricting bras. Think of all the time wasted making yourself up in the morning. All the pain. All so you can go out in public looking like a socially accepted clown. It’s ridiculous. Ladies, you are beautiful just the way you are.

Minimalism is not a destination, but an ongoing process. Time for me to minimize my body.

New years resolution for self: Slim down fatty!

I am currently 180 pounds and that is simply unacceptable. I am only 5’4″. I want to at least drop 20 lbs before summer.

Here are some motivational phrases that I will have to constantly repeat to myself to keep me on track (maybe they can help you too):

  • Food is not entertainment. We eat to live, not the other way around.
  • If you feel the need to snack it’s because you are bored. Can’t you be doing something more productive with your time?
  • Is this piece of food you want really worth it, or will you just forget about it in an hour or so when you have moved on to the next activity?
  • Junk food is poison. Slow acting poison; plain and simple.