Happy Hump Day
Welcome to the second edition of Wigg’s Wednesdays – sharing inspirational content on life hacks, self-development, sustainability, personal finance, minimalism, and travel tips.
Hello again from my second week of Auckland life. I’ve been adjusting to the four-seasons-in-one-day weather, plus unexpectedly hilly terrain! So much tasty Asian food to have here, with 23% of Auckland’s population of Asian descent. But I digress…
Time for this week’s links! Stay awesome. x Michelle Wigg
PS. Any of these articles give you all the feels? Got any links to share of your own? Let me know!
This Week’s Favourites
READ: How to do it Tomorrow instead of Never – Raptitude
While last week‘s article reminded us there’s no need to ‘clear the decks’ before taking action, here’s strategic permission to do so!
“I have learned a matador’s trick to make sure you really do accomplish it the next day. We can call it “red-carpeting”. You decide you will do the Scary Task first thing tomorrow, on one condition: today, you spend your time today laying out the poshest, easiest, flower-petal-laden red carpet walkway to doing the task tomorrow.”
READ: Want To Feel Happier Today? Try Talking To A Stranger – NPR
Inspired by Slingsby’s captivating theatre piece Man Covets Bird last month. I’ve been tempted to turn to strangers on public transport and remark, “This is all a bit funny, isn’t it?”. This NPR article suggests I should!
“The mood boost of talking to strangers may seem fleeting, but the research on well-being, Epley says, suggests that a happy life is made up of a high frequency of positive events, and even small positive experiences make a difference.”
“Happiness seems a little bit like a leaky tire on a car,” Epley explains. “We just sort of have to keep pumping it up a bit to maintain it.”
“This doesn’t mean we need to set out on some grand quest to connect at every possible turn. Instead, he recommends paying closer attention to those times when the urge to offer a compliment or strike up a conversation arises.”
READ: The Life-Changing Magic of Making Do – Benjamin Leszcz, The Globe and Mail
The current trend of ‘Kondo-ing’ your home and discarding the undesired yet useful, sits uncomfortably with my philosophies of minimalism being about low-consumption and low-waste. I enjoyed this post’s exploration of these themes.
“If Marie Kondo delights in discarding, making do is about agonizing over it, admitting that we probably should not have bought that thing in the first place. Instead of thanking our outgoing goods for their meagre service, per Ms. Kondo, making do means admonishing ourselves for being so thoughtless in the first place. Ditching something costs us, ecologically and cosmically; it should sting. And it should teach us to think more carefully about the real value of things.”
LISTEN: How to Avoid the Perfection Trap, by James Victore – Don’t Keep Your Day Job podcast (Apple Podcasts)
James spoke at this year’s World Domination Summit, though I sadly missed it after leaving early. His sentiment of Feck Perfuction is refreshing and gives permission to try new things.
“James shares how to start before you’re ready, how to experience life instead of cycling through comfy habits, how to get paid for being you, and why the things that make you weird are really what make you shine.”
TIP: Use Ecosia to search the web and plant trees!
This is one of my favourite effortless ways to be greener. The Ecosia search engine uses ad revenue to plant trees! I’ve been using for 18 months+ and it’s great. Set your browser search engine default to Ecosia.org or click here for the Google Chrome extension.
Thanks for reading. Feel free to share this with others who can subscribe here. See you next Wednesday!