The first thing you need to do, is to
try living with less. We discussed this
already in our post on Stoicism, but
travelling is a fantastic way to
accomplish the warrior mindset.
That means travelling and staying in
hostels, not booking hotels the night
before, only taking a few clothes.
I have been on a few journeys like this myself. I went on a trip around Europe and
took only a backpack to get by. I remember lying at a train station in Poland in the
snow, unable to read the signposts (despite my Polish heritage) and not knowing
when the next train would come. Or even where I was! This was before data roaming
or 3G, so that was out of the question too.
Then I found a little cafe and managed to order some tea – with milk rather than
with a lemon as the Polish generally drink it.
You know what? I felt actually bliss drinking from that polystyrene cup. I appreciated
the tea so much because it had been so long and because I was so cold.
Today, I often ask for my tea in polystyrene cups when it’s an option because it sends
me back to that moment.
And this is what you realize when you force yourself to do without: you learn that
the little things can bring you a lot of joy. That there is reward and happiness to be
found in every moment. You don’t need everything to go perfectly.
And in fact, when things go wrong, it creates stories and helps you to grow stronger.