“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”
We’d like to invite you to subscribe to and support our weekly Inside Minimalism series, which offers exclusive essays by our dedicated team of writers on simple living.
Your first month is completely free.
Unmasked
Stop hiding behind masks of another kind
By Alicia Woodward
Donning a face mask in public has become second nature now. At first, I double-checked that I put it on correctly. I didn’t want to be naive by accidentally putting one elastic ear band over my head while the other dangled below my chin in an epic fail. Most of us now wear our masks like a pro.
Then again, most of us have had lots of practice wearing masks of another kind.
Masks I’ve worn include: the good girl, dutiful daughter, and martyr mom. My mask said patient when I was frustrated. All too often the mask I wore said yes, when I should have said “No, thank you.”
Author Rick Warren wrote, “Wearing a mask wears you out. Faking it is fatiguing. The most exhausting activity is pretending to be what you know you aren’t.”
As a young woman, I learned to put on another mask in the form of make-up. For most of my life, I rarely left the house without wearing six types of cosmetics. I came to view wearing make-up as something classy women must do to cover-up perceived flaws and present a perfect face.
Then there is the full-body mask I wore in the name of fashion. Uncomfortable shoes and undergarments. Unnecessary bells and whistles. Impractical fabrics. Unaffordable trends. All in an attempt to say something about myself through what I wore on the outside instead of who I was on the inside.
I knew it wouldn’t be long before designer face masks were in vogue. Louis Vuitton face masks are already sold out. Marc Jacobs has a $100.00 mask available. Givenchy sells one for $590.00.
Yes, you read that right. As George Brown sang, “We’re lost in a masquerade.”
The face masks we are asked to wear now are not meant to make a statement or hide behind. They serve a practical purpose—to protect ourselves and others from Covid-19. They aren’t cute or comfortable, but they are necessary for the time being.
I wear a simple medical-grade mask bought in bulk. It certainly clashes with whatever I might be wearing. Any make-up I have on is unseen. When I put one on, I notice my body language becomes more important. I move in a more intentional way, my word choice and tone, though muffled, becomes more precise. Since nobody can see my expression, I communicate with my eyes, the windows to the soul.
I’ve spent much of my life masquerading as one thing or another. Yet now, under the stage of stillness of a pandemic, and, ironically, the covering of a face mask, I’m becoming more and more comfortable with being myself.
Unapologetic. Unadorned. Uncovered. Unmasked.
Building Your Trust Muscle
Letting go of control to put your trust in others
By Joshua Fields Millburn
The most important skill I learned during my dozen years in the corporate world was trust.
When I managed people in my early twenties, I tried to micromanage their work. The more I tried to be involved in every detail—i.e., the more I tried to do their work on my own—the more distrust I demonstrated.
As the years went on, however, I managed more and more employees—hundreds of people—and I was forced to relinquish control.
Every great leader has this skill—I don’t know a single great leader who is also a great micromanager.
Trust isn’t something that just happens: you must develop your trust muscle by relinquishing control. Let it go.
Sure, people will fail: they will let you down—that’s inevitable. You can let those failures disappoint you, or you can let them help you grow. One failure isn’t the end of the world. The people who repeatedly succeed will solidify the trust you’ve placed in them; the people who consistently fail will lose your trust altogether.
A Little More of Less
A few other articles we think you might enjoy…
You Are Not Defined By Your Possessions by Somrita Sen
Showing Up Even When You’re Not Feeling It by Leo Babauta
A Loving Nudge Toward Healthier Habits by Joshua Becker
Are any of your friends interested in minimalism or living simply?
If so, please invite them to subscribe.