Like most writers and other creative types, I am a list maker. And consequently, I am drawn to list making tools such as pens, pencils, notebooks, etc. For inquiring minds, I use a Pilot EasyTouch Fine pen, a Pentel e-Sharp mechanical pencil, and a Moleskine black unlined notebook (not pictured above). I like to make lists of all types, including what I call my Media Menu, which tallies all the books I read and other media I consume as a lifelong learner.
Research indicates that we are a third more likely to complete a task if we write it down, i.e. move from to-do to ta-da! According to Habakkuk 2:2, none other than God himself advocates list making: “I will give you my message in the form of a vision. Write it clearly enough to be read at a glance.” And suffice it to say that the Ten Commandments were the original Top Ten List (sorry David Letterman).
Another type of list with which many of us are familiar is the so-called “bucket list” of things to experience before death. I know they are popular but I am not a big proponent of them as I strive to live life in the present tense. As I have written about here earlier, our original vision a decade ago for the year 2020 was to own our house outright in order to travel and experience other desirable destinations. Yet little did we know that a global pandemic would one day interfere with those plans, so suffice it to say that for us hindsight is indeed 20/20.
The past decade has been an amazing dream come true for Linda and I and we are so glad we stepped out in faith rather than wait for the housing market to correct or any number of other conditions to fall into place after the Great Recession. As Ecclesiastes 11:4 states, “He who observes the wind [and waits for all conditions to be favorable] will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.” Amen to that.
As one of our goals here is to share with you all how leveraging the leasing lifestyle helps with “living large with less,” we hope to inspire you through our minimalist journey to live your dream sooner rather than later. And if waiting for retirement or some other deferment is keeping you from your dream then here is a reminder that you can use your head and follow your heart. Lease a home or vehicle to see if you like it before you leap, but do not put your life on hold indefinitely. By all means, list your dreams and then live them daily!