Hello there! My name is Michael. Welcome to my journey.

I believe that I’ve been on (and off) the road to happiness my entire life. I’ve been close, but didn’t have a plan. Or, I had a plan, but it wasn’t my own, it was somebody else’s. Now I have one…the 100 Item Life. This 100 item idea is not my idea, but my 100 items are my choice, and the direction I take is my direction.

Am I crazy? Somewhat, but not entirely. And I’m not alone. Most people’s inner-disturbance comes from what I call “Thingism,” or the never ending accumulation of things. I am fed up with ME. I’m sick and tired of the repetitive internal conflict that stems from not having enough (money, time, energy, etc.) when the fact is that if I didn’t have so damned much, I would have more than enough.

Confused? Me too. But I know I’m on to something, because I can feel it. I can feel the weightlessness.

I went skydiving once, and the initial acceleration as I first exited the plane lasted for a few seconds, then the fall was neutral. After about 5 seconds of fear, I realized that I probably wasn’t going to die (at least not in the next 60 seconds), so I looked in awe at my surroundings, breathed against the rushing flow of air, and enjoyed the experience like no other; but only after the first moments of terror and uncomfortableness.

The hardest part of the entire thing was pulling up to the small airport, signing up, and getting briefed on the process. Once I was sitting on the edge of the plane, not much (or anyone, or anything) mattered, other than the fact that I was about to become weightless and on a new path. I chose to not freak out and gave into the decision to fall. I let go.

Change your relationship with gravity, with what is holding you down so forcefully to this life. Just relax, rid yourself of everything but your parachute, and jump. That’s all you really need anyway. Your job is to figure out what’s in the parachute. And I can assure you that it’s not a 70 inch television or a front loading washing machine.

Can you get down to 100 items? Take a few minutes and make a list of what it is that you think you really need to survive. I’m talking about the kind of items you’d take if there was a catastrophe and you were emergently moving into another chapter of life that was entirely different from the one you’ve always lived.

Guess what? If you’ve spent the majority of your life struggling paycheck to paycheck, looking for happiness at the shopping mall the day after you get paid, it’s possible you are in the middle of a catastrophe right now! Most people never make it to the other end. A few are able to let go right before the very end (I know, I’ve seen it as a nurse in the ICU). And even fewer achieve this earlier in life, while they can still enjoy their bodies and mind, without the burden of consumerism.

Give it a long consideration. If you attempt it, keep me posted. I’m truly interested in your success and I (selfishly) hope that your experiences help me on my own journey. Just as I hope that mine helps you.

Good Skills.

You’re friend,
Michael