THANKSGIVING FEATURE | The Gentleman Speaks About Giving Back
“Waste no more time arguing what a good person should be.  Be one.” | Marcus Aurelius | Sometimes during the holiday season, amidst all the parties and family gatherings we can lose sight of the true spirit of the holidays we are meant to be celebrating.  The holiday season at the end of every year is a time for pause, an opportunity for reflection.  And we should not waste it.  We should reflect on where we’ve been, what we’ve done (or haven’t

LIVE YOUR DREAM | And Make it Work for You
“All men and women who have achieved great things have been dreamers.” | Orison Swett Marden | This is probably one of the hardest things for people to realize. I know, because I am one of those people, who has trouble realizing it.  The minute we start to think about our dreams, warning bells begin to go off in our heads.  We tell ourselves it’s too diff

POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE | Climbing Machu Pichu
I wasn’t always into a minimal lifestyle. And I wasn’t always good at keeping things simple (not sure i am now). And this story proves it. Ten years ago, i did a semester abroad in Santiago, Chile. I really preferred to go to Sydney, Australia, or Madrid, Spain, but upon further reflection, I thought that if I didn’t go to Santiago then, I may never go.  It was one of those do or die moments that happens when you’re young, and in college, where you don’t realize that alt

UNRAVELING THE MYSTERIES
“The final mystery is oneself.” | Oscar Wilde | Life works in mysterious ways. And everybody knows this.   The ride is great, but the details are messy.  One day is sunny, the other rainy and dark.  One day is clear, and the next is foggy and confusing.  Sometimes time is slow, and others it is slower still.  Still others it all goes by in a blink. And we are not sure what has just happened, how, or why, and we are not sure we will ev

ESSENTIALIZE YOUR LIFE
“If one advances confidently in the direction of one’s dreams, and endeavors to live the life which one has imagined, one will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” | Henry David Thoreau | The first rule of Optimalism is to keep things simple.  To find the essence in what you are