The Year of Nothing, Part 1
The myriad things are born from Something.
And Something is born from Nothing.
Laozi
A couple of weeks ago, I realized that it’s been a year since I quit the public relations industry and took the plunge into the process of self re-discovery and growth that inspired the creation of this blog.
So through a series of posts, I’ll recap what I’ve achieved since then, and where I’m going from here.
Nothing
This year I learned the importance of stepping back, pausing, and “doing nothing” for a while.
Of course, it’s impossible to literally “do nothing”.
What I mean is that this year I have not executed any deliberate, purposeful action towards achieving any important goal.
Well, OK, I have done some of that. But very, very little. 
One of the things I did was to start practicing Tai Chi Chuan and Taoist philosophy more seriously. But as Laozi’s quote at the beginning of this post indicates, Taoism is all about the paradoxical virtues of non-doing as a creative force.
So, what do you do?
Whenever I’ve been introduced to people lately, my answer to the proverbial “So, what do you do?” has been a clear, straightforward and resounding “Nothing.”
After explaining myself a bit better about this Year of Nothing, people usually understand that I needed to take a break, recharge my batteries, and reflect upon what I wanted to do next.
At this point, they usually acknowledge that it takes time to discover what makes us tick, and that trying too hard might defeat the purpose. That true self-discovery arises much in the same way as genuine intellectual or artistic discovery: through spontaneous “aha!” moments.
But they’re usually still skeptical on the practicality of taking a whole year in order to do that.
And a key reason behind their skepticism, is the belief that they “just can’t afford” a Year of Nothing.
Stuff
And yet, I have spent close to nothing for a Year of Nothing.
One of the key lessons of this Year of Nothing has been that when it comes to consumption, the best policy is to keep it as close as possible to nothing. And that this is easier to do than what I used to think.
I certainly haven’t bought almost any stuff at all. That I can remember, only a pair of shoes, a piece of luggage, and a Kindle.
Actually, I got rid of most of the very few material possessions I still carried with me. The Kindle substituted for all my books, which I donated together with half of my clothes.
Nowadays, all my stuff fits in one piece of luggage.
Getting rid of stuff has been an incredibly energizing and liberating exercise that I started a couple of years before this Year of Nothing. But I won’t elaborate on this topic because the always inspiring Colleen Wainwright (AKA Communicatrix) wrote a brilliant series of posts about her de-cluttering experience that do just that.
Traveling on Nothing, and my biggest Something
During this Year of Nothing, I learned to travel on almost nothing.
I am truly lucky of having many wonderful friends spread all over the globe. And whenever I asked them for advice on accommodation in their cities, they have invariably invited me to stay at their homes.
So with a little help from my friends, I spent this Year of Nothing in New York, Buenos Aires, Caracas, London, Barcelona, Madrid, San Francisco and Los Angeles, spending close to nothing in accommodation.
But most importantly, having been able to spend so much time with friends and being in the state of calm mindfulness that comes so naturally from doing Nothing, has boosted my gratitude for friendship to levels I had never experienced. Sometimes to a crazy level of euphoria that makes me cry out of happiness.
This deeper connection with friends has pushed further down the value of consumption in my scale of values. I know now for sure that I really don’t need to buy any stuff to be happy. I need Nothing. Zero. Nada. As long as I have truly good friends, I will always have a reason for being happy.
This realization was for me the first, and biggest Something born from this Year of Nothing.
***
This is the first post of the “Year of Nothing” series. For the second post of the series, click here.
loved it!
Let me know if you’ve already written something about our angolan security guard BARROSO, or when you plan to do it.
I’d love to read it.
Querido Alan, que excelente escrito! Como siempre con pensamientos profundos que nos hacen recapacitar. Escogiste un excelente momento para tomarte tu “year of nothing”, ojala todos antes de ser padre tomaramos ese “break”. Te felicito por haberlo logrado y recuerda que nuestra casa es tu casa tambien. Que rico saber de ti. Un besotote, Nour
Alan
I love this post and I think a lot of people can learn from a similar experience. Having ‘minimized’ my life a couple of years ago due to moving for a job in The Netherlands made me incredibly flexible to make this latest move out to New York without any thought at all. Maybe you can do a bit of research into nomadic tribes that live like this out of necessity rather than choice – they HAVE to live light as they’ll soon be picking up camp and moving on to the next rich pasture for their flocks.
I have just had a very similar year. In fact it is exactly 13 months since my last contract ended in The Netherlands and I made the decision to take a step back with the only concrete goal being making a move out to New York in search of my next adventure. The freedom this created has allowed me to travel to New York, Caracas, Margarita Island, New Zealand, Sydney, San Diego, Madrid, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Copenhagen, Barcelona and London. On the last flight ‘home’ it really sunk in that in less than 9 months I had probably travelled more than the average American would travel in his or her lifetime. Here (USA) they are brought up believing that material acquisition and consumption can be used as a direct measure of success. The marketeers in this country have done an amazing job of fueling this hunger. Being a marketeer myself I am amazed at how far this blindness can be taken.
The final slap in the face happened yesterday when we moved apartments. Similar to those weight-loss programs when they pile up a table with all of the burgers, fries, soda, cakes etc that the contestant say they eat in a month just to confront them with how much it actually is, seeing all of your ‘stuff’ piled into the back of a 17-foot removal truck is very sobering! Where did it all come from?
Well I’m looking forward to part II of ‘Nothing’.
Keep up the great writing.
Peter
Nice writing!
I thank you. And I think the world would still benefit from your particular description of decluttering. It’s a particularly postmodern problem: we’ve had people hanging onto stuff before, and have been a consumer culture before, but now stuff is so cheap and looking at stuff is so scary, the temptation is huge to just keep piling on the physical stuff rather than looking at the heart stuff.
I look forward to hearing the story of your odyssey, written out in book form. No slacking!
@Peter,
You are my favorite nomad-man, always inspired by your passion for minimalist fever. Man, I need one of your mobile offices, it’s killing me to spend so much time indoors in this Buenos Aires spring!
@Colleen,
As always, I was blown away by the clarity and snappiness with which you put in words the psychological cleansing process that goes with shedding stuff. And my God do I freak out whenever you encourage me to write a book… Imagine Cervantes or Hemingway were commenting on your blog, telling you they want to read your book… that’s how I feel right now!
Alan, as usual, your article touches many people and I am always happy to read such beautiful thoughts.
Always yours,
Olguita
Great to read of your experiences, Alan!
I am actually living a similar year of doing nothing and can relate to many of your feelings towards consumerism and the importance of friends. Through this time of doing nothing I got really involved into the “idling” philosophy and I think there is a lot of value to it. You need to give your mind some rest if you want it to find solutions for difficult problems. Also, the taoist concept of “wu wei” is a great way to live a peaceful and fulfilling life. I started to apply it while travelling and it´s something that has been accompanying me since then.
@Fabian,
Welcome here, and good luck with your journey!
Wow – sounds like a hugely liberating experience. I took six months of doing nothing a few years ago and I must say it changed me much more than I thought it would!
… Tu “nada” me ha transportado al “todo”.
He leído con una sonrisa… he paseado por tu texto y ha sido lindo volver a descubrirte, un poquito más, en él. “With a little help of your friends”… claro que sí.
Un besazo.
La mäga
Maga de mi corazon! Tanto tiempo… Que bueno leerte a ti tambien… mil besotes!
You know, I wasn’t even aware that you had a blog! I just found it through one of your tweets. Finally
Congratulations on your revelations and the awesomeness of “doing nothing”! It can get truly necessary to take time out and empty your head.
Rock on!
Glad you found me and welcome here!
I got the link to your blog from Martina. I found your text about the year-off really interesting, and much to the point.
Myself, I have quit my job in January without the clear idea what to do next. After 10 years in science and research, I needed a break and a fresh start. But after few months it became clear that I want a year (or year and a half) off. In July I came to Berlin to learn German and fell in love with the city. I had so much time to socialize with a diverse range of people, and because it was so intense I managed to make real friends. Sometimes by the end of a day I would just be overfilled with joy of just being with people. I have also spent lots of time with family and friends in order to reconnect. My conclusion in the end is that human relations are what matters at the end of the day. But this conclusion is something that is actually felt, not the intellectual conclusion.
Year off also made me sharpen my desires and find that purpose once again. When doing nothing, one really has to listen to his own silence in order to hear that little voice inside.
I am looking forward to reading more of your blog! Cheers!
Branimir, congrats with your Year of Nothing. As you can see, it can be a truly life-changing experience. We all know, deep down, that pausing from our day-todays to think, reflect and re-connect with ourselves and others is crucial. But as you say, the intellectual conclusion is not enough — you have to live it and feel it to understand it.
Reading A Year of nothing brought such an immense sense of relief and validation to my own experience over the last 12 months. Daring to stop and stare into the abyss is not recommended in most quarters and is generally frowned upon. Yes I have had to face my biggest fears and slay a few dragons on the way but the sense of just being, discovery and joy was worth it. Really look forward to reading more.
Susie