In 1845 Henry David Thoreau settled by Walden Pond, building a shack that he lived in for two years and two months.
He wrote, ” I went to the wood because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when it came time to die, discover that I had not lived.”
This was an experiment in living, answering the question, “How simple can a life be and still be a good one?” He wrote of it in his classic work, Walden. Thoreau was a harsh critic of conventional life, seeing people enslaved by excessive lifestyles and accumulation of possessions, observing that, “the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation”. His experiment in stripping life back to the essentials on Walden Pond revealed a richer, fuller life – walking the woods, noting the changing of the seasons, observing birds and animals, and cultivating his small garden - “making the earth say beans instead of grass”.
I was introduced to Thoreau during my last year at school – the phrases ‘live deliberately’ and ‘lives of quiet desperation’ have stayed with me as a very helpful signpost – “go this way, not that way”.
I started my own business because I wanted to live deliberately…
to choose how I used my time
to choose who I spent time with
to choose when and where I worked
to choose how I dressed and the words I used
to choose the products I consumed
to choose my influences
to smile and say no to the work that was wrong for me
to avoid the unnecessary
to find out what a business could be
to show that it could be done
that there are no rules that must be upheld
to show that it is possible to strip back to the essentials
to do the work I care about
to do work that matters.
And not to come to the end of my time and find that I had not done anything worthwhile.
And you?
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
You and Thoreau and me too.
What greater sadness could there be than to come to the end of your time and find that you had not done anything worthwhile.
I have responsibilities which I choose to remain bound by otherwise I’m sure I’d have found my way to the woods by now. So, the challenge I’m currently engaged in is seeing just how simple I can make things whilst in the midst of a contemporary life.
How little I need to consume, in all senses, how many activities are necessary and how many can be discarded.
Beautiful reminder. Thank You.
These are precisely the reasons I started my own business: to live deliberately. I’ve found that it is all it’s cracked up to be, and it is worth it.
I’m actually reading Walden write now. I’ve been reading it for about 4 weeks and am on page 36. It’s one of those books you have to read slowly, and well… deliberately.
Thanks for sharing that Kim, very inspiring. It got me thinking about why I started my own business, easy to forget over time. But when I connected with that part of me again I realized that I started my own business because I wanted to set my greatness free. Also in the words of Mark Twain to “explore, dream, discover”. I love Thoreau’s words and one of his quotes has always been a great inspiration for my business “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you’ve imagined”.