This text was originally published on my former blog typeoneminimalist.com. The website has been offline since 2020. This is an archive version.

Oh, Christmas time. You passed by fast as a high-speed train. I spent this part of the year with my family in my little hometown somewhere in rural Austria. It doesn’t count more than 300 inhabitants and there’s basically nothing around.

I wasn’t too stoked about it. However, coming back to the small village I call home gave me an incredible opportunity to reflect. About myself, my life and my visions. Life there is basic. At least in comparison to the city life I’m living now. The average age is most likely above 50 and the church still has its role in the community.

I was only there for a few days. But these days taught me a lot. So I thought why not share my takeaways.

1. The right relationships are everything

When I started attending university, I left my little home village and moved to Vienna. A year later I moved again to Antwerp for my Erasmus. During all of this, I lost contact with a lot of people. Not all contact but the close, deep kind of contact.

What I’m left with today is a smaller, but more closely connected group of friends. The friendships I have today go beyond the situation-bound friendships I’ve made a lot in the past. Admittedly, the majority of them emerged from such a situation-bound friendship. But only the ones with real connections survived long-term.

I think these are the types of relationships one should focus on. Please don’t waste your time in friendships and relationships that make you feel unfulfilled and unhappy. Focus on the good people. The people whom you love spending time with and the people who help you grow.

2. Don’t follow other people’s thoughts

I’m a city person. I love seeing hundreds of new faces every day when going out. I love that there’s always something going on and I love the fact that I’m basically anonymous.

When my parents dragged me to church on Christmas Eve they told me to dress up nicely. Because other people from my village will see and judge me. All I could think of was: “What the hell?!” Okay, I like looking nice. It makes me feel more confident. But it’s something I do for myself. Not for somebody else.

I think nobody should focus on what other people think. Focus on your journey. Inspire people with your actions. Most people won’t give a damn on what you do. So do what you always wanted to do! This blog is the best example.

Now, of course, there are people whose opinion does count. Your parents’ for example if you’re still somewhat dependent on their finances. In this case, you’ll have to find a consent.

3. Just do it

Having goals is crucial. Goals make life worth living for me. They make every day the best day of my life because I get to work towards them and I see getting myself closer every week, month and year. Even if it’s just a tiny step.

For example, I want to become a journalist and live in big city. Going back to my 300-people hometown made me realize how far I’ve already made it. Heck, I live in Vienna, I study journalism and I did a ton of internships already.

The majority of young people in my home area are more conservative. A lot of them are settling already. I with my weird goals always was somewhat special. I got a look that said: “What the hell, dude?!”, every time I talked to someone about my visions. And today, I’m writing this in a coffee shop in Antwerp while studying journalism.

If you have something in your mind that you really want to do: Do it. Work for it. Enjoy the process. As long as you do something, you’ll get there eventually.

4. Awareness

Although my hometown is not my favorite place ever, I really enjoy the people: my family and friends. I won’t see them again for a long time.

Therefore, I wanted to enjoy every second as much as I could when I got home. And oh boy, I did. I even enjoyed the simple act of driving to the train station with my dad.

This awareness is definitely something I want to incorporate more into my day-to-day live. We all should appreciate what we have so much. Our families, our relationships, the music we love listening to and the hobbies we like doing.

Now, I don’t mean to ignore everything else and to live in the moment only. But be thankful for every day you wake up alive. Enjoy the simple things. Spending time for your family. Being able to attend university. 0r traveling to different places. Nobody has ever had as many possibilities as we have today. Keep that in mind.

Celebrating Christmas in my little hometown taught me how to think more minimalist in every-day life. How to approach life in a way, that makes it even more enjoyable. Maybe, you can take something away from this too.