…for 21 days :)

Read all about it on her blog.

She is on day 4. Go Oprah!

For her, it’s part of a cleanse that’s about cultivating a sense of more conscious eating. In addition to abstaining from animal products, she’s skipping caffeine, alcohol, gluten (wheat products) and processed sugar.

This is actually way better than just going vegan. It’s so easy to go vegan and then just go nuts eating over processed vegan junk food, like I did for a few years. She’s doing it the right way.

In fact, I recently had a food allergy test done and found out that I am (apparently) allergic to Bananas, Almonds, Peanuts and Navy Beans!

The first three I eat by the bushel….so I’m modifying my diet a bit to exclude them for a while to see how I feel.

I don’t apparently have a wheat allergy according to this test, but I was only tested using the IGE antibody test, which accounts for allergies that elicit a response through blood and typically impact the body after a few days (not immediately). However, I am pretty sure wheat doesn’t sit well with me, so I am excluding that as well.

As substitutes, I am going to be eating more cashews, pumpkin and sunflower seeds; and using apples in my smoothies instead of bananas. I don’t eat navy beans much at all so that isn’t a big deal to skip.

A few months ago, I walked into a tea house in Ballard (near Seattle, WA) and was struck by how positive the barista was. I walked up to the counter and said “Hey, how’s it going?” A standard greeting I used to use dozens of times a day. Hardly ever do I expect any reply, or at most perhaps a “good” or “ok.”

This kid let raised both hands in the air and belted out “Living the dream my brother.” He was beaming with the biggest smile I had seen in a long while.

Turns out this guy had just returned from  a year-long around the world backpacking adventure. Spending significant amounts of time in India and Southeast Asia. This tea house job was just to hold him over until saved enough to go back on the road.

What struck me most about this guy was his super-positive and upbeat attitude. Instead of dreading the thought of coming into work after such a long “extended” adventure around the world, he was taking it in stride.

This short interchange left a big impression on my. So much so, that for the past few months, I’ve committed to never saying “good,” “ok,” or anything remotely negative when people ask me “how’s it going.”

After all, if I can’t at least muster up enough energy to come up with some reason why I am happy about the moment, I’ve got bigger problems to deal with!  So I got in the habit of thinking about all the reasons why things are absolutely 100% awesome in my life on a daily basis…..no matter what..and when people ask me how it’s going….it’s completely natural when I say “I’m super fantastic,” or “having an outstanding day,” or “it’s the best day ever.”

Language has a huge impact on your outlook on life. Despite the hundreds of thousands of words in the English language, we resign to using small fraction. It pays to investigate language that is positive and upbeat, and incorporate it in your life.

With this in mind, and my consistent use of positive language to answer everyday “how do you do” type questions, I’m re-enforcing to myself just how good things are…and even if I am not feeling 100% for some reason, I find that just responding to the question in a positive manner will lift me up.

What’s also interesting is how people react to my responses, especially at work. People aren’t used to someone saying “things are super-awesome, couldn’t be better….but who knows tomorrow might be!” Some people just stare at me and ask more questions….as if they think I am joking! Others seems to get into a more positive state when they hear me.

Either way, it’s a positive outcome. Positive for me since I am consistently reinforcing a positive outlook on my life and how things are going in the moment…and positive for the person asking me the question….since it causes them to think about what is going on in their life that is great too.

Try it out for a week and see how it works for you.

Giving does bring joy. Giving can also bring some pain. As I’ve been giving some things away, I’ve become aware of emotions that crop up in the process of purging my life of things that are not supporting me. Right now, I’m focused on giving up some material things. You can read about my venture into The Simple Life here and and update here.

Just today, I gave away a few more things. I hadn’t touched these things in ages, little ornamental items hanging around my home, and was fully prepared to give them to someone who would put them to good use. As several friends were leaving my home this afternoon, I asked if any of them wanted these items.

At first, one said no, then another said sure. At that moment, I felt some remorse. I immediately conjured up some potential use for this previously useless object. This particular one was a decorative metal bowl (looked like an ornate pot) with rivets all over it. It was the sort of thing you could use to put umbrellas in, or as a glorified waste bin. In that moment, where I was giving it up, I realized that I could use it to put a large potted plant in it!

I didn’t own a potted plant that size, but it was a possibility. I immediately felt a bit of regret for giving the thing away. It’s a silly example, but something I have experienced several times over the past weeks as I have been simplifying my life. Giving brings joy, but you might have to go through a bit of pain to get there.

Now, sitting here typing this post about 1 hour after giving that metal thingamabob away, I feel absolutely no regret about doing that. I’m glad I did. It’s the same thing I felt giving away all those books, shirts and other items that were crowding space in my head and in my brain.

btw….I am doing a little experiment. As of May 3rd, I haven’t turned on my TV once. I never had cable or even any TV stations before, but I did watch plenty of DVDs and downloaded content on iTunes. My rule is simply not to turn on my TV. I might watch YouTube on my computer or something, but the TV is shut down for the entire month! Feels very refreshing. In fact, I’ve draped a big cloth over it so it is literally out of sight and practically out of mind.

As I wrote in my last post, The Simple Life is going very well. The original enjoyment I got from giving things away to those in need has not drifted away. I still feel the same joy. The momentum is only building.

Let me be clear, this is real joy, not pleasure. There is a difference. Joy is something lasting. It is innate and not based on contrast between you and anyone else, any thing or any situation. That would be pleasure. Joy is happiness and doesn’t cost a darn thing. There is no withdrawal symptoms. It’s the best drug money can’t buy. Anyway….let me get back to the points of this post….

I’ve now gotten rid of 80% of the “loose” things that I am willing to give away. This includes clothes I don’t use, books I don’t read, kitchen stuff I never touch and non-perishable food stuff (unopened) I haven’t looked at in a while. Boxes full of random doo-dads that been dropped off at Goodwill. I’ve got two paper bags full of Tupperware to give to my sister.

For the past month I’ve also not touched my credit card once (I used to have several, canceled them all but one for emergency use). I have a debit card and use that for all my purchases. In fact, since I don’t need to carry around all those cards, I’ve ditched my wallet and started using a very simple money clip.

Life is good.

The act of getting rid of “things” is not the true object of what I am doing. It is all about changing my relationship to things. I appreciate things I get much more. I also am not as attached to them.

This Simple Life mentality has also helped me keep a keen eye out for opportunities to give. I’d rather give things I don’t need directly to someone who would benefit from them. Books that I can give to someone. Clothes that could better serve someone else. It’s about giving not accumulating. Getting rid of things creates space in your life for other great stuff to flow in.

Life is great.

The Simple Life is also not about getting rid of everything to feel significant. It is not about being ultra-contemporary-minimalist just to be unique. It is about redefining what you are about. That is, not identifying your own self-image based on your things.

Once you stop hiding behind all the things you think you need, you are are able to look at yourself with greater objectivity. It’s in this observation that real change can take place.

Life is awesome.