AndrewBrunelle.com

I have become the “mad declutterer.” When I am done, I have no idea what I will have left. The further I go down this road, the better I feel about it. Most of this stuff is going to the garbage can, but books go to the library and clothes get dumped in the donation pile. The less I have, the lighter I am. Getting rid of books I will never read or movies I will never watch again is a liberating feeling. Those things no longer own me. I own me.

I am going to start writing shorter blog entries because I feel like being too wordy is just a waste of time for myself and my readers. When I do stand-up comedy, the less words the better, so I believe I can splice that theory into my blog. I want to create a style of blogging that is short, sweet, and gets right to the point. No wandering around the center. No segues. Just cold, hard truths that I believe. Excess is thrown out the window. Less is more. More is less. You get the idea.

I am also going through what I would call a mental decluttering. I am letting go of the past and embracing the present. I am optimistic about the future and am getting to where I need to be. And this is a comforting feeling. Focusing on my goals is what is most important to me. Getting done what needs to get done is a top priority. I need to spend my days perfecting my life and living to the fullest extent. Wait, no I don’t. I can’t stand those petty overachiever types. Those Type A personalities. I am a more intuitive guy. I do what feels right. And right now it feels right to end this blog entry. Good bye.

I just wanted to wish all of my loyal readers a Happy Holidays. It has been both a good and a bad year for me on different fronts and I just wanted to reflect on how we sometimes take life for granted and forget why we are here. I really want to send out good will and peace towards all living things and allow us all to experience the joy that is our natural state. We live in this world and there are so many things that can make us happy, but there are also many things that can disrupt that happiness. But we choose how we react to certain events. If an event that we did not intend to happen happens, then we can either react to it or respond to it. If we react to it, we are simply doing what we are socially conditioned and biologically suited to do. If we respond, we do what it is we find natural, what we carefully choose and what brings us closer to joy. So much of our life is out of our control and if we decide to embrace joy on a global level, then I believe it will solve quite a bit of our problems. It may also help to live in the present. Present-minded thinking helps us be where we are right now and not somewhere in the past or off in the future. I can say that this is no easy task, but once you master it, life becomes better. With that said, I just wanted to wish everyone a happy holidays and to keep joy in mind because without it, there truly is no reason to live.

I was watching comedian Bill Hicks yesterday and he was at the end of his act this particular time and he was saying something like, “Does my act have a point?” He got around to explaining the point to his act, saying that life is like a ride that we get on, thinking it will be fun, but some people forget that what they are on is only a ride and get too attached to what they have acquired. But it’s okay, because it’s just a ride. Or you could view it as a game, like Steve Pavlina did. You can check his archives for Life: The Ultimate Game. I believe the whole message here is not to take life so seriously. See it as a form of entertainment. Detach yourself from any outcomes and just enjoy the ride. Be happy.

When you are playing a game, you are usually not overly attached to the outcome because it is just a game. And when you are on a ride, isn’t your sole purpose to have fun? Then why does having fun feel so good? Why is joy everythhing we search for? Why does everyone strive to be happy? Because we know that our natural state is joy and right now, the majority of us are not experiencing this joy. We know that we were happy before and we wish to be happy again. I find my joy in small pleasures, the everyday things that many people overlook. I don’t need a big party or lots of gifts at Christmas. What brings me joy are things like nature and a good idea. I realize our stay is not permanent here and I am taking the time to enjoy life in my own way. There is no one way to joy. Our lives are all so different and joy comes in many forms. For me, just the fact that I am still alive brings me some joy every day. Gratitude works wonders towards joy.

Right now, my minimalist quest is bringing me joy as well. I make it into a game most days. “What could I possibly get rid of today that is not in line with who I want to be?” The result is that I do so much more work on accomplishing this goal, and it doesn’t even feel like work. I think of ways to eliminate clutter and the ideas keep flowing. I am not attached to organization, I just enjoy doing it. And no, I do not have OCD. But you can joke that I do if you must. I’m also not so attached to minimalism. I just practice it as of now. It is a game I play now, but maybe not forever.

This ride has so many twists and turns that makes it worth riding in the first place. There is no predictability and you could be thrown off the ride at any time. But that’s why I think people ride it. It is called dangerous fun. We all know our time here is limited and if we spend our whole lives in fear of the unknown, how will we ever know anything? Education diminishes fear. If we spend all our time fearful of what might happen if we do this or do that, what kind of a life is that? What will you have left at the end but memories of you sitting in your house, pondering your darkest fears? At least do something. Write something. Read something. Enjoy the ride while it lasts. The carnival is moving out of town soon and the ride will have to relocate to someone else. Make the best of your time in your own way and live as though joy is your ultimate goal.

Here is the list from 43things.com.

Just thought I would share what I am doing on that website. It is a wonderful place to track your goals and meet with those who have similar goals. I have a list on there of goals I’ve completed as well, but I will not post it here because some of them are just stupid or silly. Anyway, I hope this code works like it is supposed to.

I am just so grateful for things like this to help me on my way. I encourage those of you who have not yet gone to this website to check it out. There are so many diverse characters on there and so much to learn. You can even ask questions pertaining to a particular goal and have those who are in the same boat as you try and answer them. I am expanding myself out into other circles and it has been a good experience. Good luck to all of you in tracking your goals.

P.S. The thing I love about this is that every time I update my list, it will update here as well. I just said I had finished converting my life to minimalism, meaning I had succeeded, so now it is off my list, not just on their website, but here as well. Amazing.

When it comes to embracing my passion, it is a no-brainer for me. Comedy is my bread and butter. I am looking for new and exciting places to perform and get this off the ground floor. It is going to take a massive commitment from me to pour all my heart into it, but I know it will be worth it in the long run. If I can successfully accomplish this goal of making a living from telling jokes and just clowning around onstage, I believe it will allow me to do so much more in addition. I need to do this. This is not just a want, but it is a must. There is no other reason to live as far as I am concerned. If I do not go after this goal whole-heartedly, then I have failed my reason for existence.

I do my own thing up there on the stage and I am outside what anyone would expect. I am still working to perfect my craft and be able to go for more than 20 minutes at a time. One liners are hard to memorize. But I find it is easier to put them into little stories or relatable categories and just flow from there. I take Jerry Seinfeld’s advice to leave the audience gasping for breath…because of the laughter, or maybe the laughing gas. I truly feel more alive when I do that than any other time and time seems to stand still. Writing a joke and performing it is one of my greatest joys and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I believe you know it when you have found your passion. For me, it is unquestionable.

I study comedians religiously and I know what works and what doesn’t. I know the whole format. I understand what audiences are looking for. I can market myself to a certain crowd, one who has intelligence, humor, and a bit of sarcasm left in them. I know the value of laughter. It is worth more than any money I will ever make. But it would certainly be great to do what I love and make enough money to go around. I am setting this intention in stone, putting it on my wall or on my laptop’s screensaver and reviewing how I can get closer to it every day. My mission is now in motion.

I put this on hold for awhile as I dealt with a health problem I was having as a result of the brain tumor I suffered with five years ago. But I learned something in this experience. I can’t let anything hold me back. I can’t let anything, no matter how debilitating, obstruct my dreams. I have a unique story to tell, one from the eyes of a survivor, and one that bears repeating. And it is always better to tell a story with humor and possibly some exaggerations, purely for comic effect. Whether it be a white lie about my lactose intolerant milkman, or a funny story about how my Amish friend never calls me anymore, it is a fun ride worth enduring. And I invite you to take your passion into full gear this week as well. What other reason do you have for getting out of bed every morning? To get the daily news?

This was just an experiment I tried while bored and looking for a way to pass the time. It is just a collection of small sayings that, at the time, I thought were interesting. Here they are:

All these are copyrighted by me, so enjoy them at your own risk.

It should be obvious to anyone that the way we live our lives is not sustainable, at least here in America. Our consumption rate far surpasses the Earth’s ability to reproduce its resources. It is awfully hard to get this message out to those who do not think the same way as I do about allowing the rest of the species on Earth to have their space, too. Just because we think we are the smartest life form on this planet (and we probably aren’t) does not mean we should be allowed to take over the whole environment. It is just plain wrong. Let me compare it to if a species of aliens came down and started clearing out our homes to build superhouses of their own. If we ever stumbled upon their “property,” we would be shot or the “Human Control Center” would be brought in to “exterminate” us. I am not saying we should all move back into the woods, but have some respect for nature, the perfect balance.

I’m sure I’ve stated before that I believe the main reason we do not care for nature is because we are so far away from it now than ever before. Pretty soon, if the dominant paradigm stays in power, we will be able to accomplish everything without leaving the house. Us in our sterile little boxes, now more afraid of the outside world than ever before. We’re plugged into the Internet, the television (which reminds us constantly what a dangerous world it is out there), and other devices that further reinforce this worldview. We start losing sense of reality because all our time is spent on a machine of some sort, diverting the majority of our attention to this oil-guzzling electrosaur that we lived for hundreds of centuries without. And every day, more things come out that consume energy. More items come out that deplete our natural resources. And with the current population spiraling near seven billion, it almost seems as if a crash is coming. It is not something that anyone really wants, but it is coming and I believe it will no matter what.

A large number of jobs these days have to do with destroying the Earth and its resources. If we stop taking from the Earth, people lose their jobs. The economy falls. People go hungry on the streets, even though we have an abundant food supply. People in construction have nothing to do because no more buildings are being built. Some people would call this the next “Great Depression.” Maybe we should call it something else: “The Great Expansion.”

This will allow us to do the things we did for centuries. Plant our own food, build our own homes, and just let us be human again. It will get us all back in shape, as the increasingly sedentary lifestyle of many people leads to obesity. It will re-energize the community as a central unit of interaction. People will live closer together and in harmony. That is, after all the looting stops. But this brings me to a political statement about the War in Iraq. It is obvious we are there for oil. We know how tapped our resources are and if we can get enough for awhile, at least have more than our “competing nations,” then we will be able to defend ourselves better if there is an attack on us. As you know, our dollar is decreasing in value and oil will likely be the next form of “currency.” Whoever has the remaining oil will be in power. If we were not so dependent on this fossil fuel, maybe it wouldn’t be such a big deal. But we are, and I don’t see it changing any time soon.

Our whole culture is brought up a certain way and it is really hard to break an entire culture’s way of life. I can start reducing, reusing, and recycling, but how does that help if most multinational corporations are dumping pollutants into streams and rivers, damaging our ecosystem to the fullest extent? I think the problem with humans is they fail to have a way to deal with problems that slowly creep up on them. If a catastrophe happens, like a tornado, people respond quickly. Look at 9/11. But if something as slow-moving as the end of oil or global warming, it is so easy for people whose agendas are fixed on the status quo to make a farce out of the whole thing. It is so easy to deny that which does not happen suddenly, but takes years, maybe centuries, to occur. If only oil did not warm our planet and was renewable…

There are solutions. There are several solutions we all can work on together. If we all move towards what I would describe as a radically simple life, one where we live in very small houses and do not drive automobiles or eat much meat, because we all know what damage those factory farms do to our ecosystem as well. We do not go out looking for external items to make us happy, but find happiness from family and friends, not from the almighty dollar. People say this is impossible, and they may be right. I, for one, believe that if the collective consciousness can band together and work towards getting this goal done, we may make at least one significant step towards becoming sustainable. We would also probably need to do voluntary population reductions, and euthanasia and other options should not be out of the question. But if we want to kill our species in one big blaze of nuclear missile strikes and widespread poverty, then we can keep living the way we do.

But right now, looking around at what I see, the crash is inevitable. And maybe after the crash, those who survived will learn from civilization’s mistakes and work towards a much better way of life. It will have some old aspects of original human culture and it will bring in some new aspects as well. I’m pretty sure Monsanto will not be a part of it, though. I suppose here I will include a few things that may help you to reduce your ecological footprint and maybe, just maybe, slow down this crash I believe will happen in the next 20 years:

Cut out the television
Need less
Give more
Live a simple life
Find wealth in simple things
Drive less
Eat less meat
Learn to be self-sufficient
Learn how to fix things
Buy high-quality items
Buy local produce
Become a minimalist
Spend time with family
Do what you love

I hope these help you on your way. I am hoping to expand the list further in the future. Get ready for the crash. A lot of these skills may come in handy. And if we avert the crash, you’ll still be better off than your neighbors. Losing everything in a natural disaster might not sting as much. I am not saying here that it is inherently bad to be wealthy and have a lot of nice things. I just want people to look at the consequences of living such a lifestyle. Thank you for listening.