Change often begins quietly

A knife from Tokyo led me to cook more, declutter my home, appreciate quality over quantity, read deeply, and walk often. These small changes led to big shifts in how I live and think.

Cook. Declutter. Buy better. Live simply. Move. Read. Write. Know yourself.

2024 has been a year of substantial change for me, and I write this in the hope that someone might find it useful.

At the start of the year, and I wasn’t in the best place. All facets of my health were damaged, and I’d unknowingly accepted a reality of sub-standard living.

But change often begins quietly.

For me, it started with a knife I brought back from Tokyo. Nothing special—just a knife with a handle and shape I liked. Little did I know it would change everything.

That knife led me to cook more, and I have cooked almost every day since. Not a single food delivery was been ordered in 2024.

Cooking nudged me to declutter the kitchen, which expanded into carloads of recycled, donated and discarded crap that had cluttered my home. Cluttered my environment. I emptied shelves, closets, bookcases, and started to feel like I could breathe a little better – think a little better.

This simplicity made me appreciate the quality and craftsmanship of things, and I made a conscious effort to buy less, but better, from fashion, to appliances, ingredients and everyday items.

Eventually, I let go of my smartphone which freed up time to read more. I devoured books on Socrates, Stoicism, Adlerian Psychology, Shinto, Zen. I started to walk more, which gave me time to think, which led me to writing down my thoughts and insights, almost daily.

This led to understanding myself better and the beginnings of a “Style of Life” that I believe in. Key pillars that now guide my thinking, frame my world and impact my relationships.

Looking back, it all started with a single knife and one new recipe. The rest just unfolded. Cook. Declutter. Buy better. Live simply. Move, read, write. Know yourself

Here’s to positive journeys in 2025.