DECEMBER 2022 THE RIDER /13 We Can Hustle: Minimalist as a human (horse person too)


By Shelby Olyschlager Are you a part of the prob-


lem or the solution? Within my time, I have


gone through both spectrums of minimalism.


This is what I have learnt. I will start with a story. I


went to college a few years after I graduated high school. Within the time before college, I was working and saving money. When you get a steady income with low expenses, it is easy to spend. And I did. I spent without budgeting, and I kept spending without plan- ning for the future. I decided I needed that


pair of jeans or those glasses and I would, without thinking, buy. Of course, I treated my- self well with only the best and only with what I truly felt I wanted / “needed”. Then, col- lege hit and didn’t change my spending habits. Guess what happened? I ran out of money before my two years of college were over. I was dry!! And it was mostly because of buying things I thought would make me complete.


The lesson: I look back at times I went


shopping just because I was bored. Today, do I remember those things I “needed” be- cause they were cute? Ab- solutely not. Back then I was a different


person. I was one who thought I wasn’t enough. I feel bad looking back at who I was, but I am also so proud of who she has also become and is cur- rently becoming every day.


So why does this story mat- ter?


I fell for the marketing.


Most marketing tells you that you need to look a certain way, you need to follow society fads in order to be relevant and be liked by your community. I fell hard and so did my bank account (rip). But, through the draining of my money in hopes to fill my soul and heart; I learnt why being a minimal- ist is something to aspire to be- come.


No, you don’t have to sell all your $#!t.. I mean belong- ings.


You don’t have to be broke


to be a minimalist. You don’t have to suffer as a minimalist. A minimalist means you just aren’t controlled by the “need- ing of things” in your life in order to make you feel full and satisfied. The fulfillment you need comes from you! Solely from you and through your or- ganic measures. Organic rela- tionships,


organic love, organic self, organic YOU!


What does this mean for you and how can we develop a more minimalist approach to life? In this day and age of cli-


mate issues throughout our planet, we need to take ac-


countability and responsibility for our consumerism. When we buy into the beliefs “big” companies are selling us hun- dreds of times a day, our planet is losing. It’s an unnecessary loss


created by us feeling we “need” something to become full, to become happy. They will tell you, your body isn’t quite right and you need to buy products to suit the social norms of physical appear- ances. They will tell you, in order to feel fulfilled you need to work your life away to buy the things you’re supposed to buy that will make you ful- filled. It simply isn’t true… but that’s not what they will tell you.


What happens when you fi- nally realize contentment never comes from the out- side? Once you develop aware-


ness of the marketing tactics that get you to buy all their things. You see the back end process that’s affecting our world. You buy products from the manufacturer who supplies the goods and where do those goods come from? How are they produced? At what global expense? At what human ex- pense?


You do not need to buy it all. That bag you had to have,


will inevitably get old and tat- tered. That new car will be- come just like the old one you prematurely decided to trade in. Why do we have to cycle so quickly? New turns old, turns new, turns old; it happens within a blink of an eye.


A thought prompt— when was the last time you let your phone naturally get old and broken until you upgraded to a new one? I’m not trying to point fin-


gers and blame anyone. So please don’t get defensive and start making excuses for your actions and reasonings behind it all. I am simply stating, I have gotten by very well and in a pure and honest way by becoming a low key minimal- ist.. maybe you could too. Maybe if we all decided to


do our part in realizing there is much more to our world then consuming. If we became more aware of what we control and how we control it, we would become more stable within ourselves. We wouldn’t need these things to feel good, to feel satisfied. We also wouldn’t be throwing all the things we


thought we


“needed” into the trash just as quickly as we bought it.


Things might begin to have longevity. Your happiness might last


longer than the hype of a new piece of technology or new boots you didn’t need. Your contentment starts to feel more solid and durable. Your love for yourself is deeper than the things you possess. The over-


1-877-TRYAVIA (519) 264-2354


RR #1, 8782 Longwoods Road, Mt. Brydges, ON N0L 1W0


www.viatrailers.ca


all need to be “cool” lowers, and with that, so will our planet’s temperature.


The last final question


I’ll leave you with is: Are you a part of the prob- lem or a part of the solu- tion?


Shelby Olyschlager Bio: Shelby is the host of the


We Can Hustle Podcast. She strives to deliver weekly support, education and con- nection for everyone going


through their own unique journey with horses. As a barrel racer, she has learnt through her own trial and error how to create real changes within ourselves and within our equine part- ners. She shares her lessons and the lessons of guests on her show and social chan- nels. “It all starts with our- selves. If we can approach life with empathy, an open mind and determination; we can all achieve what we set out to do.”


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48