Choose Poverty Days to Fortify Your Freedom

It’s the first of your three ‘Poverty Days,’ and you wake up late, wearing the plainest clothes in your closet—old jeans and a cotton tee. Breakfast is a single slice of bread and water. You’d normally reach for your phone, pour a cappuccino, and scroll through endless feeds. Today, though, your phone stays on silent, and there’s no latte to rush out for. You feel an odd tremor of freedom—you’re not missing out; you’re simply living a more stripped-down moment.

By midday you notice how your cravings for social media and snacks have quieted. Your mind is alert, not cluttered. You step outside for a walk and feel the sun on your face without any urge to document it. At lunch, the bread tastes more nourishing than any fancy sandwich ever did. You return home, sit by the window, and watch your pattern of desires soften.

The next day you savor your espresso and avocado toast, but it doesn’t stir the same eagerness. That simple reset scratched an itch you didn’t know you had—an itch for sufficiency instead of excess. Stoics taught that limiting desires is the fastest route to feeling wealthy. By practicing voluntary simplicity, you surprise yourself by relishing regular comforts anew.

This discipline builds resilience: knowing you can thrive without so much reduces fear of losing what you do have. It’s not about permanent deprivation, but about reminding yourself every now and then that true abundance lies in moderated wants.

Three times this month, you’ll live on simple staples—bread, fruit, water—while wearing plain clothes, letting go of your usual comforts. At day’s end, pause for a micro-ritual: reflect privately on how your cravings and mood differed from normal. Then on your next ordinary day, savor your usual pleasures with fresh awareness, noticing how your appetite and joy feel deeper after voluntary simplicity. Give it a try next Wednesday.