Are you an aspiring minimalist, like me? If yes, then this post is for you.
After watching the ‘Documentary of Important Things, I was blown away by our spending mentality (year after year). It's a sad reality. The way we humans have replaced the simple life to only end up leading a debt-filled materialistic lifestyle.
In this post, I will be sharing with you some of the popular minimalism concepts to consider.
Who is a minimalist?
A minimalist is someone who learns to live a simple life with just the bare essentials.
Is this lifestyle practically even possible today?
Well, yes it is possible! Amidst the Covid-19 crisis and country under complete lock-down one thing we all have learned is to focus and purchase only the bare essentials.
What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind?
In her book, ‘The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning’, author Margareta Magnusson tells her readers to put things in order and not leave a legacy of cluttered stuff. But to free yourself and your family from a lifetime of chaos.
What questions I need to ask before pursuing this lifestyle?
First sit down and clarify the motive behind pursuing it.
Check if the timing is right.
Define and redefine how you want to live your life.
Figure out your values and perspectives on life.
Where do I start?
Be honest with the material things you own.
Do they bring value and add meaning?
Start by removing the non-essentials ones first and
Stop impulse buying.
When did minimalism become so popular?
The movement started in the 1960’s. It became popular in recent years for plenty of reasons.
Minimalism emerged as an answer to all the problems the world is facing today.
Increase in environmental awareness and pollution.
The damage consumerism causes to our land, ocean, and air.
Excess consumption leading to nothing but stress and a higher number of debts.
How long will it take to become a minimalist?
For starters, maybe one or two years.
It’s definitely a commitment from your side that takes time and won’t happen overnight.
You decide how to apply it in your life.
Living with Less
Advertisements today are so enchanting that it keeps us glued to the next big thing to purchase with our plastic money.
We are so confused about what’s going to make us happy. That we instantly gratify ourselves with things. It’s a manipulative and destructive path.
Curb it, before it's too late and you get stuck in one debt trap after another without even realizing it.
Get your life organized with just the important things. Learning to live with less stuff is more of a lifestyle choice. A decision, we need to make for ourselves.
Every possession we own is meant to serve a purpose or bring joy. If it doesn’t add value or ends up reminding us of a despairing past then we must be willing to let go.
Constantly ask yourself of the things you bring into your homes as well as the things you choose to hold on to. This is what I learned after watching the documentary of important things.
I, personally, came across minimalism and decluttering through the authors Joshua Fields Millburn, Ryan Nicodemus and Marie Kondo. I just loved the concept. No questions asked, I started to declutter my things right away.
Do it, Get Organized!
In her book, ‘The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up’ author Marie suggests to pile all your belongings in one place. Starting with clothes, then books, miscellaneous, shoes, etc.
Piling all my clothes in one place shocked me to know how much I actually owned. Some of them, I had even forgotten I had them in the first place. She then suggests to pick each item and feel it. If it makes you happy then keep it, if not then thank it and send it away.
I gave away things that had fulfilled its purpose in my life to go find someone else’s life to fulfill. I felt good letting go of my things that I had held on to for so long.
Mind you! Not everyone in the family will be on-board or agree to this letting go theory. For instance, our parents who didn’t have material things growing up might have an emotional as well as a sort of security feeling to hold on to the things they have now. So, it is best is to leave them that way for now.
I wish everyone could be rich and famous so they could realize it’s not the answer – Jim Carey
I would like to summarize what I learned from this concept with the below benefits:
You will be:
Leading a calm, debt-free life if you adapted a minimalist lifestyle.
Living deliberately and more intentionally.
Caring more about the things you have in hand and less about the things you don’t.
Emitting much lower footprint and saving the planet from mindless consumption.
Pursuing meaningful endeavors and taking risks.
Alert and in control when you spend money.
Aware of who your genuine friends are.
Sleeping better and leading a peaceful, simple stress-free life.
Mindful of the way you eat, drink, dress, and live.
Many minimalists even adapt an organic, cruelty-free vegan lifestyle. They even prepare their own shampoos, soaps, carry their own cutlery, mugs, water bottles, cloth bags, etc. Their homes are not hoarded with material things but surrounded by genuine friendships and meaningful relationships. I would like to end this post with the following quote from the Minimalist.
Love people and use things because the opposite never works – The Minimalists
That's great! You should also watch the ‘Documentary of Important Things. It will make you realize about our current consumerist society and lifestyle.
Btw, your article affected me so hard that I haven't purchased another non-essential item since 2 weeks 😄