After reading a post from Joshua Becker about changing light bulbs, it occurred to me how lucky I am. Not because of where I am. There are a lot of people far more successful than me, but because of my choices regarding minimalism.
You see, there are a lot of people coming around to the idea that perhaps a simple lifestyle is more appealing than materialism. They are realizing that a life with less is not only calming but easier to maintain.
Then we have my old people [my parents]. After years of working to accumulate things, they are at the point in their lives where it’s time to downsize. It’s time to get rid of the stuff they have spent a lifetime working for only to purchase a smaller home that’s easier to maintain. For them, it’s time to slow down and enjoy their remaining years.
When they’re finished, they will end up in a moderate home, similar to the one they purchased when they first got married, 50 years ago.
A lifetime of working to go from A to B, and back to A again. I don’t get it.
I guess I am grateful that I’ll never have to go through that. I am lucky that minimalism appealed to me at a young age — long before it became an internet sensation and for some, an overly extreme obsession.
Here are 6 reasons I am grateful for less.
Grateful For Less
Less Stuff to Maintain
Everything we own requires some sort of maintenance. Whether it be changing lightbulbs, batteries, or motor oil, almost everything we own needs our attention at one point or another.
I have a friend that has a collection of over a dozen classic cars. He spends most of his free time shuttling cars from one repair shop to another in a futile attempt at keeping up with their maintenance.
Not to mention, as nice as his cars are, the money he spends trying to keep them in good condition is absurd.
It’s almost as if his things own him. They encompass a large portion of his life.
For me, having too much stuff is exhausting. I am grateful that I am unattached to collections and things. I don’t want to create work for myself by owning things just for the sake of having a collection. Just my personal preference.
Less Stuff to Worry About
Stuff worries us. We are always making sure our things are safe, secure, updated, dry, etc.
It seems as though, no matter what it is, our things take up space in our minds. When we go on vacation — we have neighbors keep track of our things. We look for our things when they’re misplaced. We worry that someone may steal our things if they’re not secure. And so on…
Fewer Bills and Expenses
Buying things costs money. Maintaining things costs money as well. By keeping a minimalist lifestyle I don’t have to worry about needless or excessive expenses.
With fewer bills to pay, I am able to keep a minimalist money system that’s easier to maintain and takes less of my time.
We spend our days trading hours of our lives to buy things that will get thrown in the trash when we die.
This has never appealed to me and for that, I am grateful.
Less Clutter and Mental Anxiety
Clutter makes me anxious. So much so that when life feels out of control I have the urge to get rid of excess things. It’s not uncommon for me to purge things from around the house as some sort of weird self-care routine.
I’ve never really examined why I feel this way and I’ll agree it may seem a bit strange but I’m thinking it gives me a sense of control. Or, maybe it’s simply the feeling of ‘one less thing to worry about’ — I’m not sure.
Regardless, if you deal with any sort of anxiety [like me] letting go of stuff you don’t need or want is a great way to reduce the feeling of overwhelm.
Less Distractions and More Focus
Clutter, along with a busy physical environment, is distracting. It may be the introvert in me but I need a quiet and clean space in order to concentrate,
When the house is a mess [and it happens] I’ve noticed that I am unable to focus on what I need to do. It’s hard to concentrate. Minimalism helps.
If you’re having trouble with distractions and focus, I highly recommend decluttering your environment.
Beyond getting things accomplished, minimalism has allowed me to realize what’s important in life. Things are not important. We can’t take them with us when we die, and I refuse to trade my time on earth to buy them.
Less to Downsize When I Get Old
The thought of spending my life working for things that will eventually need to be ‘downsized’ seems foolish and somewhat counterproductive to me.
Someday I will consider myself old, and someday I will die. And when I look back on my life, I don’t want to be thinking that my best years were spent working, just to make money so I could buy pointless items.
The thought of having to downsize and burden my loved ones with *stuff* when I pass isn’t for me.
I don’t want to work for 40+ years to pay for things that will get sold for pennies on the dollar or worse, get thrown in the trash.
I am grateful — and hopeful — that when I reflect on my life, it won’t be centered around financial achievements. Achievements with the sole purpose of buying things that will be useless to me when I’m gone.
Thanks for reading Grateful For Less.
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