Consumerism is everywhere.
Every day we are bombarded with hundreds of advertisements sending us signals to buy, consume, repeat, and rinse.
This product will make us happier. This service will make our lives easier. Eat here. Shop there. Spend money.
Meanwhile, we need more storage space, we’re in debt, we’re working 50-60 hours a week, and we’re miserable doing it.
What Is Minimalism
Then we have minimalism. Pretty much the opposite of consumerism.
In summary, minimalism is about having just the right amount of everything you want in life. It’s about focusing not on things, but on experiences. It’s about nimble living and focusing on the things that add meaning and purpose.
Minimalism isn’t just about possessions. It’s about everything in our lives. Everything either adds value or doesn’t. This goes for people, commitments, possessions, and so forth.
These things either lift us up or drag us down. There’s no in-between.
When people think of minimalism, they think of empty white apartments with cold flavorless decor. The word minimalist conjures up images of people wearing black tee shirts and signaling their anti-consumerist ideology. This is true for some but not for everyone. Minimalism varies from person to person.
I would argue that minimalism isn’t a look, it’s a feel.
There is no one set of rules.
My Story
Everyone has unique reasons for embracing minimalism.
For me, the lifestyle helps free me of mental clutter. Having a cluttered home and workspace makes it hard for me to relax. I also have a hard time concentrating on things that are important in a cluttered environment.
As a minimalist, I enjoy having less stuff to worry about and take care of. The few possessions I do own are taken care of well.
When you get down to the essential things you absolutely love you tend to take good care of them.
I also like saving money. I don’t spend a lot of money on clothes, household items, and $10 dollar lattes. [Black coffee is where it’s at]
I have more time to do what I love. By spending money on extra possessions I would have to earn more to pay for extra things.
Now I enjoy working, however, the reason I enjoy it is because I get to build and create things.
Working just to pay the bills that stem from buying needless items isn’t for me.
There are a lot of benefits to being a minimalist. Let’s look at a few.
Minimalism Benefits
- There are fewer things to take care of — Things take up time. They take up space and personal bandwidth. They cause stress and mental clutter. Everything has a cost.
- There’s more free time — Without all of the shopping, taking care of things, storing things, and looking for lost things there is an abundance of free time. Time you can spend with loved ones and close friends. There’s time to have new experiences and try new things.
- You won’t have to work as hard or as much. By spending less money, you won’t have to trade hours of your life for needless stuff. The best method for finding meaningful work is a job you would do regardless of the pay. That’s when you know you truly enjoy your job.
- It’s a simpler more thoughtful life design — The pure simplicity of living with less makes life easier. There are fewer daily decisions to make and less busyness.
- Cleaning is much easier — Not only does minimalism create a more aesthetically pleasing home but it’s a lot easier to clean. When floors and flat surfaces are clear, keeping them clean is a breeze. Less stuff kicking around means fewer items to move, dust, organize, etc. This is one of my favorite parts of being a minimalist.
- Less mental clutter — Our brains are wired to react to what we see. Imagine trying to relax or focus on something important while standing in the middle of a landfill. It’s going to be difficult. Well, the same goes for your environment. A clean clutter-free space helps put the mind at ease. Having fewer things, commitments, social acquaintances, etc. helps to minimize mental clutter.
- Minimalism helps you focus on what’s truly important. Once you get down to things that matter, you begin to gain clarity. When this happens you get a much better vision of what you want out of life. You get to the basics of what you value and what you do not.
- Streamlining life is easier — If you want to streamline your life minimalism can help immensely. It’s much easier to maintain productivity and be organized when you are a minimalist. Just like in a business, when you live on the lean side you become much more agile.
- Minimalism creates abundance — For every item you toss, for every commitment you say no to, and for every relationship you decide has no value — you create abundance. You create time and space for the things you truly enjoy. Minimalism helps us keep an abundance mindset.
As with any lifestyle, there are challenges to being a minimalist. In my case, I own a brick-and-mortar business that makes it hard to pare down. I also have a family who is not always on board.
Let’s look at some of the challenges.
Minimalism Challenges
- Housemates/Family who aren’t minimalists — This is a tough one but can be dealt with. Leading by example is always the best course. Explaining to your family about your lifestyle and how everyone can benefit can be helpful.
- Gift givers — Friends and family love to give gifts and the minimalist is not always thrilled. While the gesture is nice, the act of receiving gifts is often a little painful. There’s no easy way to handle this but the important thing to remember is the gesture itself. Gifts come and go but the gesture is there forever. It’s okay to toss the gift.
- Most people just don’t get the whole minimalism thing — They don’t understand how you can live with only one long sleeve shirt, ignore social media, and why you’re still using that old LG VX8300 flip phone. It doesn’t matter and it’s best to ignore social pressure. The point is to be happy and live with intent.
- Wrestling with, to throw or not to throw — When it comes to getting rid of stuff it can become difficult to decide if you need certain items. Things like keepsakes, mementos, and other items pose a problem. The best way to handle this is to ask yourself the following question. If everything I own burned to the ground, would I go out and replace this? If the answer is no, then toss it.
The downsides of minimalism are few. In fact, there are no real downsides at all.
Social pressure, consumerism, gift-givers, and naysayers can be cleared from our lives just like possessions.
It’s up to us to decide what adds value to our lives.
Try it out
Give minimalism a try. You may love it as much as I do. Get rid of some items you don’t need or declutter one room in your home. Then see what else you can toss.