Minimalism: A Starter Guide to Living With Less
Happy Friday! Welcome come back to my blog!! In this post I’m going to discuss and give you some tips on how you can begin to live minimally. I’m sure you may have heard the word “minimalism” being thrown around within the last couple of years. However, the practice of living with less is in fact not new… So, what exactly is it and what’s all the hype around it? Keep reading to learn why you should incorporate “minimalism” into your life, wardrobe, and home.
According to becomingminimalist.com Put very simply “Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of everything that distracts us from it.”
The rest of this info was just too good to leave out. lol
MINIMALISM IS FREEDOM FROM THE PASSION TO POSSESS.
Modern culture has bought into the lie that the good life is found in accumulating things—in possessing as much as possible. They believe that more and bigger is better and have inadvertently subscribed to the idea that happiness can be purchased at a department store. But they are wrong. Minimalism brings freedom from the all-consuming passion to possess. It steps off the treadmill of consumerism and dares to seek happiness elsewhere. It values relationships, experiences, and soul-care. And in doing so, it finds life.
MINIMALISM IS FREEDOM FROM MODERN MANIA.
Our world lives at a feverish pace. We are too hurried, too rushed, and too stressed. We work long, passionate hours to pay the bills, but fall deeper into debt. We rush from one activity to another—even multitasking along the way—but never seem to get everything done. We remain in constant connection with others through our cell phones, but true life-changing relationships continue to elude us. Minimalism slows down life and frees us from this modern hysteria to live faster. It finds freedom to disengage. It seeks to keep only the essentials. It seeks to remove the frivolous and keep the significant. And in doing so, it values the intentional endeavors that add value to life.
MINIMALISM IS FREEDOM FROM DUPLICITY.
Although nobody intentionally chooses it, most people live in duplicity. They live one life around their family, one life around their co-workers, and another life around their neighbors. The lifestyle they have chosen requires them to portray a certain external image dependent upon their circumstances. They are tossed and turned by the most recent advertising campaign or the demands of their employer. On the other hand, a simple life is united and consistent.
MINIMALISM IS COUNTER-CULTURAL.
We live in a world that idolizes celebrities. They are photographed for magazines, interviewed on the radio, and recorded for television. Their lives are held up as the golden standard and are envied by many. People who live minimalist lives are not championed by the media in the same way. They don‘t fit into the consumerist culture that is promoted by corporations and politicians. Yet, they live a life that is attractive and inviting.
While most people are chasing after success, glamour, and fame, minimalism calls out to us with a smaller, quieter, calmer voice. It invites us to slow down, consume less, but enjoy more. And when we meet someone living a simplified life, we often recognize that we have been chasing after the wrong things all along.
MINIMALISM IS NOT EXTERNAL, BUT INTERNAL.
After the external clutter has been removed, minimalism has the space to address the deepest heart issues that impact our relationships and life.”
Here is the link to the website. https://www.becomingminimalist.com/
Minimalism is the thought you live consciously, intentionally, and only with necessary items. The space in which you occupy is clean, organized, and most of all free from “things” that do not truly bring you joy or help you live happier. Really, I like to think cliché phrases “Less is More” and “Quality over Quantity” sum up what minimalism is about.
I first heard about Minimalism from a movie on Netflix, called (surprise) “Minimalism.” If you haven’t seen it, I definitely recommend watching it before you begin your journey. It was watching Minimalism that propelled me to donate half my wardrobe. Doing so truly made me examine how much excess clothing I had and made me ask myself what really serves me purpose and brings me joy. I realized I don’t want more clothes, I already have had a LOT of clothes. But, did I LOVE every piece of clothing? No. Were there items I was holding on to for no reason? Absolutely. Ladies, I’m sure you’ve stood in front of your closet full of clothes before and said “I don’t have anything to wear.” I had over 30 pairs of jeans but would really only wear about 10 of them. Why? lol So honestly it felt great to get rid of all the excess clothing and now only see clothing that I LOVE in there. It also helps when shopping because of course being the D.I.Y person that I am, I (kind of) don’t buy things I know I can make. However, the fashion lover in me will always enjoy picking up a ready to wear garment off the rack and that’s ok. I’m just a more conscious shopper now. Practicing minimalism removes you from possession and attachment to things that are in fact replaceable.
Minimalist Fashion- I kind of just talked about my experience with minimizing my closet but here are a few tips and resources that may help you declutter or minimize your wardrobe.
· Donate or discard it if you haven’t worn it in the past year or 2, that goes for accessories too. Take every single clothing item you own and ask yourself do you LOVE it? Please note there is a difference between like and love. Lol
· Kon Marie says the secret to success is to “Start by discarding. Then organize your space thoroughly, completely, and in one go.”
· If you want to dress “like a minimalist” or just get an idea of what it’s all about as it pertains to fashion http://www.refinery29.com/minimalism is a great resource. They have a whole section on their website dedicated just to minimalism with tons of pictures and articles. So now moving on to minimalism in the home. This is a big one and after my clothing, this one was next.
Minimalist Home- The space you live in truly affects your energy. Therefore it should appeal to all your senses, be free of clutter, and everything should have a designated place.. If you don’t think the way your home or space is set up affects your energy just think of the ancient art and science of Feng Shui. According to Brophy of www.realsimple.com, “Feng Shui is a practice based on the idea that our homes are a mirror of what’s happening inside us. The purpose of feng shui is to get your environment in alignment with who you are and where you want to go—to harmonize your energy with your home’s energy. You do that by carefully considering what you bring in, how you arrange your rooms, and how you maintain the place. Everything has energy, even inanimate objects. Feng shui helps guide that energy and lets it flow freely through your home.” So while we may call it minimalism, the Chinese have been calling is feng shui. Lol When it comes to minimalism in the home the book “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up” is great! This is an old book but it’s great if you’re one of those people who cleans your home and somehow its messy again within the next couple of days or week. Lol Guilty. Minimalism isn’t just about throwing all your stuff away, it’s about not having excess. So, if something brings you joy or value you should KEEP IT! However, you should be real with yourself about the items you own and if they really bring you joy or if they just add to the madness.
Also, kind of a sidebar but some people think they can’t adopt a minimalist lifestyle because they have children, but that is not true and there are resources for that also. Think less toys, more teaching gratitude, enjoying simple pleasures, and spending quality time with your child. Start by googling “Minimalist with children” for more tips on this.
Overall Minimalist Lifestyle- So I hope by now you have an idea of what minimalism is all about. If I could leave you with anything to help you as you embark on your journey to minimalism it would be:
1. Know your journey to minimalism will not be or look like anyone else’s. Own it.
2. If you go about this correctly you may be forced to ask yourself some challenging questions or deal with some mysterious emotions. Just be open and ready. This journey to less is so freeing!
3. Write down the reasons you want to live simply or declutter. You have to visualize the destination before you start.
4. Dress with less. Ask yourself if you really need that new outfit it or do you just want it.
5. You don’t have to eat less but eating more simply/ lighter and cooking your own meals may be a great addition to this lifestyle change.
6. Constantly question your possessions. Do I need that or do I want it? When is the last time I’ve used this? Can it be donated? How would my life be if I didn’t have this? Etc. All questions I now ask myself on the regular.
7. Get rid of duplicates, don’t have excess, and discard or donate. This goes for household items and clothing items.
8. Don’t forget LESS IS MORE and QUALITY OVER QUANTITY. I personally would rather have a closet full of dreamy quality clothing I absolutely love, than a bunch of cheap ok pieces from Forever 21. (no shade forever21) The same with your home, it may be better to have a sparse apartment with amazing art or items you really love than to have a space filled with clutter and things you think are just ok.
9. Forgive yourself and keep trying if you hit a bump on the road. Don’t give up and once you conquer, don’t revert.
10. And lastly my yoga teacher said something profound in class one day. We were talking about living modestly and the few lines she said went something like: “We don’t need more choices, all we need is an elevated capacity to make choices. We don’t need more information, we need the wisdom to use all the info we already have. We don’t need another religion we need the experience of a lifestyle or path that creates a spiritual fitness to act on our beliefs.”
Also the book “Goodbye Things” is another great recommendation I received.
I hope this post helped you jumpstart your way to minimalism. Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog, follow me on IG and Facebook, Comment, Like, tell a friend, it is all appreciated!
Peace, Love, and Light.