Minimalism: Intro

I have had the idea of minimalism in the back of my mind for several months now. We got so many beautiful wedding gifts we thought we needed and registered for and yet there are several we haven’t touched in the last year. Our apartment feels cramped and nothing makes you feel like you own too much stuff than moving it. And storing a good chunk of it in storage. One of my best friends has lived a minimalist lifestyle for a while and he seems better off for it. I’ve always been organized at heart and stressed when dishes or clutter piles up. So in April, I found Marie Kondo and went through her steps to declutter my apartment. I also decluttered my digital and mental space as well. Even then, there are still things I own I haven’t used since that decluttering and I have no plans to use in the near future. I still have “just in case” items and “oh but the memories” things. The past few weeks my heart has really been heavy for those less fortunate than me. I try to donate and give when I can, but I’m really not doing much to serve. And who am I to own all this crap I don’t need when I could be using my blessings more intentionally to serve God and others?

Well, then while casually scrolling Facebook one day, I heard about The Minimalists. I looked them up on social media and was instantly hooked. By the end of that day, I had followed them on all platforms, watched their documentary, and listened to several of their podcast episodes. This lifestyle really stuck out to me and all I saw were pros. I was excited. All I could think about was telling Colton and seeing what I could get rid of and dreaming about how this might help with the stresses and frustrations in my current life.

So I thought I’d give y’all a little insight as to what minimalism means to me and what I’m doing to achieve that kind of lifestyle.

What minimalism is: according to The Minimalists, it is about living a more meaningful life with less. It’s about figuring out your values and allowing every decision you make to be based on those fundamental things that build you as a person. It’s about eliminating compulsory consumption. It’s about owning things that add value to your life by bringing you joy and/or serving a purpose. It’s about simplifying and valuing your health, finances, relationships, and possessions. It’s about having fewer materialistic things and more meaningful things like experiences and time and peace. It is loving people and using things, not the other way around.

What minimalism is not: it is not depravity. You do not have to get rid of everything you own until you sleep on the floor and eat out of one bowl. It is not condensing all your belongings into a suitcase and becoming a nomad (although it can be for some people). It is not a religion or a cult; however, my religion plays in nicely with the minimalist lifestyle. It is not judgemental or comparing. No one will get mad at you for keeping certain things. Different items bring value to different people. “You can’t be a minimalist and own a hair straightener,” “you can’t be a minimalist and keep your book collection,” and “you aren’t a minimalist if you buy a new sweater” are all simply untrue. Minimalism looks different to everyone and that’s okay. It is a tool to use however it best brings value to your personal life.

To me: minimalism is a way for me to cut down on physical and mental clutter which will allow me to be less stressed and more productive. It will help me hone in on my values and make better decisions regarding my possessions, my finances, my relationships, and my health. It will allow me to truly find joy in the things I have and to serve others who are in need.

I will be blogging about my minimalism journey (which is ongoing, by the way) as I declutter, assess my values, and hopefully become a healthier person. Stay tuned for more posts on the subject!