“Never underestimate the importance of abandoning crap you don’t need.”
Fifteen years ago, I decided to embrace minimalist living.
At first, the reasons were simple. I was spending too much of my life caring for possessions and I was wasting too much money on stuff I didn’t need. These possessions were not bringing me joy or lasting happiness. Even worse, they were keeping me from the very things that did.
Possessions had become a great distraction in my life. And the most effective way to fully recenter my life on the things that mattered most was to remove the excess physical possessions from my home and life and practice minimalism.
Since then, I’ve been asked countless times if I think minimalism is just a phase. I always answer the same, “Absolutely not.”
Minimalism is a better way to live. It brings freedom, clarity, and opportunity. And each of us should consider embracing it in our own unique way. Consider these six reasons.
6 Reasons to Embrace Minimalist Living
1. More opportunities to pursue what’s most important.
Our lives are important. Why would we waste them pursuing things that aren’t? Physical things always perish, spoil, or fade. But love, joy, purpose, contribution, and compassion stand eternal. Our lives would be better lived pursuing them.
Minimalism provides that opportunity.
2. More intentionality in all areas of life.
Countless voices and messages seek influence in our lives. They desire to shape what we believe, what we buy, what we watch, what we eat, and how we live. Intentionality brings life back under our control.
Minimalism jumpstarts intentional living by forcing us to identify our values. As a result, we can better identify how we have been swayed by artificial influences.
3. More space to live our fullest life.
Our lives require space. But in a world of ever-increasing speed, time for reflection becomes more and more difficult to discover.
Owning fewer possessions means less cleaning, less organizing, less repairing, and less financial burden.
It frees up time, energy, and space—space that can be spent examining life to make sure we are living it to the fullest.
4. More focus on contribution.
Even if for selfish reasons, it is wise for each of us to evaluate where we seek meaning. Happiness found in living life for personal gain is short-lived, never fully satisfying.
On the other hand, using our resources for the purpose of improving life for someone else offers lasting joy.
Moving our focus from personal gain to personal contribution is not always the result of embracing a minimalist lifestyle, but it does become much easier.
5. More flexibility for life change.
Over the past fifteen years, our family has made some significant changes. We have changed careers. We have moved to a smaller home. We have discovered new hobbies. We have changed the way we spend our money. And we have changed many of the habits that define our lives.
In each of the examples listed above, minimalism helped make the change possible. One of the greatest benefits of living with fewer possessions is freedom—freedom to live and change and improve—even if the specific changes are up to you.
6. More inspiration for others.
Our world is losing itself in consumeristic pursuits. Home sizes are growing, but happiness is not. We chase paychecks rather than influence and success rather than significance. The results of these choices have proven detrimental: stress, anxiety, fatigue, and regret.
We need new inspiration. We need more people rejecting consumerism and choosing life instead.
Embrace minimalism for yourself. Embrace minimalism for your family. Embrace minimalism for the world around you. Because the stakes are high.
Valerie M. says
Joshua, Your articles are the only ones I read entirely on a daily basis. How I wish I’d have heard about this sooner! I am a 50+ woman who has made some changes since reading your blog. I no longer feel the need to buy something new everytime I’m in a store, I am slowly getting rid of things around my home and starting to declutter. I am learning how to enjoy the simple things in life such as tending a garden, going for walks, meditating, spending time with friends, trying to stay in the present, and appreciating nature. I just wanted to say “thank you” for everything you have taught me.
After the Pulpit says
Totally onboard with minimalism and have been for almost twenty years when my wife and I became vegetarians and committed to live lightly on the earth. We are self-propelled (mostly), commuting by bike or foot, live in a modest sized 2 bedroom condo with our two boys, dog and cat, and try to inspire our boys by our example.
That said, I find the external de-cluttering to be relatively easy compared to the internal baggage I carry. The biggest battle in becoming a whole minimalist is within.
I’ve been such a pack-rat with so many of my thoughts, beliefs and mindless chatter. I yearn for an internal space where and when I can truly let go of cherished and reviled boxes of mental “stuff” that I’ve held on to.
Incredible, the clutter I keep inside. For what? Just in case….I don’t know.
Working on it. Meditation helps. Wish letting go of the internal stuff was as easy as packing up the twenty or thirty garbage bags of things we recently dropped at the Sally Ann! ;)
Robin says
After, check out the book “The Sedona Method”. It teaches you how to let go of emotional “stuff” like little kids do. I’ve used it to release fears and other emotions, and its led to less circling of the thought processes. My mind is calmer because of it.
Good Luck!
Jonathan Look, Jr. says
I can say from personal experience that, after years as a typical consumer in the hamster wheel, life truly became more focused, more enjoyable and less stressful when started living the the luxury of little. I wrote a bit about it in an article for the Dallas Morning News.
http://lifepart2.com/the-stuff-of-life-why-i-sold-all-my-belongings-to-travel-the-world/
I am now three years into the adventure and life has been unalterably changed. There is beauty to living life on your own terms and not dictated by your possessions.
HappinessSavouredHot says
I find all your posts so inspiring!
I am in the process of becoming minimalist. Despite the appeal of consumerism, I am amazed at how good I feel every time I simplify my life in one way or another. It makes me want to simplify even more.
Thank you for writing this; it reinforces my motivation to do more with less. :-)
Joseph :E says
My situation is just same as you, every time I simplify my life i enjoy a lot. I wanna be a minimalism too.
Espen says
Nice blog :)
Im just recently started embracing minimalism. But…the problem is when living with someone that doesnt understand the words “less” and “reducing” at all. It would be great living in a studio apartment by myself, but when i have to shear my life with another person its impossible to avoid that the other persons stuff is clutter my life. My heart is hurting everytime my love one is bringing another plastic bag with just more useless’ stuff into our house. The last purchase she did was a large plastic container to keep cupcakes in (!). Totally useless, since we already have plenty of tupperwares big enough for that. Being a green minimalist is really difficult for me….it would just be so much easier if the two of us shared the same mindset about minimalism… :(
cheers from norway
Lori says
I understand completely as I have battled that for 25 plus years. We were married had nothing and were fine. Adding more as the house grew larger. Now kids are moving on and I want less!! Hubby has hard time letting go as buys useless things at the discount store,ugh… I have little by little cleaned through the house avoiding his stuff hoping as I do he will get the hint. Along with choice articles from this blog sent to his email. People are resistant to letting go and think this is slow process for some but at some point he will hopefully be on board!
Val says
Oh this is where I am. My partner doesn’t like purging “in case we can use it someday”. Or “why get rid of the extra blender, what if this one breaks”.
I keep saying that the space and time will FREE us to do things that really matter.
The idea of getting rid of something we haven’t used or “valued” in over a year, 2 years, 5 years doesn’t seem to sink in.
Ideas??
Lively Minimalist says
The word that got me started on the path of minimalism came from Flylady–declutter. I yearned for simplicity and so I started decluttering. That was 10 years ago–10 years of purging periods that would last for a week or a month or even a few months, to be followed by the too-busy-to-notice accumulation of stuff. In this, my eleventh year of trying to declutter, I feel like I finally get it. What I took from Flylady, bless her heart, was a system. What I realized two months ago is that minimalism is not a system, it’s a value. When I live by my value I will have no more need to declutter, destuff, and dehectify.
Eric West | Rethinking the Dream says
I also felt like I was spending too much time caring for and maintaining my stuff. We ended up doing a major decluttering and then went on to sell our house and downsized to an apartment.
I definitely enjoy having more time to pursue what’s most important, including quality time with my family doing fun activities.
Gladys (The Pinay Mom) says
Currently, I’m reading a book entitled ” The Simple Living Guide” by Janet Luhrs,it’s really interesting and there’s a connection with your post today. It’s really great!
Stacy@AWellStockedLife says
Janet Luhrs’ book is a classic and stems from a time when minimalists were instead referred to as those who chose voluntary simplicity (the name has change but similar ideas). Her Simple Loving book is also very good. It is difficult to get a hold of her newsletters however, so if anyone out there knows how please let me know. If you are interested in Luhrs and have not read Your Money or Your Life by Dominguez and Robin definitely do so. The Northwest Earth Institute also has great resources (their voluntary simplicity program is excellent and can be found in locations nationwide)–I’m a Midwesterner now but grew up in the Pacific Northwest where this grassroots effort began…really amazing people.
Home Economics: If the Shoes Fit Wear Them Out
http://awellstockedlife.wordpress.com/2014/05/28/home-economics-if-the-shoes-fit-wear-them-out-2/
Gillie says
I am in a very similar situation to Marie Katherine. Likewise, however, I don’t do regret, I only look forward to what can be rather than back to what is no longer possible. In the space of a year (anniversary this month) our home has changed beyond compare. Our lifestyles have mellowed and we have achieved most of the points you mentioned above. I have a new career I love in an area I never ever expected to work. I have published a book and I have time to meditate, to walk and to enjoy life. I feel as if I am living a slower life than ever before, yet people keep asking me how I do so much! I’m no longer tied down by stuff I suppose.
Matthew says
Congrats. =)
I decided to become a minimalist myself recently, I’m planning to a service for removal big items out of the way as I don’t need or use them. I think I’ll be more happier. =)
Cheers,
Matt