“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” – Confucius
Minimalists come in all sizes, ages, genders, races, nationalities, social classes, and religions. It is a growing movement that continues to invite others to live with less and define their lives in greater ways than by the things they own – and find freedom because of it. Yet, despite its recent growth, it continues to be misunderstood by a large percentage of the public.
With that mind, I think it would be wise to personally address some of the most common misconceptions about minimalism:
Minimalism is stark and barren.
One of our first projects after becoming minimalist was to go through the house and remove every decoration that wasn’t meaningful or beautiful. But we didn’t remove all of them. In fact, by the end, every decoration in our home held significance to our lives. And because of that, our guests can immediately realize what is most important to us. Our walls are not barren. They are filled with life. We pursue a rational minimalism, not extreme minimalism. But for more information on how minimalists decorate their home, check out Adding Warmth Without Adding Stuff by Francine Jay.
Minimalism is boring.
A minimalist life is not void of excitement or entertainment. In fact, minimalism removes many of the mundane tasks (organizing, shopping, cleaning) that rob us of daily excitement. And when unnecessary possessions have been removed, minimalists are free to choose for themselves what things will define their lives. Some will choose to travel the world, attempt impossible things, stay at home, or spice up their family life.
Minimalists don’t own nice things.
Actually, one of the greatest unforeseen benefits of living a minimalist life is the opportunity to purchase possessions of higher quality. For some reason, many people don’t correlate owning fewer things and owning nicer things. But the truth is, they go hand-in-hand and are directly related. When a commitment is made to buy fewer things, our lives are opened to the opportunity of owning nicer things as well.
Minimalists are lazy.
I’ll be the first to admit that some people use minimalism as a means to live a lazy, selfish, unproductive life. But that does not define the majority of minimalists that I know. Most minimalists that I know carry the same responsibilities (work, family, society) as those who are not minimalist. And while some have certainly embraced minimalism as a means to quit their day job (meet Joshua and Ryan), most do so as a means to pursue work they love. And I think that’s a great thing.
Minimalists are extreme environmentalists.
Minimalism is good for the environment. Minimalists consume less resources and discard less resources. And that benefits everybody. But not everyone who embraces minimalism does so out of environmental motivations. Personally speaking, our embrace of minimalism was rooted in discontent with the path of my life. I was frustrated with the amount of money, time, and energy that was being directed to the stuff in my life rather than the relationships. And in minimalism, I found more opportunity to live out my greatest values… and contribute to the health of the planet along the way.
Minimalists are vegetarians/vegans.
I consider myself a minimalist. I eat meat and plants. So do countless others.
Minimalists are young and single.
Again, there are a large number of minimalists who are young and just starting out in life. Often, those of us who came to minimalism later in life, wish we could back and do it over. And while having a spouse and/or children can make the practice of minimalism a little bit tougher… they make it that much more important too.
Minimalists don’t appreciate books/information.
Minimalists may have given up their desire to keep every book they have ever read, but they have not given up their love of reading or pursuit of knowledge.
Minimalists count their possessions.
Some do. Some don’t. A few years ago, Dave Bruno publicly declared on his blog that he was setting out on a self-proclaimed 100-Thing Challenge to own less than 100 personal items. His proclamation earned some media attention. Soon, a grass-roots movement was born that consisted of individuals counting their personal possessions as part of the challenge. Leo lives with less than 50. Colin lives with 55. Joshua lives with 288. That’s it. That’s the story. And while some care about the number, most of us don’t.
Minimalists are not sentimental.
Less is different than none. Personally, my family finds more value in sentimental belongings if we pull out the most important pieces and keep them in a significant place. As a result, rather than a box full of sentimental things stuck in the basement or attic, we display the most important sentimental pieces from our past somewhere in our home… again, promoting the things that are most valuable to us.
Minimalists are condescending and pompous.
Minimalists love their lifestyle and naturally sing its praises. Some do it in a condescending way. That’s really unfortunate. Because most are just kindly inviting others to experience the same benefits they have experienced from adopting a minimalist lifestyle.
Minimalists are being mean to their kids.
Kids need toys. They play an important role in establishing intelligence, maturity, teamwork, and worldview. I have not met a single minimalist who denies their child the privilege of owning toys. I have met many who limit the number of toys that their children own… but teaching children the value of boundaries allows them to flourish.
Minimalists never entertain.
Making a positive difference in our community and in the lives of others has always been important to my family and will continue to be so as long as we live. To accomplish that, my wife and I host groups of teenagers in our home twice per week. And often throw other parties in addition. In fact, we had 30+ people over for a party on Superbowl Sunday, which should also address one more misconception… Minimalists don’t own televisions.
Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of everything that distracts from it. It is a highly personal journey that forces you to identify and articulate your highest values. Because of that, it is always going to be practiced differently by each individual.
No wonder minimalists come in all ages, genders, races, nationalities, social classes, and religions. And no wonder it is a growing movement that invites everyone to own less and define their lives in greater ways than by the things they own – and find freedom because of it.
Grace says
Excellent article. Thank you for pointing out the misconceptions and your response to them as I was bothered by some articles on minimalism by other writers. I think it is important to find the value in embracing minimalism, (why it is important to you), while balancing and adjusting it to your own life style and stage in life. I am a working mom with 3 kids so it is really a challenge to stick to the basics of living a “full life” without taking away the convenience of modern life.
Living the Balanced Life says
This is an awesome post Joshua! Does a great job of explaining what it is and what it isn’t, and all shades in between.
I love that you mention that minimalists DO buy stuff, and many happen to buy nicer, higher quality pieces that will last a long time. Quality over quantity.
And life is not boring. We, personally, would rather have experiences than things. Hubby and I had a great date on Friday. We spent over 2 hours wandering around a “museum”. It was actually a flea market/antique mall. The interesting thing was my change in perspective as we were walking around. Previously, I would’ve been looking for stuff to purchase to add to our home. I made the comment that something would have to majorly speak to me, heart and soul, for me to spend money and bring something home. We enjoyed looking and reminiscing at things from our childhoods, but we didn’t have to bring any of it home. It was a lot of fun, and a real eye opener too.
We did end up buying 2 small stainless steel pieces for the kitchen, something you can’t even find nowadays!
Will definitely be sharing this post!
Bernice
Reach out and take a hand
Amye says
You say it all so well!
Marnie - The UnBlogger says
I’m glad you clarified those important points about minimalism. Some people like to focus on the extreme just for the sake of criticism. Your post is spot on.
Jo@simplybeingmum says
There are an awful lot of misconceptions. The main benefit I believe minimalism brings to our family life is ‘Choice’, bu owning, spending and committing to less we can make higher quality decisions and choices.
The TV misconception I felt so strongly about I posted about it last week at 11.45pm – I had been in bed 5 minutes and got up to blog.
Jenny @ exconsumer says
Hi Joshua,
I just found your blog today. This is a really helpful post. I’ve just started exploring the world of minimalism after discovering that many of my dreams and inspirations are in line with a minimalist lifestyle. It’s nice that you acknowledge in your post the wide range of definitions for minimalism. It’s different for everyone.
I have a house, a husband, two kids and far more possessions than I “need.” Even so, I try very hard to practice conscious spending every time something new makes it’s way into our home. A new rule I’m thinking about implementing is that for each new thing that comes into our house, one or two old things move out. We’ll see if my husband and sons are up for the challenge. :)
Bill Owen says
Josh, I have been a minimalist nearly my entire life. I found growing up that everything I owned placed a demand upon me for my time and attention. That forced me to put a value on my belongings and discard those I didn’t find useful. I either sold or gave away those items. Many non-minimalists define themselves by what they have (keeping up with the Jones’). Minimalists define themselves by who they are. I also find minimalists very pragmatic in their purchases: extraneous expenditures make no sense. Once a year I review my possessions and make the cut. There is no predetermined quantity to my selections, just what I feel I need. I have discovered over the years true joy in this practice. When I travel, even abroad, it’s a carry-on bag for me. My friends end up dragging all manner of baggage around with no apparent benefit. Who needs the hassle? A minimalist philosophy has other advantages. I know where everything is, so I never spend time looking for misplaced keys, etc. I gave up smoking because cigarettes were just another wasteful “thing” to occupy my life. The Swedish have an expression for “just enough”. I call that the essence of minimalism.
Denise Johnson says
Josh, thanks for giving me something to share on Facebook. My friends and family think I’m a wierdo…but I could be so much more extreme than I am. I don’t count my stuff, I have three televisions, and I have six storage totes in my garage. I also just paid off a credit card…and paid cash for a Taylor electric acoustic guitar for my husband. I love that I’m only buying what I need and love and have my weekends free to hang out on the porch with a cup of coffee instead of dusting and cleaning my unnecessary items. I love my new path…and thank all of the above mentioned bloggers for their assistance in changing my world view.
Renee@rousingrowena says
This is great and perfectly true! I have long felt that your particular manner of minimalism was very much tune with mine. I live in a house with three other non-minimalists, the most recent being the addition of my mother-in-law. Yesterday we went through her boxes and boxes of stuff together – she was overwhelmed and had made little progress over 3 weeks. I was not upset, just a little weary of the boxes piled up in my family room. I made certain that she did not feel as if I was pushy or intrusive as we went through them. It was a beautiful walk down memory lane for her – some things she said “oh that’s junk, just throw it away”. Other things are going to charity. A few really nice things we put around the house, making this her home too. Other things were saved to go through another day – boxes of cards, photos, mementos. As to the rest, I found places to put it all, organized and where she could find things. Naturally, I have lots of big empty cupboards due to my minimalist habits. Seems it was meant to be. Minimalism makes me happy, compassion for others makes me greatly happy.
Nurchamiel says
Having a limited amout of toys (or close to none) is actually good for children. This way, they are forced to use their imagination and fantasy to have fun. It is stimulating and an creative outlet for them.
Living the Balanced Life says
I didn’t have this realization so much when we were raising our kids, though we did limit to a degree, simply because we did not have the money. My daugher now has 6 kids, ages 2-10. While they do have toys, one of the best things they like to play with is each other. They make up games and play pretend and imagine. What a much better way for a child to learn and grow! I love her kids (even though I am biased!) but people always comment on how well behaved they are, how well they treat others, and how well they interact with adults (and they DON’T even homeschool).
Bernice
10 steps to learning for life