Minimalism is the pursuit of owning less.
Physical possessions do not bring lasting joy into our lives. But even worse, physical possessions often become a distraction from a more joyful, purposeful, and focused life.
It is one thing to admit that possessions don’t equal happiness… it is something else to recognize how they keep us from it.
But this realization, that our possessions have become an unnecessary burden, forms the foundation and basis for minimalism. For those who see (or have experienced) this weight, minimalism is a means to an end. By owning fewer possessions, we free our lives to pursue things that matter.
This, then, is minimalism—and why the lifestyle continues to grow in popularity.
Those who pursue it with passion, at some point, run directly into a new question, “How do I know when I’m done minimizing? How do I know when I have removed enough?”
Often times, when minimalism is first discovered, the pursuit for more becomes replaced with the pursuit of less. And those who are captivated with the benefits of minimalism can quickly become obsessed with its pursuit. So how do you know when you’re done minimizing?
To those who have reached that point, and have begun asking the question above, allow me to offer two thoughts:
1. Celebrate your progress.
Desiring to own less holds more potential than desiring to own more. You have overcome (at least for now) a common lie told in our society—that happiness is found in the pursuit and accumulation of material possessions.
You have seen the foolishness of this claim and have embraced a lifestyle counter to it. Good for you. Celebrate the fact you have minimized many of your possessions and have freed up valuable resources. In many ways, you live an enviable life and have discovered that less is more. Be thankful.
But also…
2. Remember why you chose minimalism in the first place.
What was your motivation? What pursuit compelled you to free yourself from the burden of physical possessions? Did you want to spend more time with your family? Save more money? Pursue a hobby? Align your life with spiritual values? Or make a bigger, more specific difference in the world?
The goal of minimalism is not to own as few things as possible… nor is the purpose to be constantly chasing less and less. The goal of minimalism is to be living your life centered on your passions and values.
So recall your initial motivation. And then ask yourself, “Am I doing that? Have I gotten to a point where I’m able to do what I said I wanted to do with my life? Have I freed myself enough to pursue it?” If so, you’re probably ready to move into management mode of your minimalism, as opposed to a decluttering/minimizing mode.
Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of anything that distracts us from it. If you have achieved that in your material possessions, it makes no sense to constantly obsess over chasing less. Not when you should be enjoying the life you have created that is now right in front of you.
Debbi Johnson Trester says
The older I get (73), the more I am minimizing and I do know why. When my mother went into a nursing home I had to empty her one bedroom apartment. Thankfully, it wasn’t a big house because she was a hoarder. Could never make a decision to get rid of anything …even love letters from my Dad long after they were divorced. I made up my mind that I didn’t want my child to have to go through that so I AM CONSTANTLY TAKING STUFF TO A THRIFT SHOP THAT BENEFITS SHELTER ANIMALS. I am keeping the most valuable items to be part of my estate, but I know he is not interested in the rest. I have always been organized and on the less is more wave, but now it has increased to the point I am trying to convince other people they will feel better and less stressed without so many possessions.
Annpatrice11 says
Since reading The More Of Less twice, I have been to Good Will at least 5 times and feel like a whole new person with a bigger house, more free time, less worry and anxiety and more inspiration to do what I enjoy. Life changing. I can’t believe the amount of STUFF I had stored all over the place! No wonder I had insomnia. No more retail therapy for me.
Julia Hufford says
“The goal of minimalism is not to own as few things as possible… nor is the purpose to be constantly chasing less and less. The goal of minimalism is to be living your life centered on your passions and values.”
This statement may seem obvious to anyone who isn’t from America. I Love this nation with its open possibilities and its prosperous, free economy. But, if we aren’t keyed into our purpose, (guided by our true passions and values), it’s easy to get off mission, and see the prosperity or even the dizzying array of possibilities AS the Destination, rather than a way to get there.
I’ve done enough attempts to, “go minimal”, that I know that even THAT is not the Desination…It is, like every other “tool”, useful to this extent: – that it is useful to achieve another, even more fulfilling, “end”.
Timotheous says
As always, another great post Joshua! I suppose there are still things I could minimize, but I don’t obsess over it. As my clothes all fit in the closet, and I them all, and our kitchen cabinets are not overflowing with unused cookware, we don’t feel the need to go crazy getting rid if things.
Our biggest purge was when we moved cross-country and had to dispose of a large portion of our goods, we didn’t need to conduct a major purge after that. Now, it is a matter of critically reviewing things as we see items in our home, and make the occasional trip to goodwill.
BTW, love the header pic; it’s Triple Falls, in North Carolina’s DuPont State Park. It is one of my favorite spots to go hiking.
Deanna Perez says
Great points Mr. Becker. I’m always minimizing because life is a season. What I need now I don’t always need later. When I retire, I look forward to donating my capsule wardrobe, but for now, it stays. Because I periodically purge physical items, it frees me to ponder the emotional, mental and spiritual things I may need to purge. I no longer have the distractions to keep me from living an intentional life that invests in eternity. I have time to serve/ volunteer without the stress of thinking, “I need to be doing —————-.”
Brooke @ HappySimpleMom says
I feel like we reached a point of management in our minimalism journey, and then we moved. Now I feel like as we enjoy our new space, we are starting over a bit. Finding out what has a purpose, if we still love it, and if it aligns with our new values and situation. Minimalism helped me focus more on what mattered most to us at this time in our life, and that was me being home with my kids instead of in a typical 9-5 career. We also moved to the mountains and are enjoying a slower pace in life. The trick now is to find out what stuff fits into this new life. It does seem like a process that sometimes repeats itself.