we find inspiration in stories of everyday folks who have decided to begin living a minimalist life.
recently, a fellow blogger shared her story with us. you can visit her blog at the everyday minimalist.
I became a minimalist when I took my first job as a consultant in 2006. I was travelling all the time, and getting tired of it, so I asked if I could stay in the cities I was working in for the duration of the project rather than flying back home all the time.
Clients loved it because I saved them airfare, and it was much less than the cost of living in the hotel for another 2 more days, all expenses paid. I went home, I sold all my furniture, sold half my wardrobe, gave up my apartment, put all my clothes & other essentials in storage and embarked on my new adventure. And I became what I had come to term a “modern nomad”.
From then on, I lived out of one suitcase, cooking and living in hotels and saving a boatload of cash. I didn’t have to pay for rent, telephone, utilities, internet, pool privileges (not that I had time to swim), or food, as I received a fixed amount from the client each day.
During the course of the first year, I realized that I could very comfortably live off my one suitcase. Why the heck did I need all the stuff I had back in storage?
That’s when it hit me: I could live on less, and a minimalist was born.
Now that I have a fixed address again, I’ve softened my stance on minimalism. I don’t need to live out of one suitcase (even though I have), because I simply don’t have to. I can however, live with less than I had before.
I came to the conclusion that someone with a lot of possessions can still be a minimalist, if they apply those principles and make conscious choices in other areas of their life. For example, if you love books, then put your allocation of items towards books. For me, I love having variety in clothing, shoes, and jewelery, so that’s what I’ve kept… not books, papers, extra furniture or decorations.
And minimalism as a philosophy can be applied to anything, because it’s essentially simplifying, prioritizing and organizing.
if you would like to share your journey about becoming minimalist (whether you are just starting or have been living minimal for years), we’d love to read it and perhaps, share it with others.
I get homesick every time I move – even if the move is an improvement.
Why would you assume she changed her lifestyle for her customers? Or that she’s forsaken her family and friends?
My reaction was to envy EM for having a job she enjoys and satisfies her enough (intellectually, not financially, because I didn’t assume any capitalist greed on her part) that she doesn’t need stuff to come home to in order to unwind or be comfortable. A home is just a place and some people have the ability to make any place home. It’s a trait I highly admire. Thanks for the inspiration!
So whats the point of changing your life-style for the sake of satisfying customers? Its so empty and pointless. In fact, its a scandal that you change your entire life with seemingly no regard to your home, your friends and loved ones in order to become a modern nomad. The modern nomad is an inhumane capitalist zombie, my friend. Get a life with friends and a home!!
Some jobs require travel.
Talk about projecting your own experiences on em’s story!
If you read the story carefully, you’ll notice em made the choice to improve HER life. “I was travelling all the time, and getting tired of it, so I asked if I could stay in the cities I was working in for the duration of the project rather than flying back home all the time.”
It’s possible the temporary change even resulted in em having more time to spend with family and friends. em’s story was my favorite because she accurately summed up my view of minimalism: “And minimalism as a philosophy can be applied to anything, because it’s essentially simplifying, prioritizing and organizing.”
Great story! And Em makes such good points about putting minmalism into practice in various areas of your life to streamline and prioritize.