Never underestimate the importance of removing stuff you don’t need.
Encouragement is important in all areas of life, but especially when trying to live a life different than those around us.
Encouragement provides us with motivation to persevere. It invites us to dream dreams of significance for our lives. And it begs us to work diligently with optimism and promise.
Overcoming the pull of consumerism is a difficult challenge regardless of our stage in life. Simplicity requires encouragement. To that end, I hope you will find motivation in these articles below.
Each post was intentionality chosen to inspire simplicity in your life. For maximum effect, find a quiet moment this weekend and enjoy them with a fresh cup of coffee or hot chocolate.
7 Reasons Moms Need Minimalism | Motherly by Allie Casazza. “I could go on and on about how minimalism has impacted my motherhood, but instead I’m gonna break it down into a few main points.”
A Feng Shui Expert’s Recipe For Painless Decluttering | Mind Body Green by Marianne Gordon. Reducing the amount of stuff I owned was the secret to an easier life.
Generation X More Addicted to Social Media Than Millennials, Report Finds | The New York Times by Jonah Engel Bromwich. Adults 35 to 49 were found to spend an average of 6 hours 58 minutes a week on social media networks, compared with 6 hours 19 minutes for the younger group.
Why are we so attached to our things? | TED Talks by Christian Jarrett. (4:34). After witnessing the “violent rage” shown by babies whenever deprived of an item they considered their own, Jean Piaget observed something profound about human nature: Our sense of ownership emerges incredibly early.
Couldn’t agree more we moms need minimalism, maybe more than most so we can fully enjoy our families while our kids are still young. I recently realized how important it is as a mom to also have what I like to call “mental minimalism” or mental clarity as explained in my last post :) Thank you for continuing to inspire us all live a happier, more purposeful, simpler life!
Loving the idea about Generation X. I haven’t really observed this myself though. But it seems that I somehow agree that millennials are usually too busy with other things in their life as well. They have somehow outgrown social media I think.
Hi Joshua,
Thanks for the inspiring articles.
Referring to the Generation X article. Social Media is all about FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out).
While part of my productivity is online, I really like going old school again. Reading paper books, writing in a paper journal and talking to people face to face, instead of texting. It feels great.
I’m a mum and decluttering was the best thing I ever did. I’ve actually left the kids things until last and am in the final stages of sorting, but just decluttering the rest of the house has freed up so much energy and time. I wish I had embraced minimalism when they were much younger, it is a lot harder to change course when they are used to having lots of things.
The NY Times Generation X piece mirrors what I see daily: people immersed in their smart phones. Last night my wife and I read books for hours. Today we walked our dogs in light rain. There are more invigorating, deeper experiences than the superficiality of digital updates.
It’s refreshing to hear about people actually reading books and enjoying a walk in the rain! I get so annoyed and disheartened when I see people–young and old–constantly on a cell phone–texting or checking e-mails. I wonder what can be so important that it is necessary to be in contact with others all the time.
I am glad I found this website and can read about people who are not obsessed with material things all of the time.
I am trying to declutter my house and also refraining from buying things I really do not need. I am focusing on relationships and activities now.
Thanks for these links. Generation X and social media is so me I’m afraid! I agree with Allie Cassazza about minimalism and motherhood. Once I started to intentionally focus on what mattered to me, rather than the laundry list of things I felt the world expected of me, I became a better mother. As a lifelong messy person and hater of housework, with minimalism my house is almost clean and tidy!