Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Sarah Peck.
“We live in a world of scarcity. Which means we feel like we never have enough.” – Brené Brown
Living in a world of scarcity means that we’re constantly searching for the next thing to fill us up, the next destination or achievement to make us whole. Our world is filled with messages that tell us we don’t have enough space, enough stuff, enough clothes, enough fitness. We’re never skinny enough or pretty enough or good enough or rich enough.
This scarcity model drives consumption and accumulation; it spurs us to want more, to buy things because we think it will fill the void. We press to work harder, to get fitter, to buy more clothes, to acquire more things in the name of filling the hole.
The problem with scarcity, however, is that you can’t fill it or fix it with things.
The answer to scarcity, ironically, isn’t more. It is enough.
What you have is enough. Who you are is enough. As Danielle LaPorte says in her Fire Starter Sessions: “You already have everything you need.”
What about Minimalist Enough?
This cuts both ways, however. As a person with lots of things, and an apartment with hundreds of books, I sometimes feel like my efforts to de-clutter and reduce the number of things that surround me aren’t enough. And the thought begins to creep in: I’m not minimalist enough. I see someone who is minimalist and only has 100 things and the internal voice begins again, “I guess I’m not minimalist… enough.”
These attitudes are pervasive and can race around in my head. I can quickly become overwhelmed with the desire to eliminate stuff, lose weight, be better, do more, achieve….more.
But the idea of minimalism isn’t about reaching a goal, or checking off a box, or reaching a certain destination. To me, minimalism is realizing that what I already have is enough, and that adding clutter to the pile won’t make it any better. And chasing a dream of more minimalism is, ironically, not what I’m after either.
To me, as I breathe out and sigh into the life that I’m living, and find gentler ways to tweak, edit, and refine; I find that recognizing what is important and what is not is the most critical exercise.
Stripping away the excess lets us get to the bones of what really matters. Get to the heart space. Get to the pieces that are important. And that level can be different for different people.
My Modest Minimalist Journey.
I recently conducted an experiment in which I decided to stop buying new clothes for the entire year. (There were two exceptions: shoes and underwear, but only as needed). For an entire year, I lived without buying anything new, on purpose. As a female in a clothes-and-image-centric society, I wanted to see what it was like to live without shopping for a while.
I was always dismayed by the number of female friends that were readily going into debt to maintain their image in public. When I thought about it, $400 outfits (the average price on any feature shopping magazine page) can add up to a lot of money if one were to wear a new outfit every day for a year. (That’s $150,000 just on clothes—who are we kidding?). You might think I’m joking—but to be perfectly honest, I know people who are $20,000 and $30,000 in credit card debt from clothes shopping alone. The image pressures on females (and males!) can be increasingly intense.
Yet over the year, as I experimented in my journey of wearing and re-wearing the same outfits hundreds of times, I also found there were times when I got discouraged—especially when I looked around online and saw things like the Versalette by revolution apparel. I inadvertently compared myself to other people who were doing a better job at buying nothing than I was.
But then I realized: I don’t have to be the best or the most minimalist. I can be minimalist enough. Minimalism isn’t about winning, and it isn’t about a particular achievement. It’s about finding out what matters to you, and getting rid of the peripheral.
Over the course of the year, I thinned out my closet and pared down to a few favorite items. I made over twenty trips to charity with bags of clothes and gently worn shoes that I no longer needed. At one point, I had socks and underwear with holes in them, and I got out my sewing machine and fixed them up. Making old things new again was surprisingly satisfying. Getting rid of all of my extra socks—and just having a few pairs to use each day—actually made my life simpler. The process of getting rid of things reminded me of what I liked—and what mattered.
Over time, I started to become acutely aware of everything that crossed the physical threshold of my front door. The amount of stuff that piled up around me on a daily basis crept into my consciousness, and I’m still surprised by the amount of clutter we let into our lives each day. Every time I brought something new in—mail, letters, books, ideas, shopping bags—I tried to make a conscious effort that the stuff I was bringing with me was valuable, and that I was also taking enough stuff out of the apartment each day to keep my space maintainable.
Untethering from the need to consume was surprisingly easy. It was the attitude change that made the most difference: looking through my things and realizing I already had enough—that I didn’t have to rush out and buy something new to fill a hole or a need—let me breathe again. It was relaxing and reassuring to know what I had was okay. What you are is already good enough.
I learned, slowly, that having excess stuff was giving me a headache, wasting my time and energy, and wasting a lot of money I wanted to focus on eliminating debt.
Over time, I will continue to whittle away at the things I don’t need in order to make space for the things I love. It turns out, all those unnecessary clothes were crowding out the space of the things I loved. I got rid of several boxes and cleared off a space for all of my books—one of my loves. Clearing out, to me, is about reducing the unnecessary clutter in your life to make space for what matters, and finding a balance that lets your soul breathe. It’s about stripping away the things you don’t need so you can focus on what’s important.
Sometimes a subtle attitude shift or a small sacrifice can make a big difference. Like taking the time to appreciate that what you already have is enough. And your effort? It’s enough.
Because stuff isn’t what matters.
What you have is enough. YOU are enough.
***
Sarah Peck is a writer, designer and storyteller.
babu says
thank u being simple not only in clothes , but on your thoughts try this also
my master says it is very simple to act
simplicity not only clears home but heart also
do try to avoid the unwanted quarrels and the time wasting talks, chats and there by unnecessary thought will not come to the mins
Melodie says
Help me! This is a great post; I needed the encouragement as I am currently thinning my wardrobe. As others have said, I keep wearing the same things and passing up perfectly good items that I just don’t want to wear for some reason. My question is, if someone will kindly answer it, what about summer clothes? We have extremes in Michigan, so I have several sweaters for winter, but it’s really hot in summer, so I tend to need lightweight cotton tops – and these don’t seem to last more than a season. What have others found that work for summer clothes? I try to buy quality, but it doesn’t translate well to summer stuff, and I am constantly replacing.
Jeanine S. says
I too have vowed not to buy any clothes for an entire year, with the exception of a dress for my Daughters wedding. This is a great challenge for me since I love clothes shopping! I had come across your blog one evening last month while at the time I was ridding our basement of extra items we no longer use. My next step was my walk in closet filled with clothes and realized that I have lots of extra items in there too. Ill admit, it can take me 10 minutes deciding on what to wear. Well guess what? I pick the same shirts and jeans every week while passing up most everything else! I have packed away less used items and kept favorites. I do not need anything else. If a shirt wears out Ill simply replace it with one from storage decreasing my storage. Who knows maybe I will be able to last longer than a year!;) Wish me luck! Thanks for the inspiration!
Jeanine S.
Naiyaru says
Amen to that! I feel the same thing. I believe that live should flow, new things (material and immaterial) will come into your live and leave. It’s only natural. So it’s accepting the things that you can use, all the others, I give away to friends, strangers and charity.
It’s never perfect, it’s not a system, much more a sort of energy I redistribute. Thank you for your article, it strengthens me in my approach of minimalism. Well done!
Christina Vendley says
I just love the part about we are enough. Well said.
Chris says
We ARE enough, Very well written. I share many of your thoughts and am trying to turn them into deeds.
Urs says
Thank you for this post. It was so inspiring. It has made me think about my clothes buying habit and, maybe not go all the way as to say I won’t buy any new clothes for an entire year, but definetly think about stop spending on things that I don’t really need (or even want sometimes).
Bonnie Jean says
Thanks for the post, Sarah. I also did this for my 60th birthday year, resolving to buy no clothes for a year. Initially, a little difficult, mainly due to the force of habit, but eventually found myself spending less time at the store or thrift shop, leaving that time for other pursuits. Overall a great experience.
Asta Lander says
I am doing the Free Fashion Challenge. That is 365 days of not buying old or new – and that includes socks, underwear, shoes and accessories. You are also not allowed to accept gifts though you can swap. I am finding I wear a lot of the same clothes – though I have loads in my wardrobe – you just tend to use your favourites. One sock has a hole already so I am bracing myself to learn the good old art of darning. People ask me what I will do when my knickers have died on me – I tell them I will make a pair from an old T-shirt (I’m hoping I won’t have to). Thanks Sarah. I loved reading your story. – Asta x
(I have a Facebook page you may like – The Simply Living Challenge)
bronze formal shoes says
I like it whenever people get together and share views.
Great site, keep it up!
Jacob says
Great post! I think that the idea that you have to reach a certain goal to be a minimalist is probably the biggest pitfall to fall into. The idea of being content with what you have, of knowing when the stuff you have is enough is a powerful one. It’s also an idea not taught by our society today. I’m glad Sarah and others like her are working to change that mindset!