“Choices are the hinges of destiny.” – Pythagoras
Because of the nature of this website and our personal story, I have the opportunity to read scores of e-mails from people who have decided to choose minimalism as a lifestyle. Usually, I tell them the same thing, “Good for you. Enjoy the journey. You’ll never regret following through with your decision.”
And make no mistake about it, minimalism is a decision. It is a choice to live counter-cultural. We have been told since birth to consume and collect. Deciding to become a minimalist rejects those messages and intentionally chooses less instead.
While life is full of decisions, some of them are bigger than others. Some of life’s decisions can be made without much forethought. But other decisions should be made only after all of the consequences have been considered. Becoming minimalist is one of those decisions – it is not a decision to be entered into lightly. While on the surface, minimalism seems like just throwing away a bunch of clutter. It is, in fact, a journey that will ultimately end in your heart, mind, and soul.
Because of that, it would be wise to think through the impact that minimalism will have on your life before choosing it. Consider how this one decision will affect your entire world:
It will rock your emotions. As you begin to purge your possessions, you will begin to wrestle with the “why’s” of your belongings. “Why do I have a basement full of stuff I never use?” “Why have I held on to old t-shirts or jerseys from high school?” “Why have I never thrown away these mementos from a past romance?” or “Why exactly is it so difficult for me to part with these items?” The truth of the matter is that you have known all along the location of your garbage can, recycling bin, or local goodwill. You have kept all that stuff for a reason… and discovering that reason is going to be an emotional process.
It will rock your values. At its core, minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things you most value and the removal of anything that distracts you from it. In order to remove nonessential items from your life, you will need to identify the essentials. You will be forced to identify and prioritize your essential values… maybe even write them down. As a result, you may come to the difficult realization that you have spent much of your life pursuing things that aren’t really all that valuable.
It will rock your view of society. Our world invents, produces, promotes, and purchases material possessions at an alarming rate. Our world loves stuff. It’s how they find security, impress their neighbors, and prove their worth. Becoming minimalist not only changes your view of possessions, it changes your view of society, culture, and its messages. And while your mindset has changed, society has not. So be prepared, culture begins to look much different when you are on the outside looking in.
It will rock your lifestyle. There are countless practical benefits of minimalism. You will have more time, more freedom, more money, and less stress. Subsequently, your lifestyle will begin to change. You may choose to get out of debt, work less, travel more, or start blogging (at least, that’s what I did). No matter what you decide to do, minimalism is going to change your lifestyle.
It will rock your relationships. Once you have made the decision to become minimalist, you will find minimalism to be a topic of conversation that surfaces regularly. People will be intrigued with your new lifestyle and they will ask you about your progress. You will enjoy speaking about the positive impact that the decision has made on your life. And they will soon desire the freedom that you are enjoying.
It will rock areas of your life that you never dreamt possible. The principles of minimalism will eventually creep into other areas of your life. You will soon begin removing nonessential items elsewhere in your life. Eventually, you will simplify your time commitments, your goals, your screen time, and maybe even your diet. A simplified lifestyle naturally flows out of a minimalist lifestyle.
Minimalism is a lifestyle that should not be entered into lightly. But don’t get me wrong, minimalism is a lifestyle that should be entered.
Just consider how this one decision will affect your entire life:
- You will recognize emotions that are keeping you from living life.
- You will live life for things that are valuable and lasting.
- You will recognize the false truths championed by society.
- You will experience a lifestyle you never thought possible.
- You will inspire and encourage others to live in freedom.
- You will ultimately simplify almost every area of your life.
On the surface, minimalism seems like just throwing away a bunch of clutter. But it is, in fact, a journey that will end in your heart, mind, and soul. And that’s why you’ll never regret it.
I have often enjoyed a browze through a thrift shop, discovering something really useful that was needed and at a good price. There is the thrill of the discovery; the fact that something is useful or desirable that one has in fact wanted or needed; and the fact that it is available at a much better cost – the bargain! But what happened was that I was accumulating too many “finds” and there just wasn’t adequate space for it all. I’ve always loved kitchen “stuff”. But I felt overwhelmed when I entered my kitchen. So I’ve been decluttering it, and parting with possessions and learning to let go so that I can experience more from this essential space. Well, I’m halfway there, but I’m already amazed at how the act of simplifying has made washing dishes and cooking food much more pleasurable. It has been work — sorting, evaluating, assessing…But it is well worth it. It is becoming a much more joyful space :) Thank you.
I am trying to begin this journey. I have hauled my things from one place to another, storage, garages, clothes, everything! I have a problem getting rid of my stuff. I can throw out garbage and go through paperwork but I get horrible anxiety when I even think about cleaning out. It is very overwhelming! Part of this is because I have my stuff in various locations and nowhere to sort, store, or organize it all. I have a tiny apartment with ine closet for my daughter and I (now my world is being consumed with all of her clothes and stuff). I wish I could afford to hire someone to actually hold my hand and help me go through it all, get rid of what I don’t need, organize what I do and have a big yard sale to make some extra cash. Where do I start? How do I get rid of my books just because I have read them? How do I get rid of house décor? How do I sort through the massive amount of clothes and accessories I have when I fluctuate about 15 pounds? I need to do it. I just need help. Everyone thinks it is ridiculous or don’t know why it is such a big deal but I am a sentimental person and feel bad getting rid of things that I can use someday. Can anybody tell me where to start? How do I begin this journey? I know I will feel like this weight that has been being dragged by me for years has been lifted, I just don’t know how. Any advise? Thanks!
Thank you for this. I have just recently decided to minimize my belongings after years of accumulation and struggling to part with my stuff. It’s liberating to see it start to go away and I’m looking forward to lessening the impact my stuff has on my life and to actually begin to be comfortable in my own house.
And all this started with homo consumens, i.e. man was realizing (in the western world) his existence through having, and not through being. A big question was, to have or to be? attachment to relationships places jobs personalities etc etc etc it’s also entirely not the point since, those are ephemeral…right? so there is not being or becoming (this is the war of Plato & Aristotle) whereas the second said: “How can you become what you already are?!” The bottom-line I want to stress-out is that we are already full and this fullness will define our approach through minimal…if one puts into action the less is more, is because the equation is that he/she already has enough….
where is the article?
it’s so minimal, i think we received only the headlines :)
Hi Josh,
I love this article! It truly sums up what you need to understand and consider before choosing minimalism. I have found many people think it will bring them better STUFF and in reality, they are setting themselves up for failure. It really does start with clutter and end with you emotions, heart, and beliefs. Great article
Good stuff.
This weekend we started to de clutter, simplify , unload, minimalize!! What ever the word may be its been such a great feeling and we have asked ourselves why we have hauled all this stuff around for years or stored it in bins? We also have family dishes and items from great grands and grands etc …
My friend and I are doing a large bag a day at the least :)
Thanks for everyone sharing .. Soo good! I am encouraged!
I discovered a secret I’d like to share with others.
Living in an old quality motor home is the cheapest way I’ve found to live. I bought a 1982 Blue Bird Wanderlodge (QUALITY) for $10K (paid cash) and live in an RV park for $400/month! There are so money advantages to living in an RV. I can move my house if I want, I’m totally self-contained if I need/want to be, only 280 sq-ft to heat/cool, no property taxes, no foreclosure, if rent goes up I can just move. No one ever shared this way of life with me–I thought it was just for old retired people with money. Older quality motor homes like Blue Birds can easily be bought for under $20K and they are built much better than any house I’ve owned. The only downside is I’m single and have had no luck finding a partner whom embraces this lifestyle.
I’ve been thinking of taking this on for quite some time now. It’s really difficult for me to imagine a life without all of the things I have but I know that there are other things which are more important to me. It seems like all of my possessions simply suck away my time, space and stress me out. I’m glad to initiate this journey.
Thank you for the wonderful article!
I would like to weigh in and accomplish three things (forgive me I’m studying to become an English teacher at the community college level – so if you don’t get the joke you are probably better off). First is to thank joshua and responders for well-articulated and heart felt points made. Second is too deal with the whole age thing; and third ask for any constructive advice that may cross your mind. At sixty I find myself torn between wanting to live life for life’s sake (be here now) versus finally learning to store acorns for the winter – never done well. I have flirted with a few careers, the longest being thirteen years as a social worker, after earning an MSW during my forties. So, while many would say that it is.. well.. sexy to be a man whose passion is helping others, few would (understandably) argue that one should do so at his own expense (well-being). I do not want to turn this into something Freudian, I just want to say that I am struggling with whether to move to the country, live on a few veg planted acres, and live in a renovated school bus – and that dileema sums up my deep dark secret when it comes to dating. On the dating sites it seems that the vast majority of women have been world travelers – with photos for proof – and they enjoy the finer things in life. No jealousy, resentment, opposition here; I just don’t want to be part of all of that. . . and yet, I like to think that I am a man’s man (translates to not a macho bone in my body, but willing to sacrifice that body for those I love), but here’s another rub: “I loves me some shoes!” I have more than a few pairs and fine myself coveting my neighbors’ (though I hasten to add mens’. . .) Whew! so that’s what it feels like to come out! I guess what I’ve taken too much time and space to say is that I am afraid. I think that I love and accept myself. I don’t think that I am needy. I think that I can be happy on a five acre estate with a garden and trees, and dirt on my knees and my twelve year old dog, Daisy, who really does love me hangups, shoes and all. I would just prefer to do it with a partner, and I am trying to find the courage to attract, find, or manifest her, if you will. As such, whether you are young or old, sane or not, please just pick one or two points here and respond from the heart. Thanks for listening.
Oops, spelling disclaimers regarding previous post from greg.
“too” should have been to. . . “deelemma” should have been dilemma. . . “fine” should have been find. These darned computers just don’t spell as well as the old school typewriters did – I apologize.
I am inspired. I have dreams of getting rid of all my stuff. The problem is the follow through. When I get to the bookshelf or to my closet, I start thinking that something is useful or that I might want it in the future. How do I overcome these things? Thank you.