If you have decided to live with less, you may have also wondered about minimalism. Reading about modern day minimalists and people living simpler lives may have you confused about what minimalism really is. How can all of these people be minimalists, when their lives are so different?
How can they all be living the same lifestyle?
Minimalist lifestyles range from people who live in small apartments in the city to suburban homes. Minimalists travel the world and live out of a backpack and they also live in neighborhoods and foster their communities. Always a little different, they usually decide that, “enough is enough” and come to realize that the American Dream of working more, to make more, to spend more and have more isn’t working. They choose to live life on purpose. While there are similarities, minimalism is defined differently by each person, and each person modifies the definition as time goes on.
Why does the definition change over time?
At the beginning, you may define minimalism as cleaning out your junk drawer. When you start to unclutter, you immediately see the benefits of living with less. This benefit may be something as simple as always being able to find that one thing you used to spend time looking for. As you start to enjoy the benefit, you look for ways to live more simply. What starts out as an external journey (giving things away, cutting the cable), becomes very personal, intentional and more meaningful. You start to think of “stuff” as not just things but obligation, debt and stress. Then you see how this “stuff” is getting in the way of your LIFE and decide to make a bigger change. It’s at this point that minimalism becomes more about who you are, instead of what you have.
What minimalists have in common:
- The “enough is enough” moment
- A desire to live with less
- Making the decision to change
In my life, minimalism is:
- Ultimate simplicity
- Living with less
- Making time and space to discover what is really important
- Working towards real freedom
- Redefining freedom
- The answer to “enough is enough”
- Expecting and welcoming change
- Spending more time with people who lift me up and lifting them right back
The great thing about minimalism is that when you really dig in, you realize that when you live with less, your life becomes more than you ever imagined.