“Every little thing, you think that you need
Every little thing that's just feeding your greed
Oh, I bet that you'd be fine without it” - Peter Doran
What does your best life look like? Not the one you portray on your social media, your real one.
I used to believe there was a ‘template’ for a good life, a dream job, a nice car and a big house in a nice neighbourhood. I was taught to be grateful for everything life had offered me as I made my journey towards this ‘good life’. However, I was never introduced to the concept of being content and happy with ‘less is more’ when I reach my dream job. It didn’t make sense to me at first, when you have the money and resources to buy whatever you want, wouldn't you just buy it, and that would make you happier?
After watching “The Minimalists: Less Is Now” on Netflix by Ryan Nicodemus and Joshua Fields Milburn, I learned the answer was no. Buying new items can bring you temporary happiness, I learned this lesson in lockdown as I kept buying new items just to feel excited for the next package I was waiting for. The excitement I felt waiting for the next package was masking how I was feeling in lockdown. When I took a step back and looked at the bigger picture, I could see problems that I one day expected money to mask. Not problems that I have created for myself, ones that were out of my control. I always unintentionally thought ‘making it’ would one day bury this problem. I didn’t have a set definition of ‘making it’ but like most people, it involved having a comfortable amount of money so I could buy all the materialistic items I desired. I learnt from Ryan and Joshua that money cannot mask your problems and expecting them to was chasing ‘things’ that do not align with your values. There is a ‘need', ‘want’ and ‘like’ for everything we chase, the ‘want’ adds value to your life and in my case, the ‘want’ was healthy relationships. The ‘like’ are things that pretend to add value to your life, such as materialistic items.
To live a remarkable life I needed to declutter my mind from my problems. The minimalistic approach of accepting that material possession will not bring me happiness allowed me to be open-minded and willing to face the real problems in my life ultimately finding closure.
What are the thoughts that clutter your mind?
What are the problems that you face?
Are you unintentionally hoping to mask your problems with material possessions? How much happiness do material possessions bring you?
During the lockdown, I moved back to Yorkshire temporarily. Slowly, I began cleaning the attic that contains boxes of memories and sentimental items from my childhood and university. I felt nostalgic and found it hard to let go of the items. I reflected on the lessons I had learnt from Ryan and Joshua, “let go of sentimental items, make a pile of things that you would put in the storage units, that is stuff you should let go off”. How often do I look through all this stuff? It has been over 3 years. All this clutter to hold on to memories? I could renovate this space as a walk-in wardrobe or as an office. I could make real use of this space but instead, it was being used to store clutter disguised as memories.
Do you hold on to items that remind you of life events? The birthday cards, the wedding invitations, your sibling's first artwork or plane tickets.
How often do you look at them?
The memory lives in our mind so why do we hold onto clutter and label them as sentimental items?
Would you find it hard to let go?
My mind was cluttered, my space was cluttered and I didn’t know that was the case until I watched ‘The Minimalist’. I could see how being a minimalist would set me free.
Could your mind and space be cluttered?
If you let go of items and the need of wanting more ‘stuff’, could you feel a sense of freedom you didn’t know existed?
Freedom from overwhelm, freedom from the trappings of the consumer culture.
Being a minimalist does not mean you stop owning material possessions, just less of them and stop assigning meaning to your stuff. As Ryan and Joshua described, we tend to give a lot of meaning to the material possessions we own. Often setting aside personal growth, our passions, and the desire to contribute beyond ourselves. How can minimalism set you free?
“Minimalism allows you to make decisions more consciously, more deliberately”.
Want to eliminate your discontent? Live in the moment? Rid yourself of excess stuff? Create more but consume less? Could minimalism be for you?
How do you get started?
15 Day Minimalism Game - Donate or recycle one thing on the first day of the month, two on the second and keep going. This challenge was originally 30 days, which I initially found too extreme. But when I started, I found it difficult to only pick a few items on my first couple of days, I was ready to give up a lot of ‘stuff’ that had been sitting around idle in my bedroom or attic for years.
The wait for it rule from the Minimalist 16 rule guide; it's hard to not impulse buy, especially with advertisements we see everyday and online shopping. How can we avoid unnecessary purchases? The wait for it rule. If an item you ‘like’ costs over £60, can you go the next 60 hours without it. The extra time can help you decide whether or not this new item you like will really add value to your life. If you do decide to buy it, you will feel better about your decision as you purchased with an intention, not impulse.
These are 2 steps you can take but there are more. Learn more about Minimalism and try to embed it into your life to see the remarkable freedom it can bring you.
💭 Thoughts to take away:
Resisting impulsive buying during lockdown was very hard. Instead of buying clothing, accessories and makeup that I was not going to wear until lockdown was over I began looking at meaningful purchases that would add value to my life such as books. Being a minimalist does not mean you can’t purchase new things, it means you purchase with an intent to add value to your life. Choose a book over a bag, choose a course over a new pair of designer shoes. Purchase items that align with your values.
Like most of us I felt the desire to own designer items. We add a meaning to the purchase of designer items, often we associate expensive items with success and luxury. Letting go of that desire brought me peace. Associate peace, freedom and life experiences with success and luxury. Not materialistic items that will sit in my wardrobe until I will wait for the perfect day to use them.
It may be difficult to let go of the items that hold a special place in your heart or remind you of the important times in your life. Nostalgia can be wonderful, but to move forward with your life, it is time to declutter and let go. When I started to let go of material items, my confidence to let go of thoughts and experiences came naturally. It’s okay to look in the past and feel grateful for experiences, but if you are like me and can sometimes get stuck in the past. Removing this clutter to clear your space can also help you clear your mind too.
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