3 Reasons Why I Love Minimalism

"Simplify, simplify." -Thoreau

I began the journey of becoming a novice minimalist when I watched the Minimalism doc on Netflix about one year ago. As I've heard happens to most people who have watched this evoking film, as soon as it ended I began assessing my closet to see what could be donated....and the decluttering began! Fast-forward about a year. I've learned quite a bit over this past year and have continued to remain on the path of becoming a minimalist.

I am by no means an expert, but here are three reasons why I love minimalism...

1. More Peace.  Getting rid of stuff I don't need has eliminated a lot of clutter in my brain. I never realized that the presence of tangible things could cause a dis-ease or subtle anxiety in my body. Getting rid of clothes, decorations, furniture, or anything else that I didn't need has fostered a greater environment of peace in my life. I feel freer than I ever have before now that my relationship to belongings has changed for the better. Gaining an understanding of the relationship between stuff and my well-being was a wonderful revelation for me.
2. Less Spending.  Before minimalism, I was unaware of how I was buying things (mostly clothes) to make myself feel better...a form of therapy I suppose. My closet space continued to become more cluttered with clothes, most of which I barely ever wore. I was unconscious of how I had let advertisements convince me that I needed to keep up with the latest trends. It was incredibly freeing to realize that I no longer needed to follow the marketers template of constant buying!  I have exchanged my desire to add with a desire to subtract. I have a personal challenge where I continue to minimize my closet (along other belongings). I never knew that getting rid of stuff could feel this good! Now, I'm able to use extra funds on areas that I value, whether that be experiences, on those I love, or on something I actually need.
3. More Time.  I recently moved, and upon doing so I was pleasantly surprised at how little I actually own. My belongings were able to be moved from one spot to another with just a few trips in regular sized vehicles. Packing things up obviously still felt somewhat daunting, but it could have been much worse. My minimalism journey has taught me that the things we own take up our time. Whether it's cleaning it, locating it when we need it, or moving it, stuff = time. I can almost guarantee that if you evaluate the things you own, you will realize the more you own, the less free time you probably feel you have. I have certainly discovered that the less I own, the more time I have to do the things that need done or the activities I enjoy doing. My advice is: if you are craving more time (as most of us are), try getting rid of some of your stuff.

For me, minimalism has been fun and pretty easy but I realize that it will not be this way for many folks, especially those with families. Although I am engaged, I currently only have my own stuff to live with and I understand how those with families have a greater challenge in front of them. But don't let this deter you! Start small. If minimalism sounds like something you'd like to reap some amazing benefits from, I would suggest by starting super simple. Try cleaning that overstuffed glove-box in your car, or maybe your medicine cabinet. I guarantee that once the task is complete, you will feel pretty awesome! Who ever knew that we could feel so good by throwing away stuff we really don't need?

To glean from the experts, I suggest watching Minimalism on Netflix. For a quick read, check out Joshua Becker's book The More of Less; I was able to find it at my local library but it's also on Amazon. 

Happy Minimizing :).