Minimalism is a lifestyle, an approach to life that can change the way you feel, think and live. It’s a way to live a more meaningful, fulfilling, and authentic life. Most people dismiss minimalism outright. They never even ask the question, “Should I become a minimalist?”
Think about the weight of all the possessions you own. Realize all the emotional baggage that comes with those items. Reflect on the memories, feel the guilt and the regrets. Now imagine a life where you are free of that weight. A life where you can focus on the things that truly matter to you here and now. Shifting focus to make the most of your time, energy and resources.
Imagine a life where you are surrounded by only the things you truly need and love. You breathe deeper and move more freely. Peace, joy and contentment come from the simple things. Imagine a life where you can fully embrace your passions, your values, and your purpose.
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How Minimalism Improves Mental Health
Minimalism is not about deprivation, it’s about freedom. It’s about letting go of the things that don’t serve you, so you can make room for the things that do. Should I become a minimalist is the question that precedes the light bulb moment. If you need to simplify your life, so you can focus on what’s truly important, you should become a minimalist.
The mind power it takes to own a bunch of stuff is immeasurable. All the thinking and worrying and planning just for the burden of having to house hundreds of thousands of items is illogical.
Minimalism is not a destination, it’s a journey, a process of self-discovery, a path towards a more authentic and fulfilling life. By decluttering and simplifying your life, you will reduce stress and anxiety. Long term stress can have catastrophic health consequences. When you shift your focus towards experiences rather than material possessions, your sense of fulfillment and happiness increases.
Financial Benefits of Minimalism
Minimalism is not only a lifestyle choice, it’s also a logical one. By embracing minimalism, you can save money and build generational wealth.
Your home is likely your largest expense. The bigger the home the more money you spend each month to maintain that home. People continue to get bigger and bigger places to live to house all the stuff they accumulate. But if you declutter you can end that insanity.
Lowering your housing cost is only one part of the equation. Selling all your unwanted stuff can liquidate some quick cash. Moving forward, your decrease in spending will create an entirely different budget than you’re used to.
Minimalists think differently about resources. Money doesn’t equal stuff anymore, money equals freedom. Now you can use money to have time freedom, location independence, and a better quality of life. Priorities change and money becomes the tool you never realized you were wasting.
Take Control of Your Time
You are more likely to do any action if there isn’t several annoying actions that need to take place before you can even get to the thin you need to do. For example, your child wants you to make brownies for the school bake sale. If your brownie pan is in the back of a cabinet under countless plastic containers, behind the back up blender, and stuck to the cabinet by some unknown sticky residue, I don’t care who you are, that deflates motivation to make the dang brownies.
Becoming a minimalist reclaims time you previously wasted. When your environment is cluttered and disorganized it’s difficult to focus on tasks. By decluttering and simplifying your space, you create a more productive environment.
And the beautiful thing is, just because you got the task done in less time, doesn’t mean you need to pile on more crap to fill your time. You can rest.
There are no longer frantic minutes or hours wasted looking for things amongst your clutter. You don’t ever have to organize and re-organize your home office ever again. It can just have less stuff. Getting to your desired kitchen item shouldn’t be a chore in itself. Possessions have a lot more command on your time than you realize.
Parenting Made Easier
Children are constantly over-stimulated. Our desire as parents to give them everything has tipped the scales to put them in a constant state of overwhelm.
Instead of trying to make your child’s bedroom into a toy store or book store, shift your focus towards experiences. Get down on the floor and play with your child. Put your cell phone down in another room to allow yourself to be more present. Both hands should be free to play, comfort, or embrace your child. Heading to the library to read a book together is far more impactful than a shelf full of books in their bedroom.
Growing up in a minimalist household gives children the opportunity to be more creative. Blocks, a play kitchen, and some dress up clothes are all they need for months worth of entertainment. Think about it this way, if the tenth toy didn’t fulfill their insatiable appetite for new items, the hundredth toy won’t either.
My child’s teacher told us that for morning snack she would give my daughter a graham cracker. But my daughter would not eat the graham cracker. Instead, she would save it for lunch time when she was allowed to open her lunch box. We often packed her maybe 10 chocolate chips as a treat. After eating her lunch she would ask the teacher to put the graham cracker with the 10 chocolate chips in the microwave. At 4 years old she had learned to delay gratification to have a more satisfying experience later in the day. I believe minimalism and focus on experiences created that disposition.
Entrepreneurs Embrace Exploration
If there is a silver lining to be found surrounding the whole covid situation it is location independence becoming more prevalent. A laptop and a backpack are all an entrepreneur needs to become fully nomadic. My family of four is slowmading around the world with six suitcases.
Remote work amid traditional employment allows previously location dependent employees to explore nomadic life as well. The most common thing that people say they want to do but never are able to is travel the world. Being able to earn an income while traveling is my favorite thing about the modern age.
Your perception that housing is expensive, healthcare is expensive, gas is expensive, it’s all relative to your location. Earning an income from a first world country and transporting yourself to a developing nation shows you just how far your dollars really can go if you leave America. We have had amazing experiences long-term staying in the Dominican Republic, Egypt, and Thailand.
People reach out to me all the time to say how much they admire me for living this lifestyle. They claim it is not for them for various reasons. While I do not expect everyone on Earth to become a minimalist slowmad, I do think the more people learn about the process the more likely they are to follow suit.
By becoming a minimalist, you can join a community of individuals who share your values and are committed to living a more simple, calm, and fulfilling life. By embracing minimalism, you can be an example of how a simple lifestyle can bring significant benefits not only to you but also to the world.
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