Minimalism Isn't About Having Nothing, It's About Experiencing Freedom From Attachments
Create a more enriching life with less
We Live In Hoarder Culture
We are hoarders. Collecting things is our specialty.
We fill our garages with stuff instead of the original intent of a garage:
To park your vehicle.
If you look in some people’s homes, you walk in, and stuff is everywhere.
Their garages are stacked with boxes, tools, gadgets, and shit they never use.
There is enough cutlery and Tupperware to feed a village of people.
There are enough coffee mugs to treat a whole company to K-cup coffee hour.
There are enough clothes for a day’s worth of orders at Macy’s.
Okay, some of these are exaggerations, but some people come close to these measurements.
What Is Minimalism?
Less is more. Simple is better.
When you implement minimalism, you realize you don’t need what you don’t need.
You fiercely question your wants and desires.
Why do I want this or that?
How will it serve me?
And you continue interrogating your desires and needs until you can accurately determine their validity.
Many of our desires and needs are not our own; they’re simply a blueprint of what everyone else desires.
For example, I’m approaching the tenth anniversary of my car. I paid it off seven years ago, which means I could have bought a new car a while ago—as most people do; instead, I’m still kicking it, and I’m okay with that.
Embracing minimalism means living intentionally.
You don’t follow what everyone else does, which tends to be centered around materialism and consumerism.
Some people never learn, but if you’re lucky enough, you’ll quickly learn that many possessions do nothing for you.
Though there is nothing wrong with having a desire, question it. Explore the motivation behind it.
Some desires are worthy of manifesting. Others are not.
Some might desire 10 cars or 100 pairs of Jordans, but there’s a high probabilty you could be happy with fewer cars and shoes.
Though there is nothing wrong with owning these things, it’s pointless.
Holistic Minimalism
Minimalism doesn’t stop at your possessions, though.
It encompasses your relationships, career, health, habits, and obligations.
Relationships
Do you need to befriend everyone who says “yes” to being your friend, or should you be selective with your time and those who surround you?
Career
Is your career adding value or detracting value from your life?
Are you happy with your work or bummed out 99% of the time?
Health
Do you need to take 20 supplements daily, or do you only really only need ten solid ones?
Habits
Do most habits occur by default, or are they intentional and productive?
Obligations
Did you sign up for your obligations because you want to or have to?
Are there any obligations you can eradicate?
Why Should You Implement Minimalism?
I don’t understand why I naturally geared towards minimalism, but ever since I was a kid, I was constantly obsessed with giving away stuff and living with less.
My desire to live with less grew stronger as I accumulated more resources.
You should implement minimalism because it’s fucking liberating.
You can invest more in building wealth and experiences.
You can maintain little to no debt because you spend less than you earn.
If you want to live somewhere else, the process is simple. Get up and move. You’re not bogged down with stuff, and overpriced moving costs to haul your heavy burden.
If someone damages your car, you don’t have to be overly concerned because you can afford the repair.
When you live with less, you accumulate more because you spend more intentionally.
It’s a liberating feeling knowing that:
You don’t have to upgrade your phone every year.
You don’t have to spend your money the way most people do.
You don’t have to get a new car after paying off your current one.
You don’t have to dress to align with the amount of money you earn.
You don’t have to buy a bigger house just because you can afford one.
How Minimalism Has Benefitted Me
I’m currently going through the most extensive purge of my life. It’s not because I’m giving away a ton of stuff.
I’ve given away most of my possessions at this point, but I’m giving away the things that people don’t usually give away, such as:
Books
Sentimental items
Things I like but don’t love
I pay attention to the feelings that surface when I touch, look, or use an item.
Does it make me happy?
Does it remind me of someone I enjoy thinking about?
Do I feel tense or light when I see, touch, or feel this item?
Why Am I Doing This?
I desire to live as clarified as possible.
I want to enter my home and feel as light as possible.
I want to use my car and not see pointless clutter in it.
The things and people we surround in our lives can affect our energy.
I want to experience positive and light energy, so I’m only adding and surrounding myself with items that make me feel this way.
Freedom From Attachments
People develop these crazy attachments to their things. You can observe how bizarre the concept is when you step outside yourself.
Sentimental items make sense. But even that can start to accumulate. People’s attics are full of sentimental items they never touch, use, or think about aside from the once-a-year visits they make with them if they’re ever in the vicinity of it or doing a spring cleaning.
Most people are broke and living paycheck to paycheck because they’re attached to things, accumulation, materialism, and consumerism.
They don’t know how to stop buying things.
Attachments to things will keep you broke and living in a stuffy environment.
All the things you thought you needed, you don’t really need.
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