I am so excited that today we begin the minimalism conversation by discussing a general overview of what is minimalism, and where to start. Later on, we will deep dive into the different areas where you can apply the principles of this approach, this will be based on my personal experience and the continuous research I make about this topic.
Minimalism at a glance
Living with less
Finding value
Emptying yourself
Eliminating the unnecessary
Decluttering
Keeping the essentials
Letting go
Is minimalism getting rid of things?
Most people typically relate minimalism to decluttering things, things that we keep just in case we need them one day. . And yes, I agree that is one of the main lines of minimalism. But I've discovered that it's not limited to things! It's amazing how once you are into minimalism, you switch your mindset, and the ideas on where to apply minimalism start flowing. For instance three of my favorite topics where I've applied minimalism are mindfulness, grocery shopping, and planning my agenda.
What is an unnecessary thing?
Unnecessary = You don't need it, it's not essential.
But wait, it might not be natural to everybody to just know what is unnecessary. We are so overwhelmed with marketing campaigns and Instagram stories telling us we need to buy the designer purse, the new season clothes, a bigger car, a bigger house, a nicer phone, all of it, to be happier. Or maybe, we feel the pressure of spending tons of hours working and having tons of meetings on the calendar just for our boss to know we are productive. Maybe we DO need to work that much, in order to pay the bills of all those unnecessary things we were told we need, it's a vicious circle.
For me, finding what is unnecessary began by asking myself the question:
What do I value in life?
And I've discovered it's not a one-time exercise, we probably want to ask ourselves that question on a regular basis. Why? Because we change, we learn, we have new experiences which inspire us and produce new feelings, new goals.
Finding value in the different aspects of life to me for example is my husband, our family, my well-being, and traveling. This means that I will prioritize and dedicate my time mainly to these areas of my life that I treasure the most.
I think this is what's lovely about minimalism, it can be tailored to everybody's personal values and personalities. This means that minimalism will be different for one person vs. another based on their circumstances.
How can I apply minimalism in my life?
The following four steps can be applied to almost any topic of your life (your agenda, clothing, kitchen, relationships, etc.)
1. Identify what you value the most
2. Look at what surrounds you
3. Differentiate the essentials from the non-essentials
4. Let go/get rid of the non-essentials = Declutter
And this is just the beginning of this conversation that I deeply enjoy, we will soon talk about the multiple benefits of this lifestyle and more. Let me know your thoughts about minimalism, can you relate to this lifestyle? Do you feel curious about learning more? What aspects of your life would you like to apply minimalism to? You are welcome to comment below.
Cheers!
Kassandra
Comments