My Discovery of Minimalism

On my search for happiness and purpose I have discovered Minimalism.  Minimalism is about living with what is most valuable to a person, and removing what is not.  This does not mean just physical belongings, but anything in your life that takes away from what you really want to be doing.  This can mean anything from an event you really don't care to attend,  a thought consuming your mind, or simply that ugly vase that aunt Gerdie left you.  There is not a certain number of items you must own to be considered minimal.  There are no rules. It is about recognizing your true priorities and letting go of everything else.  For me, having memories and experiences is much more valuable than "stuff".   Stuff gets in the way of me being able to make memories and go on adventures.  I am done with the things I own actually owning me.  I will no longer allow things to control my life or put a damper on it.  I want to be free, and live my life as simply as possible.  I choose to live with very few possessions. I choose to put my time and energy where It matters the most, for me. 

 I had all these items stuffed in closets, pushed under beds, and in cabinets.  It was like every door I opened something fell out.  I was miserable.  The items I owned were taking over my life.  It was like I was living to just care for the items.  It was a daily struggle just to get the house picked up.  Most days I just couldn't deal with it.  I found that I would organize, then it never stayed that way.  I wanted to be able to get out of the house and do something fun.  I never could find the time to do much.  I was very depressed.  My life felt hopeless.  It may sound silly to some, however when you are living with an anxiety disorder and depression its nothing to laugh about.  Each day was getting more and more difficult to get out of the bed.  Then, a day came where my sister called and told me to look up minimalism and so I did.  That was the day I began to change in every aspect of myself.  I watched a documentary called The Minimalists. You can check out their website here.   http://www.theminimalists.com/  This is where I started.  It was my gateway into this new lifestyle.   After watching that documentary I was hooked, and began immediately going through my belongings.  I started in the easiest place for me which was clothes. That first evening I went through my closet and removed two bags of clothes, and a few pair of shoes I never wore.  I dropped them off at a donation center and never looked back.  It empowered me to be able to let go of stuff.  Everyday I would awake and find a place to begin, maybe it was just a closet or drawer for that day, and I went through it.  It wasn't always easy to part with my belongings, but I pressed on.  My outlook was that the more stuff I got rid of, the less time I would spend cleaning. Instead I could have time to find myself. The days went on and I did a little each day.

When parting with my physical items it brought back all sorts of emotions. There were several things I took pictures of to help this process for me.  I felt like I was throwing memories away.  All these items brought back an important moment or time in my life and here I was throwing them in the trash.   So when I placed them in the trash (or donation bag) I asked myself  "do you still have the memories?"  The answer was yes!  Memories cannot be discarded.  They are logged in our mind, and if we do need that physical reminder of one of our old possessions a picture is almost just as good. It also takes up a lot less space, especially if you digitize them.

When it comes to obligations and responsibilities many of us bite off much more than we can chew.  There's the kids sports, church activities, family outings, reunions, weddings, birthday party's, etc.  The list could go on and on.  I had all kinds of stuff that was taking up my time.  The worst part though, I didn't even want to be where I was.  Then why was I wasting my time at an event or activity that I didn't care about.  I was letting others tell me what I should be doing.  The pressure of responsibilities that another person put on me, that I voluntarily accepted.  It made zero sense.  I since have eliminated all  obligations that do not add value to my life and I am a much happier person for it.

When a person is minimal that means that they have evaluated their lives and omitted whatever is not important.  Whether it be an object, obligation or any aspect of their life that needed cleaned out.   The entire point is that what is important to someone is getting the time it deserves, and everything else is forgotten.  The importance for me was that I needed to be less stressed and I needed my spare time to use for me.  Minimalism has helped me eliminate the unnecessary objects from my life.  I can now prioritize what is important to me.  I am a happier person and  I have the time I need to focus on the things that matter to me.  I have let go of material items, and now  I collect memories and experiences, not possessions.