32 Ways Minimalism Has Impacted My Life
Just in case you needed a few more reasons to embrace minimalism and start your journey, I have compiled 32 ways minimalism has impacted my life. The ways are not in any particular order.
- Critical, discerning, analytical, and questioning- I look at everything differently now. I'm less likely to accept what's on the surface. In past situations, I was afraid to question things because I thought it would appear that I didn't understand.
- Conscious- I’m aware of myself, surroundings, and the impact I have on them. I have an increased personal, cultural, and environmental consciousness.
- Better writer- It's all about editing. I write shorter sentences, with less adjectives, and get to the point quicker.
- Organized- With less clutter, it’s easy for me to sort and find items.
- Style- By paring down my wardrobe, I was able to solidify and identify my style.
- Focused- I’ve reduced the multi-tasking and can better ignore distractions.
- Refined design skills- I can compose a web page, graphic, or piece of jewelry that matches my tastes.
- Courageous- I’m willing to do more things in spite of fear.
- Distinguish needs from wants- I could do this before, but I chose to rationalize the things I wanted. Learning to accept delayed gratification is also key here.
- Travel alone and efficiently- I've traveled alone with a reasonable budget and feel like I can go anywhere now.
- Learned to say no- There were certain people in my life that I felt guilty saying no to, but I realized I had to make a choice to do what's best for me and they would get over it.
- Learned to say yes- I welcome the things that I emphatically want.
- Creative- I’ve learned to make more from less.
- Clarify my goals- I can do this in general and in all areas of my life.
- Clarify my business message- I redesigned my website and found a topic that I'm passionate about.
- Reduced my possessions, recycle, and reduce impact on the environment.
- Charitable- I donate or giveaway my clutter to charitable organizations, friends and family. I also donate more to projects and causes I believe in.
- Spiritual- I meditate and pray more. I also more easily isolate the causes of my feelings and symptoms.
- Self-promotional- I’m less afraid to promote myself and my message. As Andrea Lewis says, "Social media is for self-promotion." We are promoting ourselves to connect with others.
- Productive- I know how to prioritize and focus on the essential tasks.
- Save time and simplify routines- See my simple mornings and simple evenings videos.
- Live on a limited income and budget appropriately- I’ve been working part-time in various jobs and pursuits for a couple of years now in addition to creating my businesses and I know how to stretch my money.
- Self-editing- Looking internally at thoughts, feelings and the words that come out of my mouth.
- Wrote my first book- Live Simply + Be Free Declutter workbook.
- Slow down and have more patience- I'm more present and embrace the moments.
- Connect to others- Both in person and virtually. It’s refreshing to find people who share your desires and values and to learn more about others in general.
- Accepting- Everyone has their own path and it’s not my place to have an opinion about it.
- Authentic- Not that I was fake before, but now I know myself better and can portray myself more accurately.
- Less worry- Many things and outcomes are not in my control. A way will always appear.
- More responsible and mature- I accept my involvement, actions, and roles.
- Less judgmental- We all judge. I just try to do it less these days and do more of #27.
- Outspoken- I found my voice and feel more comfortable sharing my opinion.
Plus two more.
Take risks- I've left jobs and overall reduced the hours I spend working for others, not afraid to make mistakes, and invest in myself through training and other ventures.
Confidence- Overall, I've grown significantly and feel secure in the person that I am today.
How has minimalism or simple living impacted you?
5 Things to Know Before Starting Your Minimalist Journey
Before you start anything, a job, an exercise, a relationship, it's best to have some idea of what you're getting into. Here are five important tips I wish I would've known before starting my minimalist journey.
1. Minimalism is different for everyone.
Be realistic with your goals and don’t feel like you need to adhere to any rules proposed by others.
As you seek to learn more about minimalism and simple living, you will come across a lot of information about how to start your minimalist journey.
There are ranges of minimalism from the tiny house enthusiasts to the luxurious minimalists, backpackers, extreme minimalists, and eco-minimalists.
You will also visit sites that encourage you to pare down to 100 items or give some other kind of standard for you to aspire to on your journey.
There is no right or wrong way to be a minimalist as long as you share the general philosophy that you're able to live with less and are conscious of what you add to your life.
You're only goal is to find the right amount of less for you.
2. Be prepared for a basket of emotions.
These emotions can include excitement, fear, guilt, resolve, and peace.
These days I mostly feel resolve that I've chosen the right lifestyle for me. I find peace in knowing that I use most of the things I own on a daily basis. Also, I can pack up and leave at any time with my backpack and suitcase.
Even still, there are some days, when I need to do a little fringe decluttering and I come across something I bought which I didn't need and probably could've used the money for something else.
You may feel excitement when you finally decide to embrace a simpler life, see the money you have saved, or revel in the new open spaces in your home.
You will also feel bouts of fear when it's time to let go of certain things and guilt about the money you wasted.
The good news is the negative emotions will eventually fade and peace will become the norm.
3. You may become addicted to purging.
Unfortunately, there is no Declutterers Anonymous, but you’ll survive.
Maybe I shouldn't call it an addiction. I will say that you'll be better able to spot clutter and become more efficient at cleaning and tidying.
Organizing will be a cinch and you will no longer look at these tasks as chores, but will approach them with determined energy.
In fact, you've actually just gained a superpower. Every time you walk into a room, your declutter vision will activate.
This also leads me to the next thing you should know.
4. You will want to help others declutter and encourage them to start their own minimalist journey.
As long as you do so with their permission and respect their choices, simple living could help you form and forge deeper bonds with others.
Resist the urge to tell people how they should be living and what they could do without.
I still struggle with this at times as some of my friends and family can attest, but I will say that any suggestions are given out of love and a desire to see them flourish.
I know the power of simple living and how it's impacted my life. (Sidenote: Whenever I talk about the benefits of minimalism I feel like I'm testifying or trying to convert someone to a religion.)
The main thing to remember is each of you are on your own journey. Help others as much as you can, but know the boundaries between advice and support.
5. You may just start out decluttering, but if you keep at it, it will become a lifestyle. You will look at other areas of your life differently.
Instead of limiting your decluttering to the new year and spring cleaning, how about making a life change.
A recent article in the Washington Post suggests you do just that and it's also the reason why I created the Live Simply + Be Free workbook. So you can declutter your whole life at any time and develop practices to sustain your simple life.
Naturally, as you start decluttering one area, you will wonder what else you can simplify. If you have a competitive spirit, you can turn becoming a minimalist into a lifelong sport with immeasurable rewards.
Hopefully, with these tips, you're more than ready to jump into your minimalist journey.
What tips do you have for aspiring minimalists? What would you like to know?
Talking About Your Minimalist Lifestyle
How do I talk about my minimalist lifestyle to my friends and family?
This is a question I see frequently in minimalist forums. When choosing not to conform to a consumerist and materialist mindset, it can be hard to explain to the people in your life that you want to make a change and that you're not selling all your stuff because you're broke.
If you live with others, having a conversation with the people in your household is required. You can’t go tossing people’s things without talking to them.
Last time we talked about the fear of letting go and your household members will share those same fears.
Talking to the people who live in your house:
- Call a house meeting.
- Propose the idea or let them know what you've been up to.
- Explain your why.
- Explain how it benefits everyone.
- Promise that you will consult them when you want to toss something of theirs. Some people may get rid of their family’s stuff and they never miss it, but I think it’s a common courtesy to let them know if they are old enough to understand what is happening.
- Get your household on board (if you can) and involve them in the decluttering process.
- Be prepared for them to resist the idea, sabotage your efforts, or ignore you all together. Return to numbers #3 and #4.
- Be consistent in your efforts and set the example for your household to follow.
Talking to people who don’t live in your house:
- First, if they don’t live in your home, it’s really none of their business, but you may want to share what you’re doing or they might ask questions.
- Do number #3 from above.
- Talk to them about giving gifts and other things to you and your family.
- If they resist, ask them to respect your choice and remind them that it’s your business what you do. If they continue to give you stuff, politely, but firmly decline, return, or donate it.
- If you don’t tell them about your lifestyle change and decluttering, don’t be annoyed when they give you stuff, but take the opportunity to educate them.
Communication is one of the most important aspects of your relationships and if you want to be successful on your minimalist journey you need to be clear with others about what you're trying to achieve.
See five more things you should know before starting your journey.
Fear of Letting Go
The fear of letting go is paralyzing.
Letting go is hard to do, but before we talk about letting go, I want to talk about holding on to things.
We hold on to stuff because we are emotionally attached to it.
We convince ourselves we'll need it one day.
We buy more things because of more emotional responses to objects.
They look shiny, new, and hold the promise of giving us something that has eluded us thus far: confidence, style, status, peace, stability.
Letting go means we have to admit the promise was not fulfilled.
As the emotional attachment fades, the object becomes clutter.
We may have to admit we were impulsive or the item no longer has value.
We wasted money that could’ve been used for something we needed.
We never really liked it or no longer like it. We have buyer’s remorse and regrets.
The item may have been a gift we didn't want or need. We have to admit that we didn’t make the best choices.
All of these negative thoughts and feelings are rooted in fear. The fear of change.
If we let go of these things, who will we be? Will people view us differently? Will we be able to get it again, or what we really want?
I’m not going to tell you not to feel the fear.
It’s valid. When you live simply and remove the distractions, you have nothing to fall back on but yourself.
I will tell you to be courageous.
To understand that you are letting go to welcome abundance into your life. Change is good for you. Use your fear as motivation, not only to simplify your life, but to achieve what you truly desire in this life.
Let go.
What fears do you have about letting go of things?
Minimalism, Decluttering and Simple Living
My (short) minimalism story.
When I started decluttering and adopting a minimalist lifestyle, I had no idea that's what I was doing. I didn’t even know there was a name for it.
All I knew was I didn’t feel great about my life. The first thing that came to my mind was to get rid of stuff I didn’t need or want.
I started decluttering. I was subletting an apartment at the time. I decided not to look for a new one. I moved back to my mom’s place.
Three months later, I quit my job as an academic advisor. I found a part-time job within a month. I then planned a trip to Mexico to clear my head.
The most important thing that came out of my simplifications is I decided to embrace my goal of coaching and helping others create the lives they want.
It’s been a great journey, but it might not have been possible if I didn’t start decluttering and changing the way I looked at my world.
What is possible when you make the shift to a simpler way of living?
It all starts with you and what you want or don't want, in my particular case.
You realize your current way of being isn't enough to take you to the next level of your life. Wanting more starts with less.
You can achieve anything you want by getting rid of the things that are not helping you achieve your goals. Minimalism can help you meet and exceed your dreams and goals.
Semantics
That other thing I want to discuss with you is words. I have used the terms and phrases you may be familiar with: minimalism, decluttering, minimalist lifestyle, and living simply, but what do they mean and how do they relate to one another.
Minimalism: Whether you’re talking about art, music or design, it all boils down to one thing: simplicity. Getting to the essence or heart of something, the necessity of it.
A minimalist lifestyle is crafting a simple life by focusing in on and paring down each area of your life and making a commitment to minimalism.
Declutter: The act of getting rid of stuff, physical or otherwise. You can declutter without being a minimalist. Decluttering and minimalism are not synonymous.
Anyone can declutter their things, but being a minimalist signifies a commitment to simplifying and changing all aspects of your life for the long-term.
Simple living: There is no difference between this and minimalism. You can call it whatever you want. The key is you are living with less, doing and being more.
I don't want you to get caught up on the words. When starting on your journey, you don't have to call it anything. Just start.