What kind of minimalism am I referring too?
Minimalism can be applied to just about anything you can think of. Minimal music, art, architecture, and even writing. Really it can be applied to so much more. These types of Minimalism do not apply to me though, I don't see anything wrong with these, in fact I do enjoy a lot of them. The minimalism I would like to speak about today pertains more towards physical possessions and useless items we own. I don't think it is bad to have lots of stuff, but are the belongings you have worth having? Does it benefit you or bring you down? My definition of minimalism is not having nothing, or near nothing, its about only having the things you need and that benefit you. Also having the things that bring you joy.
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Where I was before becoming minimal?
Belongings used to mean so much to me, seriously, I was a pack rat! I got it from my amazing mother, really though, she is amazing! (FYI, she is no longer the pack rat she used to be. In fact she probably has less things then me) Anyway, I used to have boxes and shelves full of items, even a shed full of stuff, that I believed to be so important. They had sentimental value, or items that just seemed like they would make me happy (they never did), or they might have some use in the future if the world fell apart. Yes, I used to prep for the strangest things that "could" happen. Now I am not saying you should not be prepared, in fact you should always try to be prepared for whats ahead of you, but it can get to a point that you start preparing for things that are so unlikely to happen, or you start to keep things because you "might" use it sometime in the future (You never will actually use any of it though). This is the trap I found myself in. I had so much stuff it would pile up, I had no where to put anything, and when I found a use for something I did have, I could never find where it was in the mess of all my stuff. I find it kind of funny now when I look back on it. I remember it adding so much chaos into my life. Trying to maintain and manage all of the things I used to have was a joke. I could never find anything I needed and was always worried about where my stuff was, or what condition it was in. It all took up so much of my time and really started to drive me crazy. I even got to the point I would look for things that I did not have already, or I would buy more stuff to keep feeding the fake happiness. It really became a big problem. That's when I found minimalism.
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(This image resembles exactly what my life was like. Unfortunately I don't have any photos from real life, honestly though, who would want to keep pictures of their home in this state?)
How I found minimalism.
So, what changed? How did I move from total chaos to simplifying my life and getting rid of all the items that were weighing me down. I'll do my best to explain. Funny enough, the thing that got me started in the right direction was my finances. I was not the best with money and spent it on a lot of junk (Big surprise right). It got to the point I would get paid, buy the things I wanted at the given time, and be broke. I did not like being broke one bit. So I got my money situation straightened out. Cut my expenses on everything I did not need and I only focused on what I did need to survive. "Ding Ding" There is the key, I decided what things I needed in life, and what things I did not. Once I was able to manage my spending, it was so much simpler to manage my personal belongings. I would look at something I have, and ask myself if I would spend money on that item again. If the answer was no, I would get rid of it. If it was something of value or that was used then I would keep it. I did this with everything I own and whittled down all my belongings. Once I started doing this it became a habit. I would go through all my items again and start getting rid of more and more. Eventually I got to the point I only had the things that I needed or enjoyed using on a regular basis. Sure I still have very few items I never use but I know they will have a good use in the future, good example is my med-kit. Its not used very often at all but it has its place and when I need it I will have it and wont have to dig through all the garbage to find it.
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Finally to answer the main question, Why I choose minimalism.
So to sum it all up, I choose minimalism because it allows me to remove everything I don't need in my life, to make more room and time for the things I do want/need in my life. It allows me to remove all the clutter, worry, and wasted time that I spend dealing with all my belongings. I can organize and find anything I need very easily. I was able to simplify my life, besides the most important things in life are not physical items, its the people we are with, the memories we make, the choices we have, the lessons we learn, and the people we can help.
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I added this last picture because it really gets a great message across. What really is important to you? Do you put your belongings over whats most important? I know I used too, and I'm so glad I can see whats really important now. I hope this inspires you to take a real look at your life, and find out what is most important to you. I know this has helped me grow and made my life so joyous and I would love for others to feel as free and happy as I do. Thanks to anyone who took the time to read this, I hope you enjoyed! Please leave a comment, let me know what you think about being minimal, I would love to hear what others think about this. Any upvotes and re-steems are greatly appreciated. I am so thankful for those who are following and supporting me already even though I am so new here, Steem is so great! Lets work together to make steem even better than it already is!
Until my next post, Peace Out!
v+r
Thank you
welcome
Hey I love this article! It made me remember my own minimalist's goals. Tomorrow, I'm throwing out some extra stuff and cleaning up my desktop (better not show you how it looks like now)... One thing I could never reduce in quantity is the amount of different plant species I have in my garden! I love diversity in nature... It's amazing how it's completely different when it comes to stuff, don't you think @hippieshyt?
I'm so glad you enjoyed! Getting rid of stuff is a never ending cycle, as our lives change so do our needs. That is really cool you have a lot of different plants, Its amazing how many and how different each plant can be. I love nature as well, I look at it as a wonderful gift from God, there is so much to enjoy. It truly is amazing. Thanks for the support and your feedback, I really appreciate it!
Hey @hippieshyt, I found the best tool here is to limit the amount of things I bring home. I ask myself "Do I really need it?" before bringing it in the house. :)
Great article! We just got rid of all of our shit so we can travel and be truly free.. its crazy how light i feel now that i own next to nothing! :) anyhow, welcome to steemit. Us hippies gotta stick together so i followed and upvoted.. good luck and take care. :)
Thank you so much man, It truly is freeing ! I agree man we do gotta stick together. Ill be sure to check out your content.
#resteemhorizon <-- this will bring u a free resteem so more people can see ur post.. i will try to give u some helpful info occasionally, because i know how confusing steemit is at first ;)
Awesome! Thanks I really appreciate that.
No problem.. i also sent u resteems from @red-rose / @re-steem / @irfansardar to help get ur post seen. It is easy for posts to get lost in the sea of spam so this helps it get put back to the top of the which is extremely important on weekends!
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Thank you
Well said! I love being minimalist and as a graphic designer and even in daily life i love optimizing and making things minimal!
Thank you, I appreciate that, It really does make so many things in life simpler and optimal.
@steem-untalented
I learned a lot.. I think I had a lot of stuff that needs to be thrown, and that includes grudges and hate. Just have to keep all the positive things.
Glad to hear it, I am still finding things to get rid of till this day. I love how you mention you need to throw away the grudges and hate, I never even though of being minimal in the negative feelings we carry around. It is so true though, getting rid of the negativity will bring you up so much. Thanks for the reply!
This Post has Resteemd by Steemit Viral Good Luck !
Thank you
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Thank you so much, I definitely will be sure to help out others who create good content.