Minimalism – could you be a more minimalist person?

Minimalism is about having less stuff and enjoying the freedom of having less, believing that less means more happiness, contentment and joy.

Hello friends!

Minimalism goes against the grain of our western society. Since we were little, we receive a lot of information from the environment that surrounds us. One of these pieces of information says that we will be happy the more things we have and even better if these things are the newest, most modern and coveted. In summary: the more you have, the happier you will be.

I know you’ve also heard the opposite of this, that having it doesn’t matter, that what matters is being. But the tendency is for you (and me) to listen to this, find it beautiful and then immediately start wanting to buy something else, be it a new shoe – to complete the color collection or not to be out of fashion – or the latest technological object of desire, a new TV, a car, yet another book not to read, or any object that would seem to fill an internal lack just for the next object of desire to appear.

In this sense, the size doesn’t matter: it could be a key chain or a new motorcycle, a cell phone or an apartment with another garage for the newest car, an electric treadmill, a blender, a dress for that party, a slipper that everyone wears , a more comfortable mattress, 3D glasses, what is better because it is more expensive, clothes that are of quality because they have a label, foods that will spoil by the expiry date and will be thrown away, all this and much more to fill a imaginary need.

Minimalism, as I said, goes against the grain. Instead of accumulating and accumulating (we see how we have unnecessary things when we need to move house), minimalism advocates that people should have the minimum. Saying it this way might seem like we would lose, right?

However, for minimalism, what we lose is the psychic weight of having too much. By letting so many things go (either to the trash, or for donation, or for sale to third parties), we become lighter, more at peace, happier.

The difference with religious thoughts of total abandonment of material goods, of vows of poverty, is that the person who adopts minimalism as a philosophy of life does not need to have a religious belief to do so. She just discovers that she doesn’t have to work harder to have something that won’t make the slightest difference to her happiness, she doesn’t have to pile up in credit card debt, or flaunt trinkets for people who don’t matter.

Like the one who says that “Status is buying things you don’t want, with money you don’t have, in order to show people you don’t like, a person you’re not”.

Examples of minimalist people

Well, saying all this may seem too abstract. It is easier to understand the principle if you imagine the student Jessica, who says that everything she has fits in a backpack and, paradoxically, she has the life of a millionaire person, I mean, at least she has the freedom to come and go and take trips wherever you want, anytime. She defines minimalism as follows:

On her blog, she writes: Minimalism is all about having enough. It’s about having just what you need, no more, and especially no less. What do you need can refer especially to your possessions, but can also include your commitments, relationships, work, and lifestyle.”

When she mentions that she lives like a millionaire person (without having the millions in her bank account), she means that anyone wants to have a million dollars, but not for the money itself. People want to have more money to enjoy what money can offer, for example, travel, happiness, personal satisfaction, recognition, freedom to come and go. Now, looking at these characteristics, Jessica claims that she lives, then, like a millionaire.

Lisa, on the other hand, does not consider herself a minimalist person at the extreme of having all her things in a backpack, but she agrees with the philosophy behind minimalism and believes that she is happier keeping her possessions in an amount that she can control. and handle smoothly. According to her: “this makes life easier, less stressful, and even seems to give you more hours in the day”.

After all, you don’t have to waste time cleaning, organizing, taking care of so many things if you don’t have them. Another benefit raised by Lisa on her blog (also in English) is that when you stop the “addiction” of shopping you save money – which can be used in many other ways, such as traveling, taking care of the people you love, donating, working less.

The bottom line, however, for Lisa is as she writes: “I am content with my life. I know human nature, and part of the pursuit of the American way of life (the American dream) is always wanting more and more, but actually it’s much better to be grateful for what you already have. We are a family with only one car, but having only one car makes everything easier than having two, plus it is cheaper, which is worth the sacrifice. I live in a small apartment, with no garden or garage, and not much space, but I’m happy here. I am no longer as impatient with the little space as I would be if my things were piled up and my house was cluttered with too many things.”

Conclusion

Well, minimalism, therefore, is about having less, getting rid of what has already been bought and stopping buying unnecessary things. I imagine many may think it’s a cool idea, however, very difficult to put into practice.

So, the suggestion of the minimalists is the following:

1) Realize once and for all that there is no long-term relationship between happiness and buying a new object. The object can give you a momentary joy, but no more than that.

2) Start by taking a look at your wardrobe, your drawers, your closets and separate everything into three items:

a) objects you don’t use and will never use again

b) objects you use sometimes

c) objects that you use all the time and are useful to you

Take the objects classified in a) and get rid of them: selling or donating to those who may use these things. If it is difficult for you to know if you are going to use it or not in the future (criterion b), do the evaluation again in a month. If you haven’t used it even once, chances are you won’t use it in 12 months or 12 years.

3) Before buying anything new, ask yourself:

a) Will this really be useful?

b) Is this just to have? To satisfy a lack? Just for consumerism? Just because it’s cheap?

If you answer yes to b) it means that you are just buying a trinket (okay, it can be good, beautiful and cheap), but if it is not useful it will be just one more thing to accumulate for nothing. It would be better to save the money and make better use of it.

4) Always be on the lookout for shopping areas that may be particularly tempting. For one person, it might be shoes. For another, kitchen items. For another, it could be technology, books, etc. The question: is this going to be useful or is it just consumerism should resolve most doubts in new purchases.

As Joshua Becker says, “Have less stuff. Enjoy the freedom. It’s as simple as that”.

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