Minimalism-A Choice to Live More, With Less

Experience- The Best Teacher

Our decision to move to the United States for good and the subsequent moving-house order of events brought a jolt of realization. It then hit us hard about how maximalism and consumerism had driven us to unnecessary clutter that mattered too little for a purposeful living. As rightly said, ‘Experience is the best teacher.’ This might be something we all know but needs to be reminded through such instances, I guess!

Less is More

'More is less' is what we have programmed our minds to. Most of us believe in addition to our possessions, extravagance, focusing more on the less important, diverting and investing our resources, energy, and time to the unnecessary stuff. When we do not buy with purpose and assign more importance to things that matter least, we end up in stress, anxiety, chaos, guilt, and clutter around and within in managing the unnecessary while missing out on more important and meaningful things in life. We trade our peace, freedom, happiness, time, and energy for unnecessary, meaningless, and less important things. When we choose excess, we get trapped in alternatives and options, making every decision more difficult and stressful with varied choices. Not only the physical space, but we rent our mental space to these things. 

Practicing Minimalism

Minimalism is prioritizing our needs and requirements. It is a choice to live with less of possessions and obsessions. It is eliminating the unwanted to make space for the necessary. To focus on what is essential. It does not mean depriving oneself of the basics but is a way to comfort oneself with the minimal. 

The question is, how can we practice minimalism? The answer is simple. 

• Focus and Invest in the Important. 

      Be it your time, energy, funds, or resources just invest in important and necessary things. 

• De-clutter the Clutter.

     Again, excess of anything creates clutter and mess. Eliminating the excess and unnecessary makes room for space and time           for more purposeful living. 

• Choose Quality Over Quantity.  

      Practice moderation and reduce additions and compulsive purchases that are not value additions. 

• Be Content 

Do not let others' life choices; lifestyle be the benchmark for your contentment and purpose in life. Do not compare yourself with others and let their life dictate your choices. 

• Prioritize

Understand the difference between your needs, wants, and luxury and prioritize accordingly.

• Be Mindful

Be observant of your consumption behavior and mindful of wastage. Be level-headed and uninfluenced by the promotional tactics of the advertisers. 

Benefits of Minimalism

Being minimalistic has many benefits. It adds purpose to life, brings clarity about our requirements, helps optimize our resources, and minimizes our needs. The following is an illustrative list of some of the advantages of minimalism. 

• It makes living space clutter-free, organized, and manageable.
• It helps restore peace of mind with stress-free, well-planned, organized, and manageable living.
• It provides freedom from the guilt of overspending, the anxiety of managing, the chaos of excess clutter, and the overdependence on unnecessary stuff.
• It helps stay focused on meaningful things and serves a sense of life's purpose.
• Encourages savings of resources, be they individual, societal, or environmental. 
• It helps us reclaim our energy and time that can be utilized purposefully in pursuing our interests, taking care of our health, growth, and other priorities.

Every Choice Matters