On all the blogs about minimalism that I read I see the same question over and over. Why does one choose a minimalist lifestyle over the 'normal' possessions = happiness and success way of thinking?
I can come up with several words to describe why I've chosen to live with less, but all of it seems to take so much explaining. I thought I could better capture my exact intentions through example.
I've always loved staying in motels because when you walk in they're basically a clean slate. Bed, shower, sink, a working door for privacy and sometimes a TV (obviously not a must, but nice).
When you go on vacation you're never compelled to bring all the junk you have laying around your house with you. You never ask yourself if you should bring that half bottle of White Rain conditioner when you know that what makes your hair look the best is your Biolage shampoo and conditioner. You never bring along a cheese slicer or a fondu pot thinking that this may be the one time in two years you will use them.
You bring the things that you use routinely and love and because space is so limited in motels, if you have a piece of trash or something that broke, you chuck it immediately because you value the space you do have.
Somehow the few pieces of clothing that fit into your luggage become something you respect more. You hang them up when you change instead of them ending up in a pile.
If you choose to eat in your motel to save money, you'll almost certainly end up on the bed with a plastic knife spreading mayonnaise on a piece of bread to make a sandwich. When you're done you either toss the knife or wash it off and use it again later.
You never have to debate about going anywhere because you don't have a sink full of dishes waiting for you or piles and piles of laundry to get done.
...and that is what I want.
I want freedom from things.
I want to live like I'm on vacation every day of my life. When I realized that this was possible I was so happy! I find the more things I get out of my house, the more respect I have for the things that I have kept. I pay more attention and take more time washing each dish. I make my bed nicer with the sheets I've chosen to keep. Once it becomes a way of life to respect and love the things around you, its a natural progression to start appreciating things in other areas of your life as well. I appreciate my health more, which results in my wanting to put better things in my body. I respect myself as a person more, which means I care more about who I let into my life, relationship-wise, because people can easily destroy parts of you with their negativity.
When I first started exploring the idea of becoming a minimalist I ended up reading a few blogs about the most impoverished countries. Google Zimbabwe's GDP and then Google the United States' GDP. You'll be shocked. Can you imagine any person living in that much poverty ever having to thin out a closet or pair down their shoe collection to just 30 instead of 80 pairs? Of course not. You can be on Welfare in the Unites States and comparatively you'll be living like a queen.
I'm not saying we should live with one pair of shoes or one outfit by any means, but there is a lot to be learned from people who live in that kind of poverty. Appreciate, love and respect what you have. Living more simply forces changes in your life. You don't need to be focused so much on the stuff in your home. The focus should be on the experiences in your life, the people you love, the time spent enjoying yourself. You only need one pair of shoes to take a walk and you only need one plate to eat a beautiful dinner on.
I am by no means done clearing the physical or emotional clutter from my life, but I have made huge strides in what I've got to say is a pretty short amount of time.
You can change your life any time you choose. Every day I'm choosing to change my life for the better. Every time I throw something away or put something in a donate bag I am changing my life.
