The Gains of Minimalism
We've been living the sifted life (our brand of minimalism) now for 6 years, and it. Is. Awesome. Some of the things we've observed as noteworthy byproducts:
Confidence: after lots of practice in making decisions, we've got some grit in who we are and how to get there.
Clarity: we've spent time defining what's important to us and how we want to live.
Contentment: when you love everything around you, you feel you have everything you need. The itch to buy more has faded and we're left feeling happier and more grateful for what we have.
Simple living: slow living. Intentional living. The sifted life. Call it what you will - we love finding joy in the little things where before we were too busy moving from one triviality to the next or looking for happiness in owning the next possession. By eliminating the distractions, we get to live a fuller life.
Doing what we love: by owning less, we spend minimal amounts of time cleaning/maintainting and more time doing what we love. Like cofee. Or reading. Or writing. Or playing.
Reformed spending habits: by stepping out of the American Dream, the consumer mentality, the endless advertisements, we are free to enjoy what we already have. When we buy something, we buy quality so we don't have to dispose and replace. We no longer make compulsion transactions, but thoughtfully consider every purchase. Once I realized the real motive behind my retail therapy (to feel happy), I could more easily identify when it was happening and find a substitute.
Process and let go of the past: concerning our own purchases, we learned our lessons and let go of things without shame or guilt. Concerning souvenirs, momentos, photos, and other sentimental objects, we could hold them and remember our memories. My dad recently brought over a giant box of things from my school days - old pictures, newspaper clippings, awards, homework assignments, etc. I spent an afternoon sifting and sorting - recycle, trash, keep - as well as processing my past. Of that giant box, I kept the equivalent of what would fit in half of a shoebox, and enjoyed the trip down memory lane knowing I didn't really need to go down most of it again in the future. By eliminating it now, I won't have to deal with it again.
Reset: we changed the tenor and values of our home and our family. We hit reset.
Are you ready for a reset?
