Minimalism is a lifestyle that helps people question what things add value to their lives. By clearing the clutter from life’s path, we can all make room for the most important aspects of life: health, relationships, passion, growth, and contribution.
There are many flavors of minimalism: a 20-year-old single guy’s minimalist lifestyle looks different from a 45-year-old mother’s minimalist life. Even though everyone embraces minimalism differently, each path leads to the same place: a life with more time, more money, and more freedom to live a more meaningful life.
Getting started is as simple as asking yourself one question: How might your life be better if you owned fewer material possessions?
Now on to my story :)
Now on to my story :)
Have you ever felt deep down inside that something needs to change, you don't know what and that there HAS to be someone out there that has felt the same way and has found the answer and it's JUST what your inner soul desires and needs. Here walks in Minimalism. I came across a website about Minimalism when researching "simplify". WOW! Never really heard of this before but it MADE TOTAL SENSE! I knew my ANSWER was out there, but just couldn't put my finger on it until NOW(the world wide web can be a wealth of information or the black hole of death.LOL)
I have been doing a lot of soul searching and cleansing of my life lately and this was the perfect addition to the cleanse! So, I have been trying to rid my life of excess clutter. Clutter that takes up not only the physical space in my life but also my mental space too. All these "tangible objects" that I have emotionally attached myself to had taken over my life and were not adding value but decreasing value in my life. By the way, those items, like something from your grandmother and she has passed that are hard to let go, they are just material items. What really counts is the memories you have associated it with. The memories never lose importance. And minimalism is NOT all about getting rid of everything! Like to walk down memory lane, take a picture and store it on your computer(the computer is ANOTHER issue with clutter, but there are ways to simplify that too;)
I could FEEL the mental space these items were taking up. Sentimental items that had been given to me from my kids, my family, friends, items that were my grandmothers that I felt I had an obligation to keep. Cards, stuffed animals, cd's, plastic fake birds with glued on feathers, empty cosmetic containers, shoes and clothes that I didn't like anymore, doodads and gadgets. You name it, I had it or have it. I have always felt a NEED to keep things because I was assigning too much value to it. I have to reiterate that last sentence. I WAS ASSIGNING VALUE TO MY ITEMS. I AM IN CHARGE OF THE VALUES I PLACE ON ANYTHING IN MY LIFE. There it is. I AM IN CHARGE. I am the one and only one that is in charge of what I place VALUE on. And certainly I own many things that do not add value to my life, hence this journey I am on now. :D
Our beliefs are part of our foundation of life. Those beliefs are cultivated by our surroundings starting immediately upon arrival to this world. Your parents, your teachers, society and anyone you come in contact with has a HUGE impact on your belief system. And of course then there is YOU that make this cultivated belief system, true. (which by the way is easy to change and easy NOT to change!) This is GOOD news!! We ALL have the ability to change our beliefs! YAY! That is, if you're willing and wanting to do that ;)
So anyway, back to minimalism! (I sometimes see squirrels.. hoo hoo haha hehe ho! just reading that should put a smile to your face;) I have been assigning value to the WRONG things! In this world we live in we CAN get caught up in the rat race of life. Before I knew it, I lost what was of REAL value to ME. It's not like I didn't know what I was important but it had been placed on the back burner because of SO many things taking up space in my life and for what?! To have MORE items, to have the best of the best?! Do I really need an extra gizmo that does this and that!? Buying, keeping, wanting, hoarding and yes you, you so called organizer you, the one that has 100 pens but have them in order in a drawer(hidden)(you are also a hoarder, it's just organized hoarding ;)(by the way, I am describing me too, it's just NOT with pens ;) lol. We are a byproduct of society and belief system. Don't get me wrong, I KNOW and FULLY understand I am in charge of making our own decisions but I tell ya, it can be REALLY tough to avoid buying or keeping "things" I think I "need" or "Just in case" items for that one day in the preconceived future! I kinda relate the over abundance of buying material items to a drug high, the high is never enough. After my high has been met(buying shoes or a shirt or whatever), I want more and more and that satisfaction bar just keeps getting raised(kinda like our country's debt ceiling..lol) In all seriousness, clutter and unnecessary items can and will take up space over time.
This website had something REALLY exciting for me, a blog about a game! It says to sell, donate or trash the items. I decided to take on the Challenge! They suggested to have a friend join you and make it like a contest. As a Beachbody coach, I run challenges for fitness and health so I was ON IT!! I opened up a group on Facebook and got the word out to see if anyone wanted to join! To my surprise, I have 20 people including me in the group and we are on day 10 of 30!!! At the end of the 30 days we will have rid our lives of over 400 unnecessary items. It has felt great everyday of this challenge and the people in it are having FUN with it! I have found that most people want to rid themselves of life's clutter but it is the getting started part which is the hardest and then it's the getting rid of the "emotionally attached" items that is the next hardest! What is cool, is that we have all started to see that we are placing needless value on too many things. Those AH HA moments are priceless! It's funny to read, "WTH was I thinking keeping this?!" LOL
I have really adapted to this subject of minimalism. In my journey to happiness, this is an area that needed to be dealt with. It makes sense to me to really "clean" out my life like this and I am glad I have others doing this along with me! I am a Sapphire, motivated by FUN so this is right up my alley!
Need to clean out your life and want a little challenge or the motivation to get started? Let me know and I will add you!
If you are on the same path of cleaning up your life, I highly recommend you don't go through everything all at once even though you may feel the want to get rid of more items as you are finding them for day 1, day 2 and so on a so forth. I know for me it was overwhelming at first because I wanted to DIVE right in(and get overwhelmed in the process and possible, quit!) So I am following the directions, mostly! haha This 30 day Challenge is a simple process that will help keep that overwhelm at bay. You didn't acquire everything over night and you won't get rid of everything over night either!
I could FEEL the mental space these items were taking up. Sentimental items that had been given to me from my kids, my family, friends, items that were my grandmothers that I felt I had an obligation to keep. Cards, stuffed animals, cd's, plastic fake birds with glued on feathers, empty cosmetic containers, shoes and clothes that I didn't like anymore, doodads and gadgets. You name it, I had it or have it. I have always felt a NEED to keep things because I was assigning too much value to it. I have to reiterate that last sentence. I WAS ASSIGNING VALUE TO MY ITEMS. I AM IN CHARGE OF THE VALUES I PLACE ON ANYTHING IN MY LIFE. There it is. I AM IN CHARGE. I am the one and only one that is in charge of what I place VALUE on. And certainly I own many things that do not add value to my life, hence this journey I am on now. :D
Our beliefs are part of our foundation of life. Those beliefs are cultivated by our surroundings starting immediately upon arrival to this world. Your parents, your teachers, society and anyone you come in contact with has a HUGE impact on your belief system. And of course then there is YOU that make this cultivated belief system, true. (which by the way is easy to change and easy NOT to change!) This is GOOD news!! We ALL have the ability to change our beliefs! YAY! That is, if you're willing and wanting to do that ;)
So anyway, back to minimalism! (I sometimes see squirrels.. hoo hoo haha hehe ho! just reading that should put a smile to your face;) I have been assigning value to the WRONG things! In this world we live in we CAN get caught up in the rat race of life. Before I knew it, I lost what was of REAL value to ME. It's not like I didn't know what I was important but it had been placed on the back burner because of SO many things taking up space in my life and for what?! To have MORE items, to have the best of the best?! Do I really need an extra gizmo that does this and that!? Buying, keeping, wanting, hoarding and yes you, you so called organizer you, the one that has 100 pens but have them in order in a drawer(hidden)(you are also a hoarder, it's just organized hoarding ;)(by the way, I am describing me too, it's just NOT with pens ;) lol. We are a byproduct of society and belief system. Don't get me wrong, I KNOW and FULLY understand I am in charge of making our own decisions but I tell ya, it can be REALLY tough to avoid buying or keeping "things" I think I "need" or "Just in case" items for that one day in the preconceived future! I kinda relate the over abundance of buying material items to a drug high, the high is never enough. After my high has been met(buying shoes or a shirt or whatever), I want more and more and that satisfaction bar just keeps getting raised(kinda like our country's debt ceiling..lol) In all seriousness, clutter and unnecessary items can and will take up space over time.
This website had something REALLY exciting for me, a blog about a game! It says to sell, donate or trash the items. I decided to take on the Challenge! They suggested to have a friend join you and make it like a contest. As a Beachbody coach, I run challenges for fitness and health so I was ON IT!! I opened up a group on Facebook and got the word out to see if anyone wanted to join! To my surprise, I have 20 people including me in the group and we are on day 10 of 30!!! At the end of the 30 days we will have rid our lives of over 400 unnecessary items. It has felt great everyday of this challenge and the people in it are having FUN with it! I have found that most people want to rid themselves of life's clutter but it is the getting started part which is the hardest and then it's the getting rid of the "emotionally attached" items that is the next hardest! What is cool, is that we have all started to see that we are placing needless value on too many things. Those AH HA moments are priceless! It's funny to read, "WTH was I thinking keeping this?!" LOL
I have really adapted to this subject of minimalism. In my journey to happiness, this is an area that needed to be dealt with. It makes sense to me to really "clean" out my life like this and I am glad I have others doing this along with me! I am a Sapphire, motivated by FUN so this is right up my alley!
Need to clean out your life and want a little challenge or the motivation to get started? Let me know and I will add you!
If you are on the same path of cleaning up your life, I highly recommend you don't go through everything all at once even though you may feel the want to get rid of more items as you are finding them for day 1, day 2 and so on a so forth. I know for me it was overwhelming at first because I wanted to DIVE right in(and get overwhelmed in the process and possible, quit!) So I am following the directions, mostly! haha This 30 day Challenge is a simple process that will help keep that overwhelm at bay. You didn't acquire everything over night and you won't get rid of everything over night either!
Day by day, your awareness will grow and you will learn a lot about yourself like your triggers, your reasons for keeping things and why it's OK to let go. We are all in this together! LET'S DO THIS!! Let's clean up that freaking clutter and make room for things that ADD VALUE!
I was told a story by my 75 year old neighbor. A polish man from the old world. Funny guy, he keeps telling me I'm his secret lover(hey you, in the peanut gallery, you can just hush now..LOL) Everyday I pass his house, like clockwork, he is busily working away in his garage, making nicknacks made mostly from wood scraps. Even though he is busily working he ALWAYS takes a moment to wave and yell hi every single time I pass by and of course I yell and wave back! I have acquired a few of his prize homemade items, including a wooden lazy susan and a purse made from a Florida license plate, among a few other unmatched and scattered items. He offers me Krupnik on occasion too, which I kindly pass, every.single.time..LOL Back in the day when I smoked, he said to me, "I used to smoke. Ahh yea, smoked all the time back in Poland. Then one day, I looked at this white stick and thought, damn it, why am I letting this little white stick have so much control over me. I'm not going to let this god damned(I am quoting him:) white stick control me anymore. That was that, I threw out ALL of them at that moment, the whole carton, in the trash, and never once, did I smoke again." That story goes through my mind every time I feel like I can't control my life. He made a decision to take control and took action. I always try to find a valuable lesson from people's stories and this one really stuck with me.
In my quest to keep happiness within me I am learning that there is not one single aspect that makes one happy. It's the combination and cultivation of many aspects that will lead to happiness. By clearing the clutter from my life's path, I can make room for the most important aspects of life: health, relationships, passion, growth and contribution.
My family, including my mom, sister, husband and kids have joined me too :)
I was told a story by my 75 year old neighbor. A polish man from the old world. Funny guy, he keeps telling me I'm his secret lover(hey you, in the peanut gallery, you can just hush now..LOL) Everyday I pass his house, like clockwork, he is busily working away in his garage, making nicknacks made mostly from wood scraps. Even though he is busily working he ALWAYS takes a moment to wave and yell hi every single time I pass by and of course I yell and wave back! I have acquired a few of his prize homemade items, including a wooden lazy susan and a purse made from a Florida license plate, among a few other unmatched and scattered items. He offers me Krupnik on occasion too, which I kindly pass, every.single.time..LOL Back in the day when I smoked, he said to me, "I used to smoke. Ahh yea, smoked all the time back in Poland. Then one day, I looked at this white stick and thought, damn it, why am I letting this little white stick have so much control over me. I'm not going to let this god damned(I am quoting him:) white stick control me anymore. That was that, I threw out ALL of them at that moment, the whole carton, in the trash, and never once, did I smoke again." That story goes through my mind every time I feel like I can't control my life. He made a decision to take control and took action. I always try to find a valuable lesson from people's stories and this one really stuck with me.
In my quest to keep happiness within me I am learning that there is not one single aspect that makes one happy. It's the combination and cultivation of many aspects that will lead to happiness. By clearing the clutter from my life's path, I can make room for the most important aspects of life: health, relationships, passion, growth and contribution.
My family, including my mom, sister, husband and kids have joined me too :)
