Minimalism
Merriam-Webster defines minimalism as "a style or technique that is characterized by extreme spareness and simplicity."
Credit: Pinterest
To quote, Josh and Ryan of The Minimalists, "minimalism is a tool that can assist you in finding freedom" and "minimalism is a tool to rid yourself of life’s excess in favor of focusing on what’s important—so you can find happiness, fulfillment, and freedom."
To me, minimalism is when you have what you need, no más no menos (no more, no less), and when you live in a tidy, cosy space where each item you have is meaningful to you and serves a purpose. I also agree with Josh and Ryan that it can be used as a "tool to rid yourself of life's excess" allowing you the opportunity to focus on what is truly important - to you.
Having lived in different cities and countries around the world and having observed ways of living - I often ask myself:
- what is most important to me?
- how much do I need?
- what do I want to spend time on?
- what do I want to spend money on?
- do I want to spend (so much) time on stuff? and
- how can I spend more time and energy in alignment with my values and beliefs?
Don't get me wrong having many items is not a bad thing for I believe each and everyone of us are on our own paths to experience, learn, and share. However, for the majority of my life I thought being "successful" meant owning and having a lot but my definition of success has changed; I am now creating my own definition of what success means to me - in all forms of the word.
The idea of
owning/living/having less &
"having what you need and needing what you have"
to quote my dad, has resonated with me and continues to over and over.
The purpose of this field note is to share what minimalism means to me and to express my feelings about "stuff" i.e. owning/having/possessing. I encourage you to ask yourself similar questions... You never know what it might bring up!