A few days ago, a cousin of mine reached out and asked “[from] a minimalist’s point of view, what do you think the world could use/do less of?”
It’s been a while since I’ve thought about what inspired me to jump on board with the minimalist lifestyle, so this question was a nice way for me to reflect and see how much my views have evolved since my last post about the meaning of minimalism in 2020.
In my 2020 post “What is Minimalism?”, I shared my favorite definitions of the term “minimalism” while offering my own personal take on the matter. However, if I had to choose a definition from that blog post that describes what minimalism means to me today, it would be:
“…minimalism is really all about [the] reassessment of your priorities so that you can strip away the excess stuff.” – Colin Wright
The only thing I would add to that definition is that minimalism isn’t something you “do” once. It’s something you have to continually revisit, reassessing what matters to you and why because over time your priorities will change. What may have seemed too excessive in one season of your life, may be just enough in another one.
I forgot this key habit as my routines, desires, and priorities started to change. I mistakenly tried applying the same tools that worked for one period of my life to where I’m at now — and it just doesn’t work.
It’s important to note that when referring to excess within these definitions, it doesn’t just refer to material possessions. Sure, owning less things affords more time when it comes to responsibilities tied to the upkeep and maintenance of stuff — an aspect that initially drew me to minimalism — but excess is also referring to the excess tied to our day-to-day lives regarding unfulfilling relationships, pointless tasks, and constant procrastination.
So when we rid ourselves of the excess in our lives, it leaves room for things that we value and find meaningful whether that be scaling back your retail shopping to have more money for experiences like traveling or creating boundaries that replaces draining relationships for nourishing relationships.
I fell in love with minimalism for the simple fact that the only idea it’s selling to you is a balanced life full of joy. Who can possibly argue against that?
This leads me to answering my cousin’s question in one sentence. “[From] a minimalist’s point of view, what do you think the world could use/do less of?”
We can use less shit.
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