So, what is the minimalist lifestyle?

Minimalism has become a mainstream practice, but have you thought about what minimalism really means? With so many different individuals promoting the umbrella term ‘minimalism’ as the best way to proceed through life, what does it actually mean and how can you achieve true spiritual minimalism in your life?

The Spirit of Minimalism

Minimalism is a tool that can assist you in finding freedom in every aspect of your life. With minimalism at your side, you can discover a life that is free of fear, free of worry, free from overwhelm, free from guilt, free from depression, and most importantly – the kind of lifestyle that frees you from the trappings of the consumer culture we’ve built our lives around. This is the definition of real freedom and should be the ultimate goal for everyone who takes on minimalism.

However, while we are on the path towards freedom it is important to keep in mind that there is nothing inherently wrong with owning material possessions. Rather, the problem that many people have today is the meaning we assign to our stuff: we tend to give too much meaning to our things, often forsaking our health, our relationships, our passions, our personal growth, and our desire to contribute to the world beyond ourselves.

Want to own a car or a house? Great, have it! Want to raise a family and have a career? If these things are important to you, then that’s wonderful! Instead of intending to make you feel guilty for what you choose, minimalism simply allows you to make decisions consciously and deliberately.

Who is drawn to Minimalism?

If we look at our original question, where we looked at the essence of minimalism, we could sum it up in a single sentence by stating that 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.

Through the practice of minimalism, we can:

• • • Eliminate our discontent
    • Reclaim our time
    • Live in the moment
    • Pursue our passions
    • Discover our missions
    • Experience real freedom
    • Create more, consume less
    • Focus on our health
    • Grow as individuals
    • Contribute beyond ourselves
    • Rid ourselves of excess stuff
    • Discover purpose in our lives

The Frequency of Minimalism

Minimalism is a construct through which we can learn about our values, our attachments and ourselves. The deeper purpose behind minimalism is not to be rigid about living with very few possessions, but to practice being detached from the possessions, you do have and evaluating what is actually important.

What I have come to realize is that there is a frequency at which things don’t carry a great amount of value. At that frequency one is resonating with:

• • • Acts of love and kindness
    • Focusing on the greater whole
    • Desiring greater freedom externally and internally
    • Accessing greater truth and individualism within
    • Feeling full and content with loving interactions
    • A sense of wholeness and connection

The detachment to things naturally lends itself to the experience of living in a higher frequency range where common emotions are love, joy, peace, acceptance, and enlightenment.

3 ways to unload clutter and embrace freedom

If you are ready to begin walking the path towards your own version of minimalism, here are 3 ways you can begin to unload the clutter surrounding your life and embrace the freedom that comes with a simpler, yet more meaningful existence.

• • • Clean out all your closets, drawers, and garages. As you do this, throw away anything you have not used in the past year.
    • Every time you purchase something new, make sure you donate something in its place. This will help you avoid the overwhelm that comes with excess consumer items.
    • Make a list of the things in your life that take time and money to maintain – decide what things are worth that time and money and what things are not.

Mastering Minimalism

So, what is minimalism? I believe it is a practice that can be observed as a path to understanding our true nature. It is not something that one should rigidly follow, but more of a concept to contemplate and a way to access one’s deeper truth about how they want to experience this life. The answers always lie within. When we practice looking within and discovering what ultimately feels right and brings us more joy and fulfillment, we are on the right path.