This article is focused on answering the question of ‘What is the minimalist lifestyle?’. To do so, we will dive into:
- A brief history of our evolution
- Defining what minimalism is
- Review the challenges of minimalism
Our modern world is a strange place, when you consider our world’s history. For only a fraction of that time – a sliver, actually – have humans lived with any kind of materialism or societal structure. Only in recent millennia did humans begin to organize into societies with rules, structure and expectations. Only in recent centuries did materials start to take shape.
While there is nothing inherently bad with living a certain way or owning material possessions, there comes a point when too much of a good thing is no longer good.
Statistics tell us that yearly consumer spending in America has exceeded $14 Trillion dollars! This is about $129 spent per adult, per day, on consumer-oriented living expenses. This same amount is a small fortune in other countries, yet average in America!
As you can see, it’s easy to identify unnecessary wastes of money, yet so many of us still struggle making ends meet to live a statistically average life (financially). Does life really need to be this way?
No, it doesn’t. More and more people are choosing an alternative path every day – the minimalist lifestyle. What is the minimalist lifestyle, you ask? Let’s explore it.
What Is Minimalism?
Rejecting materialism and modern mentalities is becoming more common with each passing year. In fact, this is the basis of minimalism:
- Choosing to have experiences, rather than things.
- Choosing to live a life of freedom, rather than “following a script”.
- Choosing to live with less, but live light.
- Choosing to buy what we need, not what we want.
- Choosing to live in such a way that general waste and impact to the environment is minimized.
In a nutshell, minimalism is about having only what you need and ridding your life of the things you don’t.
Challenges Of Minimalism
Let’s break minimalism down into two categories:
- Material Possessions
- Societal Expectations
These two categories have many overlaps, as well.
Materialism is defined by prioritizing possessions and things over important experiences and events. A materialist person may place value in a nice car, house or wardrobe, but not place value on connecting with others, or discovering who they really are.
Minimalists do in fact buy things – nice things, even. But these are the things they need and use regularly. They don’t shop recreationally or seek out possessions for satisfaction.
Societal expectations are a bit different. These expectations are often instilled in us during childhood, by the environment around us, family and the media. Examples of societal expectations we often feel are:
- The need to purchase a nice car as soon as we get a job or promotion, to show that we ‘made it’.
- The need to buy a certain sized home for a particular price in a nice location.
- Vacationing at expensive destinations or socializing with a group of people in order to fit in, or to feel accepted.
- Weddings, engagement rings and other big purchases are symbols of status.
- Achieve a level of education or career status to give our lives importance.
- When we have children, our pursuit of the items above will be the start of their own cycle of societal expectations! We pass the baton, albeit over many years.
The hardest part of following a path separate from materialism and society’s expectations is how deep these practices can be rooted.
Media bombards us with things to buy, celebrities to emulate and storylines to live out.
Family want what’s best for us, and may act fearful or frustrated when we disagree on big life decisions.
Growing up in a certain social class, neighborhood or area carries their own pressures to fit in and follow what others are doing already.
In general, drifting off these well-trodden paths can feel wrong, and not pursuing the same things as those close to us can feel like we’re being left behind, or don’t have value. This is why our mental state and core values must be at the heart of our minimalist practices.
What Is The Minimalist Lifestyle All About?
First off, minimalism is not a black-or-white practice. While it’s true that a ‘pure’ minimalist lives with fewer than 100 possessions total, it doesn’t mean that everything else is forsaken – we can follow their lead in certain areas of our lives and reap the benefits.
Just like athleticism, minimalism exists on a spectrum. The term ‘athletic’ describes an Olympic athlete, a local stand-out or even just a fit person in the park. The Olympian operates on a whole other level than the rest of us – doing things most think are impossible. However, there are many rungs on the ladder to success in athletics between beginner level, and being an Olympian.
Anybody can begin living a minimalist lifestyle right now. It begins with a shift in mentality. A great way to do this, is to just start asking yourself questions about the things you believe, the expectations you hold and the things you desire. It’s a way to step outside the ‘programming’ of society that we’ve received for most of our lives. I call it the “why” game. Here’s an example of playing:
- I need to get this degree so I can get a good job.
- Why?
- So I can make $ _______ a year. Why?
- So I can buy a house with this-and-that. For what?
- So I can feel like I’ve succeeded, and that I measure up to a certain standard I feel I should achieve…
- By achieving this, my life will have been a success. My parents will be proud, my kids will grow up in this environment, my friends will be impressed.
- When I can have those things, I will be happy. I will ‘get there’.
While this is just an example, it’s easy to see that our desires often have deeper meaning and significance than they might appear.
This practice will eventually lead you to realize what you truly value, what you think is important and what you want out of life. Ask yourself enough questions and you may find yourself valuing material things less, and seeking out peace of mind and happiness, rather than status and a particular lifestyle.
Some easy ways to begin practicing minimalism are:
- Go through your possessions and set aside what you no longer use. You can sell them or donate them to a good cause.
- Review your budget and spending habits. Are there any things you’re routinely spending on that don’t provide you any real use or satisfaction?
- Do weekends consist of shopping, spending money or social media? Consider planning a road trip or experience instead.
- We often own so many things that each particular item gets very little use. Try using an item to its fullest potential before replacing it.
- Try out some recycling DIY projects instead of shopping for something new.
In Conclusion
Minimalism is a path less traveled. Excess materialism and societal expectations are exchanged from freedom, experience and enrichment. Although not an easy path to take for many reasons, you don’t need to sell all your possessions to start practicing minimalism. Starting today, you can make some simple changes to your perspective and expectations. Combining that with some of the beginner steps outlined above, and you’ll receive the benefits of a minimalist lifestyle almost immediately!