What is Minimalism?

Minimalist mindset is about living simply and having what you need to go about your daily life. In other words, when you live a minimalist life, you strive to only use things that serve a purpose. 

Depending on your personality and of course the way you do things, you experience the minimalist mindset in your own terms. For example, one can start a no-spend challenge. Some other person may only fill his or her home with items he or she absolutely needs. 

Just a reminder, this is quite a wonderful way of saving money as well as time on cleaning and organising. On a slightly unrelated note, if you’re more interested in minimalism and minimalist art, you can look into the works of Donald Judd, the American artist and a landmark associated with minimalism.    

Owning fewer items, having less things and living in an environment where only bare necessities are taken care of means minimalism. We’ve all heard the phrase  “Less is more” but minimalist philosophy is more than that, in an ironic way. Minimalism is more than getting rid of clutter and owning less stuff. It’s also a way of life which values purpose and function more than the details. 

The idea of minimalism has to do with eliminating everything that is not necessary until only the basics remain. We’ve already pointed out that minimalism saves time, money and resources; however, more importantly, it provides the freedom to enjoy the little things in our lives. If you apply the “less is more” logic to your life, imagine how it will be when you try to create a more relaxing place in your living space or a more productive work environment where you work. 

Simplicity. That is pretty much minimalism. It’s not simply a genre or period in style, it is the utmost response one can give to consumerism and excessive living. Minimalism focuses on a particular moment, feeling, or maybe experience rather than trying to create a story.  Then it preserves that special (or specific) moment or feeling by stripping away distractions and non-essential objects. What you have as an end product is a togetherness of form and function in utmost style. Finding beauty and purpose in simplicity is the essence of minimalism.

What can Minimalism Do for Us?

Today’s understanding of a good life is associated with owning many things and accumulating even more. Endless advertisements on television and almost all digital platforms along with so many other stimulants keep reminding us that we need more objects, more items, more things, more belongings even if we don’t need them. Our interactions on social media are bombarded with custom-made ads. 

We are led to believe that having more is better living and we try to buy happiness in shops or through our computers. Having a lot of things sadly makes us focus on irrelevant matters rather than those which are actually important.

Adopting minimalism frees us from the passion of consumption and allows our minds to search for happiness in other places. It gives a chance to appreciate our relationships and our experiences while reminding us we shouldn't take any of that for granted. Gratitude puts our minds and souls in peace which makes it possible to see there is more to life and bountiful living is possible when you have peace and gratitude in our minds.

Daily Life

Trying to run errands, doing what’s asked and expected of us and getting some sort of result are the realities of life which make it feel like a rat race. This tempo feeds the stress we already have. We work long hours to pay our bills and we still end up in more debt. We chase one activity after another yet we hear ourselves say “It feels like I’m not doing anything!”. It becomes so frustrating to try and do many things but not being able to do anything properly.

Minimalist living makes us slow down and it frees us from modern age hysteria. It allows us to replace the meaningless with things that are worth protecting. It actually is a great way to appreciate what we have.

Relationships

Ever since mobile phones entered our lives in the mid 90s, relationships started to experience its impact. Methods and ways of communication have changed and today, the fact that social media is in every aspect of our lives, we are busier than ever.

We are almost constantly in touch with our colleagues or friends and while doing this we might be missing out on connections which could give us a valuable perspective in life. Thanks to our mobile phones, we are always available but are we able to give our time to people who can make a difference for us? We seem to either have little time for meaningful relationships or miss out on them completely.

Being in so many social circles forces us to have different images. Being with family, colleagues, friends or neighbours are all different interactions and we find ourselves putting on a different image for each of these interactions. This effort alone can be very taxing.

Minimalist approach in our lives allows us to be simple and consistent. Spending time in places where you can only be yourself and feel good will take the load off your shoulders. Remember, having a minimalist mindset means you choose a very intentional way of living which gives rise to positive changes in almost all aspects of life. When you have a minimalist mindset you choose to have experiences rather than things. And even with your experiences you start to pursue the same thing: purpose and function, preferably in an elegant form. 

Being Open to Transformation

It is possible to reconstruct our lives by identifying what is essential and being willing to eliminate the rest. By doing this, knowing what we essentially need and being courageous to get rid of everything else, we free up our time and have the possibilities to focus on things that actually matter.  

There is so much physical, digital and mental clutter around us that we are bound to fall into depression simply because of the anxiety and dissatisfaction caused by them. It is an illness to desire “more” constantly. The reason for this condition is that “more” is often connected to security, status, comfort and control. Once we understand that this constant desire for “more” is an illness, we will also comprehend what it does to us. We get further and further away from ourselves.  

Minimalist mindset is one of the safest and most economical ways to free yourself from all that. Self improvement and maintaining your well-being are two important aspects for good mental health. 

Learning more about certain concepts which are related to these issues might help you pursue your own happiness. For more information you can visit Speaker Agency’s website to find out more about personal transformation and meet experts like Robert Waldinger, Pandit Dasa. Let their experience guide you.