At first, venturing into minimalist lifestyle may be a little intimidating. It may seem too drastic, or unbearable. It is important to understand why some people are skeptical of the minimalist lifestyle and why they think the minimalist life is unattainable or unrealistic or too difficult or that it is some trend that will disappear gradually.
The consumerist mindset in today’s globalized economy plays a big role in this pattern of thinking. Somehow, it is embedded in the people’s mind that, the value of a person can only be measured by their job, the size of their house or the type of car they drive, and the society seems to have forgotten to look beyond the material possessions.
The consumerist mindset in today’s globalized economy plays a big role in this pattern of thinking. Somehow, it is embedded in the people’s mind that, the value of a person can only be measured by their job, the size of their house or the type of car they drive, and the society seems to have forgotten to look beyond the material possessions.
In this post, I wish to share some of my thoughts on the minimalist lifestyle and the common misconceptions and fears preventing people from adopting minimalist practices in to their life.
1. There is no “one size fits all”, proven, 100% effective, method to incorporate minimalism in to your life
Minimalism can be adapted into so many different parts of a person’s life and in so many different ways. The flexibility of minimalism has become one of its main attractions. There are no rules on how minimalism can be adopted in to one’s life. One can choose incorporate minimalism into just one part of their life and not others. It is an incredibly personal choice on how and why you would want incorporate minimalism in to your life. How you choose to live a more intentional and minimal life does not need to conform to the beliefs and norms of, the other minimalists or the society or your friends or your family.
2. It is NOT a competition
How we choose to incorporate minimalist practices into our lives will not be identical or even similar to another minimalist’s way of life. It is not a race to see who can de-clutter more items, or how fast you do it. It's not about who has the least amount of items in their homes. Minimalism is not about removing all material possessions from our life. It is about removing anything that that does not bring you joy or adds value to your current lifestyle and making intentional decisions what you choose to buy and what we choose to surround ourselves with on a daily basis.
3. Minimalist and Non- minimalist can’t co-exist (well this statement is an exaggeration but there is a notion that one family member adopting minimalism can cause friction between the non- minimalist family members)
You can live a minimalist life even if you are living with a non-minimalist or if you have a family. The important thing to realize is that, when you minimize, and get rid of possessions, make sure that you limit the decluttering to your personal items. Never try to tell or force your non-minimalist family member that he or she has to adapt a minimalist lifestyle as well. Respect their choices and belongings. Don’t Preach or lecture about “How amazing the minimalist lifestyle is”. Simply let them see and experience the benefits of a minimalist and intentional life. Then leave them to make their own choices (and, respect their choice especially, if they chose to continue to live a non-minimalist life)
4. You don’t have to explain or defend your choice to incorporate minimalism in to your life
Choosing to live a minimalist is a personal preference. Most people including your own family members will see it as drastic and feel that you may regret that decision later. Explain to them have your own reasons to adopt such practices to your daily life. However, even if you try to explain, there is a chance that they will not understand. Simply tell them that you are making a conscious choice to adopt this minimalist lifestyle and let it go.
I hope my thoughts in this post help you shed light on some of the common misconceptions that the society has about a minimalist lifestyle. I hope that you will be able to look past these misconceptions and simplify your life to suit your current life situation.