The concept of minimalism is reducing the clutter in your life. It could be physical as well as other distractions. People who embrace minimalism find ways to get rid of the distractions from their lives. However, decluttering is just one aspect of minimalism. If you want to be minimalist without being a minimalist, all you need to do is embrace the valuable ideas of minimalism. Whether or not you follow the minimalist lifestyle depends entirely on you. Following are some guidelines that will teach you how to embrace this philosophy without being minimalist.
Focus More on What Brings You Joy
Evaluating your life is the first and perhaps the most important step towards embracing the idea of minimalism. Find out what elements of your life add meaning, happiness, and value to your life. Doing so will help you set your priorities straight. With a clear understanding of what’s really important to you, it’s much easier to start the process of minimizing.
Find Your Purpose
Embracing the philosophy of minimalism is basically a lifestyle change. So, it is recommended that you approach it like you would other lifestyle changes. For example, if you wanted to eat healthier, you might read books on nutrition. You can approach embracing minimalism in the same way. Figuring out who you are, what your purpose is, what you want to stand for, and who you want to be will lead to more clarity and, eventually, more happiness.
Live with More Freedom
Embracing the idea of minimalism is not about following the standards that someone else has set. Instead, it is about finding balance in your life. It’s a mindset that enables you to live your life more freely and pursue the various pleasures – within reason. Being mindful and modest about the limitations of your desires doesn’t mean getting rid of them overall nor following the rules of another person.
Simplify Your Life
The main idea of minimalism is to make your life simpler. Once you embrace this idea, you will be able to cut out a lot of stuff from your life. By doing so, you will free yourself from the complications of life that only make you anxious and stressed. So, try a routine or schedule to simplify your life and see if helps offer relief from constantly worrying about things.
Be More Connected with People
The idea of minimalism focuses on having a simpler, more meaningful life, and there is no better way to add meaningfulness to life than being connected with people. Nowadays, the idea of connecting with others tends to be digital communication. But this doesn’t have the same impact as a face to face conversation. Deeper connections can only be made from heart to heart deep conversations. So, take your time to do just that.
Minimalism is not about letting go of things that you hold dear. It means to get rid of things of little to no value. In doing so, you make room in your life to enjoy more of the things that bring you joy and add meaning to your life.
Photos by: Jill Wellington, Antonino Visalli, Eileen Pan, Millo Lin, Vlada Karpovich, Felix Rostig