Minimalism is often seen as a dirty word.
Getting rid of everything you’ve worked hard for. Giving up prized possessions for little or no return. Ditching the radio, phone or Internet. Losing a cherished car or abandoning the beloved TV.
The truth is that it’s none of this.
Minimalism is about reducing “stuff”. Minimalism is eliminating unnecessary acquisitions. Minimalism is decluttering, eradicating, freeing, cutting back, letting go.
I’ve become increasingly minimalist over time. To declutter is to cleanse. Removing unnecessary items brings me a sense of peace, of calm. I can think. I can breathe again.
I think that moving around the world led me to this.
When we travel, we need less. When we move, we have to take less on the road. We become stricter with our choice of belongings and we make decisions to leave certain possessions behind.
Travelling and moving abroad forces us to be minimalists. They dictate that we approach our lives without clutter and meaningless things.
Longer-term travel to the UK has brought minimalism to a head.
We’ve left behind our worldly goods. We carry only what we need and what is important to us. This trip has taken us out of our comfort zone but helped us question the things that we thought added value to our lives.
In fact, they didn’t. None of them did.
I haven’t thought much about the house we sold or the excess items we packed away. I don’t miss the material possessions I left behind in the storage depot and I don’t pine for the earlier symbols of our Northern Beaches home.
It’s funny how you don’t miss these things when they’re gone. And to think they seemed so crucial not long ago.
Gone are the materialistic excesses that meant nothing and added no value. We’ve learnt to live with less and made room for better things.
We spend more time together on the things that count. We have less distraction and increased time together as a family. We’ve learned to care about more.
We’ve simplified our lives and it’s a freeing sensation. Our homes are often overrun by stuff that threatens to overwhelm and creates additional noise. So we’ve cleared a path for the things that matter most: relationships, health, well being, growth, passion, experiences, time.
Minimalism needn’t be a bad word.
It’s just a different way of saying I don’t need this anymore. Because I want room for more.
What will you get rid of today so that you can live with less and care about more?
I’ve long been a fan of The Minimalists Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, read their blog and books, am following them on their worldwide book tour for their latest. We’re also in the midst of an extended overseas summer adventure, been living out of a suitcase for 5 weeks now, a couple more to go. Perhaps because we are returning, I occasionally reflect on a few things I miss and look forward to seeing upon return, but as you say Russell, the mobile life teaches the value of experiences over material goods and the freedom which comes with simplifying and decluttering in all areas of life. BTW, you still haven’t shared what’s next when your extended UK visit ends…
Me too, Linda. In fact, a recent essay of theirs triggered this post. That, plus the fact we’re literally living out of two cases right now. Both of them (the Minimalists, not the cases) are very good – have you also tried Becoming Minimalist (Joshua Becker)?
I’ve been following your summer adventure with some envy – fantastic destinations plus wonderful memories being created. I won’t say that I never miss my old home and its “things” by being on the road but we are enjoying the freedom and lack of stuff. The “what’s next’ is a W.I.P. Once I know, you’ll know. Promise 🙂
This word Minimalism seems to be cropping up all over, and great to see it here too. I have just participated in a 30 day minimalist challenge in June (one item on the 1st, 2 on the 2nd …. 30 on the 30th!) which was necessitated by the fact that I haven’t moved house for 5 years. Moving house and country used to keep us fairly on top of things, that was until we started leaving things in storage in various parts of the world!!!
Enjoy your living out of a suitcase, it is so liberating!
Wren
Fantastic. A 30-day challenge would always be tough but good fun. When we moved from our house of six years, I was still surprised at the junk we’d accumulated. Through a combination of decluttering, storage and passing things on, it does feel liberating to be away from it 🙂
When we moved to Turkey we sold our house and all its contents to our neighbour. When we moved back to Britain, we sold the contents all over again. It’s quite cathartic and makes for a cheaper move!
And I’m all about cheaper! Funny how you still manage to rapidly accumulate stuff with each new chapter of your life……