Many people live cluttered lives. They have too many items, most of which they never use. They are obsessed with doing too many things and with doing too much in general. While they’re not happy with their lives, they are afraid to make them more simple, they’re afraid to try out the minimalist lifestyle, because of the fear it would remove everything worth caring for. The thing is, it won’t. Minimalist lifestyle means adding more joy to your life, not taking from it.
You don’t have to give up the well-made items
The general rule is quality over quantity. For example, if you have three pairs of good quality shoes you actually wear and hundred pairs of uncomfortable, low quality footwear, get rid of the low quality ones. You’ll get a lot more space, choosing shoes will become faster and easier, and you’ll no longer feel guilty when looking at all those sandals and high heels which looked nice when you bought them, but gave you blisters the one and only time you wore them, or turned out never to be a good match with your outfit.
You don’t have to give up delicious food, either
Some minimalists become vegetarians or vegans. Some don’t. Minimalism works either way. Some people switch to very simple, basic food. Some keep enjoying complex meals. Again, the minimalist lifestyle works either way. The point is to eat moderate amounts of food, not huge amounts, and not to obsess about preparation. If you enjoy cooking complex meals, by all means, keep doing it! If you’d rather make something simple and tasty than complex and tasty, then that’s the best option. Minimalists usually eat naturally and avoid processed food, but that still means delicious meals.
There’s no need to live like a monk
While some minimalists do choose to live like monks or Spartans, many don’t. Do you enjoy your comfortable furniture? Keep it, then, as long as it doesn’t clutter your living space, since the point is to unclutter your life, not to sleep on the floor.
Your friends won’t hate you
There are people who are suspicious of everyone who doesn’t live the same way they do. That means that they’re suspicious of the vast majority of the planet population, since even people in the same country don’t all live the same way. However, if you have friends and/or family members who are like that, as soon as they realize you’re not trying to force them to change their own lives, they’ll accept the change in yours.
You don’t have to live like (insert a name of a famous minimalist of choice)
Not all minimalists are the same. Some live on desert islands or in the wilderness. Others live in big cities like New York or London, and, yes, have jobs and cars, live in big apartments or houses, have big families… The purpose of the minimalist lifestyle is to find a simple way of life which suits your needs and your life choices, not somebody else’s.
Minimalist lifestyle isn’t scary or exotic. It is a way of life in which you own only things you really need and use, do things which actually need to be done, and therefore free the time, space and energy for what is truly important for you.
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