Monday 11 February 2013

Clarity

Over the past 3 months or so possibly longer I have begun a quest to create a simpler, cleaner life for myself. This has been in the form of several different initiatives including diet, exercise and work. This is something that I have wanted to share with others so that they may benefit also from what I have discovered and so I am able to continue learning, changing, shifting, upgrading my own processes and improving my own life.

To kick off I want to explain one area that above all else I wanted to grapple with and this wasn't just a quest with a simple start and finish. This area represents a lifestyle change one that I am consistently evaluating, reassessing and questioning.


This area is minimalism. Now before I explain the changes I have made in my own life and how I intend on continuing this movement I feel it worthwhile actually defining what minimalism is. For many they feel that this is simply removing objects from your life and getting rid of so much that you have the smallest amount that you could possibly live with. This I feel is a misguided view, rather I feel that minimalism is a constant process of simplification of your life, removing anything regarded as non-essential to you as an individual. Therefore each persons on concept of minimalism will be different based on their own traits, hobbies and careers among other things. As a result of this, individuals concepts of minimalism will consistently change throughout their life.


The actual process of minimizing my possessions was relatively simple it involved looking at my possessions asking myself does this add any value to my life? This value could be in certain forms an item may contain decorative value it may spice up the room (eg. Posters), the item may contain sentimental value (one such item that springs to mind is my Great Granduncles war journal and discharge papers), the item may be defined through your own core values as one which you would deem essential (such as this computer I am typing this blog post on). You get the idea, if the item in question did not measure up to those values my feeling is that it was actually detracting from those objects that did add value and as a result had to be removed from my life.


I wanted to take the time to also to define my objectives in doing this. I had explained earlier that I wanted to change as an individual. Minimizing my possessions allowed to focus on other more crucial areas on my life such as:

  • Financial: Adopting minimalism has meant that I have less possessions that need to be housed which potentially means I would need less areas to store these goods. Therefore I could in the future live in a smaller dwelling, thereby saving money on real estate. Additionally I am much more careful with the goods I purchase for instance when in the past I might have impulse bought an object just because I could, now I actually think about and research my purchases ensuring I stress quality over quantity. This in turn decreases the amount I spend on consumables.
  • Relationships: Freeing up possessions truly does give you more time for the things that matter. Of particular note is relationships, whether that be with a significant other, friends, family, pets, you name it.
  • Stress: Minimalism has allowed me to become less stressed in my life. Not having to worry about a mountain of possessions is a real load off and it is something I feel everybody should consider.
These are the more significant areas of my life that have benefited as a result of turning minimalist. This is by no means an exhaustive list and I'm sure at a later date these topics as well as others will be discussed in greater depth.

You're probably asking what I did with those objects I got rid of. Well as far as I was concerned I had 3 options. One I could sell it and this would be my first port of call, if it had any monetary value then I sold it. If I was unable to sell any of the objects or it wasn't worth the effort for what I would get out of it I donated it. Fortunately here in the UK there is an abundance of charity shops so my unwanted clothes and belongings did not go to waste. Of course finally there was the trash which is where a good deal of my belongings ended up.


As far as what the future holds for me and minimalism I am still constantly evaluating my possessions considering whether they are worthwhile holding onto. It's actually quite fun and I am working on formula to determine what objects should be kept and those that shouldn't. Additionally, as far as the items that I now currently own go I am always looking for ideas to upgrade those items. For instance most recently I have changed my Kenneth Cole Trifold wallet to a Saddleback Leather ID wallet and couldn't be happier.


For those who want to find out more about minimalism one of the best sources of knowledge on the subject is over on Joshua Becker's blog Becoming Minimalist. I strongly encourage you to check it out. You won't be disappointed.


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