There are many definitions of minimalism, and even then, there aren’t any specific rules. Minimalism started as a way to describe design concepts before being used as a term to identify a lifestyle. Fundamentally, minimalist living is about intentionality. You can find similar philosophies in Stoicism, and Buddhism, amongst many other influences where the goal of simplicity is at its core.
Our definition of minimalism has evolved over the years, but as of today, we define minimalism as the process of identifying what is essential in your life and having the courage to let go of the rest.
Minimalism is a framework for you to decide what isn’t essential so you can spend more time doing more of what you want. Below are the benefits of embracing a minimalistic lifestyle:
- Peace
When you look around at your environment, which could be your home, office, relationships, career anything, and you only experience what you love; you can’t help but feel peaceful. Something is calming about an uncluttered environment that you have methodically crafted.
- Perspective
Minimalism gives you a perspective on the value of everything in your life. When applied wholeheartedly, you see each thing you interact with as either adding something positive to you or taking something away from you.
- Focus
It’s hard enough to focus as it is with the infinite amount of stimulation available to us through the internet. But then we layer the pressures of life on top of that and feels impossible to focus. Even for the most easily distracted person, minimalism will help remove the noise, so you have no choice but to focus on the task at hand.
- Confidence
When you start living with incredible intentionality, you care less about what other people think of you. This is not to say that you’ll become arrogant or feel that you’re above others.
It’s that you’ve become clearer and more comfortable with what you want in life and therefore more confident about making decisions, even if they may seem unpopular.
- Creativity
Minimalism is a fantastic tool to free up time and mental bandwidth to play and explore. If spending time creating is a priority to you, then minimalism will help you craft a lifestyle where you can create while limiting your guilt of doing something “more productive”.
- Money
A direct impact of minimalism is buying less stuff. More often than not, buying less also means spending less, thus creating more cash. Beyond buying new things, minimalism can be the catalyst to downsizing your life, which can have a significant impact on your financial situation.
- Self-Awareness
Minimalism forces you to evaluate what you want, which means you get to learn more about yourself. You’re more aware of your talents and shortcomings, as well as your interests (without influence from others). When you strip all of the excesses out of your life, you have no choice but, to be honest with yourself.
- Contribution
Perhaps one of the most transformative things you can do is serve and help others. Living simply will free up your capacity to give back. This could mean providing emotional support for a close friend, volunteering to plant trees, or actively participating and helping at your kid’s school. When you’re no longer weighed down by the clutter of life, you’ll find that you can do so much more the good things.