One of the greatest benefits in reading personal growth literature is exposure to new ideas that can have an enormous positive impact on our lives.
Minimalism is such an idea.
Our lives are driven by the unhealthy obsession with owning stuff, and we make the false association between happiness and having: the more we have, the more happy we will be. Life has taught us time and again that buying new things doesn’t necessarily translate to happiness. But rather than learn our lesson, we simply assume that we made the wrong purchase, or do not have enough to be happy. And so we continue to pile on the stuff to be happy, without realizing that the things we buy don’t necessarily contribute to happiness. They often compromise our happiness.
Rather than lift us up, our stuff can weigh us down.
Minimalism is about sticking to the essentials that make us happy, without running after the things that we lack. It’s an appreciation of what we already own, and a focus on what we truly need.
I realized the power of minimalism when I cleared out my library of all the books that I don’t really need, have lost interest in or know that I’ll never get round to reading.
Why torment myself with the guilt of not doing what I’m unable to do in the first place? Why should I cling on to the need to read everything I have when I know I don’t truly need to do that?
Instead of attaching myself to valuing more books, I turned to appreciating valuable books.
By removing the books I knew I didn’t want from my bookshelves, the books that mattered became more visible. They were able to receive the attention that they deserved.
With minimalism, you reduce the noise in your life that distracts you from what matters in life.
The Simple Guide to a Minimalist Life, written by Leo Babauta (of Zen Habits and Mnmlist), is a great resource (and a truly valuable introduction) for leading a minimalist life.
The guide explains what the minimalist mindset is, what principles minimalism upholds and offers some great suggestions for applying these principles in different aspects of our lives.
Leo makes the point that minimalism means different things to different people, and I can’t stress on this point enough. You don’t need to lead the lifestyle Leo is leading. What matters to you in your life won’t be exactly the same as what matters to me. I may be content with a single computer, but you can’t function without three. Numbers don’t matter. Focusing on what matters does. You will need to determine what you truly appreciate and value in your life, then get rid of the clutter that’s taking your attention away from these things.
Click on the link below to purchase your copy of Leo’s book: