As a child, I used to hate it when my Mom would tell me to buy only the things that I actually needed. I grew up wanting to be financially independent only because I wanted to be able to buy more things for myself. Besides that, I always used to find it hard to let go of the things even when they turned useless – old clothes, books, bags, unused craft supplies and old phones. As someone who would easily get attached to materialistic stuff, it was hard for me to adopt minimalism as a way of life. But I must say that being a minimalist is one of the best decisions that I have made for myself.
Off late, while on a decluttering spree, I threw away my old makeup and gave away some old clothes and shoes only to realize that there was so much of unnecessary stuff that was taking up a significant amount of space in my closet. Even though I hate parting with my things, there was no sense in holding on to the stuff that I was no longer using.
As a minimalist, it feels amazing to get rid of the excess that had been building up over the years. A number of lidless containers, old pairs of socks, empty cosmetic bottles, plastic bags, old magazines and newspapers, torn clothes and expired kitchen supplies are few of the many things that I felt crazy to be holding on to all this time before finally throwing them away this year.
Having been a minimalist for quite some time now, I wanted to share with you a few reasons why it feels great to detach yourself from material things. I’m sure these benefits will inspire you to own less stuff this year besides giving you the much needed motivation to finally be a minimalist:
1. You Will Stop Finding Happiness In Material Things
Once you learn to let go of the things that haven’t been serving you a purpose, you will learn to stop looking for happiness in the material stuff. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you should stop consuming things that are absolutely necessary to lead a comfortable life. What really matters here is to stop valuing your possessions so much that they start defining you as a person. When you own less stuff, you will learn to value the things that truly matter in life – spending quality time with family, hanging out with friends, walking ahead on your career path and working every day to be your best self.
2. You Will Focus On Quality Rather Than Quantity
Minimalism turns your focus from ‘owning more stuff’ to ‘owning good stuff’. It makes you go choosy about what you allow to enter your house and therefore, the money that would earlier be spent on buying more stuff will now be spent on buying good quality items.
3. You’ll Have More Space
The last thing you need is to feel stifled within your own home by possessing too many things. Getting rid of items that you no longer need or love can help you get some space back which can be filled up with the things that are actually needed.
4. You’ll Save Money
The more you fall out of love with your stuff, the more you save. Once you convince yourself to own less stuff, you’ll stop looking out for things to fill your living space. Not only will it help keep your home clutter-free , but you will also learn to spend less as you move further into minimalism.
5. You’ll Have More Time
Less stuff means you’ll be spending less time decluttering and organizing your home. Once you embrace minimalist living, decluttering won’t take much of your time allowing you to focus on things that are truly important to you. You’ll be able to give more time to your hobbies and will stop saying ‘No’ to a Sunday Brunch date with your girlfriends.
6. Less Stress And More Focus
Clutter brings in stress which is the last thing you need in an already busy life. The state of your surroundings gets reflected in how you feel from inside. I, for one, find it extremely hard to concentrate when everything around me is messy and untidy. You will realize that your mind and body feels more relaxed and calm when there is less clutter around you.
7. You’ll Appreciate What You Have
It’s hard to maintain the quality of the items when you have too many of them to care for. But when you own less stuff, you gradually learn to take better care of the things that you now have. And be it shoes, clothes or a handbag, things serve you better when you keep them maintained.
8. You’ll Be Contributing Towards Environmental Conservation
Everything that we buy and use at our home has an impact on the environment. Right from sourcing the raw material to the final consumption, we add up to the already unhealthy environment with every item that we bring into our homes. But we can do our bit for the nature by consuming less. Moreover, less stuff makes for less waste needing to be dumped which also serves as a small step towards conservation.
9. You’ll Make Way For A Healthy Lifestyle
Consumerism can easily bring down the quality of life if gone out of hand. Modern day consumerism is only worsening the situation with people now trying to derive happiness from smartphones and other electronic items which brings in nothing but sleeping and eating disorders. Owning less stuff will help you get more mental clarity and you’ll eventually be giving yourself the gift of good health.
Minimalism requires a complete overhaul of how you have been living your life at home and at work. The thought of parting with your things and learning to live with less stuff can get overwhelming at first, but it’ll be totally worth the time and energy put in to go there.
After all, Less Is More.