Minimalism is a journey and not an end goal. I continue to read, research, and learn how to continue down this path of embracing what is important and minimizing what is not. Minimalism has certain principles and values however every minimalist or aspiring minimalist finds their own path and expresses their path differently. I recently finished the book, Goodbye Things, by Fumio Sasaki. Sasaki is a minimalist living in Japan in a 215 square foot apartment with three shirts, three pairs of pants, and a few personal belongings. This is a relatively short book, about 4.5 hours of audio time or 259 pages to read. It is separated into categories with points to consider and pictures of his spaces, items, and ideas making it easy to reference certain sections. I first borrowed it from the library free audio app but then determined this was a book I needed to own because I would reference it’s pages throughout my journey in times to come.

I enjoyed this book because it was positive, light, and inspiring. Hopeful, even. Other minimalism books I have read take a “don’t”, “should not”, “never” angle while Sasaki focused on the positive intentions, beliefs, and ideas without “shoulding” all over everything. Here are my 7 reasons for why this is an RS Essential Read:

1. Your community is your dwelling and let stores be your own personal warehouse: I reread this concept multiple times. And it changed the way I currently see my neighborhood. Until I considered this concept, I focused on my own personal home as my space but what if I changed that to my neighborhood? For instance, if I considered the coffee shop as the place to entertain my friends, a place to spend an afternoon reading a book? What if my dining room included the park and the bench by the lake? And what if I considered the local stores as my storage unit with nice lovely people who will keep my items safe, help me find them when I need to, and smile at me every time they see me? For me, I did not realize that I am still thinking in an individual mindset instead of the communal mindset. I am sure the local cafe owner would love to be an entertainment location and I would be supporting a local business. And probably sometime soon, a friend. This idea decreases the pressure on me in planning and hosting social events as well as changes how many items I need on hand.
2. Start with the belief that you can declutter and become minimal. This sounds simple but that is the beauty of it. Being a minimalist is a passion of mine. I talk about it often. And because I do, I hear a lot of I can’t, I can’t, I can’t from others. Just like any other behavior change, it takes practice, the motivation to do it, and the belief that you can. If I can, everyone can.
3. Consider things to be your roommates, except you are paying their rent. This statement resonated with me. We have downsized our home by 1/3rd and have less things but this statement is still true. The author went on to say that we buy bigger and bigger homes in order to ensure our things fit comfortably inside. The more things we purchase, the bigger home we need. The home is not for the people. The home is for our things. This idea reminded me of HGTV episodes and all of the house hunters, homemakers, and renovations. The individuals searching for the perfect house are known for statements such as: “This living room wouldn’t fit our favorite couch”, “We think our bedroom furniture is too big for this room”, or “There is not enough storage here for all of our things”. They choose the house or renovate the house to fit their things. And in downsizing, we still chose the space to fit the furniture we had determined to keep.
4. By not living in the present, we are selfish and robbing ourselves as we constantly look toward the future. This concept focused on the American culture of planning for the future. I will have to admit, that there was a time that I made several unsuccessful attempts to extreme coupon. I had several friends who were very successful at it and I wanted to save money as well. I couldn’t quite figure it out and now I know why. I wanted discounts on the items I needed now and the brand of items I preferred. I had no interest in 25 bottles of mustard when I already had the one I needed. And the mustard with the coupon was not the brand I preferred. And I am the only person in my home that even eats mustard. The constant planner mode has left us thinking about the future, planning for the future, and considering the next steps in our lives, families, and careers. I am not saying that you should let life pass you by, to live without goals, or to be surprised by unexpected life events. However, have we planned our way right out of the present to the point that we do not enjoy the day? Read social media-we dread Mondays and live for Friday at 5pm as if enjoying a positive work day or weekday is not an option. Life happens every day at every moment not just in the evenings and on weekends. Harmonize and live every moment.
5. There are limits to the capacity of your brain, your energy, and your time. Yes! This is what minimalism+mom+career is all about. I only have a certain amount of time and energy in the day, in the week, in the year. I have to be protective of how I chose to use my resources-brain, energy, time. Being able to harmonize my roles has allowed me to focus on what is important in my day and to be more efficient with my time. I prefer to use my capabilities to be the best in all of my roles.
6. If you lost it, would you buy it again? And this is just the ultimate question. Consider asking yourself this question about an item. If the answer is no, you do not need it.
7. Minimalism is the freedom to choose a new lifestyle. This is the ultimate reason for minimalism. Have you ever thought about how does someone live on a part-time job or travel the world with their children? In my field, I often hear people say that they feel stuck in their lives, that they are just going through the motions, and waiting for better days. Why wait? Imagine a life that you get to choose. The issue is that when we imagine a different life, we imagine more than what we currently have. These images are not a different life for you, this is someone else’s life all together. Imagine a different life free from your stress. This would be a less expensive life than you have now, not a more expensive life. Minimalism provides the opportunity to make a conscious choice.

I find it fascinating that everyone has a different reason for becoming a minimalist but the end result is the same. A quieter, peaceful, more fulfilled life. I recommend reading Goodbye Things to discover new ideas. I did.

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RS