We’re hearing the term ‘minimalism’ with increasing frequency as an alternative approach to living the stressed-out, maxed-out lifestyles we’ve come to adopt. What we’re currently doing isn’t working. Working to live, instead of living to give has us feeling compromised and pretty blue at the end of our long hard days in the jobs we hate to buy the things we don’t need.
“Minimalism is the thing that gets us past the things so we can make room for life’s important things—which actually aren’t things at all.”—The Minimalists
Now if you think that one of the objectives of minimalism is to minimise, you’d be right. However, it’s not the main goal. Going through the process of simplifying our lives—removing excess material things and the people and activities that don’t light us up—is actually a strategy to get us to make room for more. More what? More time. More time for life-enriching experiences. More time to follow our passions. More time to come to know ourselves so we can give more to and enjoy more with those we love. People living a minimalist lifestyle focus on experiences, rather than ‘things’. They’ve removed their attachment to excess material possessions, unhappy relationships, and habits that don’t bring them joy, freeing up time to live the life they actually want, instead of the life they’re told they should strive for based on consumer-driven societal conventions.
In 2011, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, left corporate careers after realising that the bigger homes, cars and luxury items that long, stressful hours at the office afforded them, were not making them happy. In fact, this conventional way of living—working to buy more stuff—was making them very unhappy. They wrote their first book, “Minimalism: Living a Meaningful Life” and toured it internationally, sharing their message of minimalism with thousands of people. Known now as The Minimalists, they’ve published another two books, “Everything that Remains” and “Essential: Essays by The Minimalists”, a documentary film call “Minimalism” and a podcast series. They’ve continued to tour and interview widely as we increasingly fall in love with the very real possibility of living lives as the best, most connected versions of ourselves by letting go of ‘stuff’ to make room for life.
To get more out of life, we need to make decisions. We need to ask ourselves questions to get closer to living in alignment with our values. Minimalism provides a solid foundation for asking questions like: “What’s important to me?” “Which material possessions help me live a comfortable and productive life and facilitate the experiences I actually want?” “What can I cull in order to feel more connected to myself and the people I love?” Joshua says, “Minimalists actually get more value from their possessions because they own only things that add value to their lives. As a minimalist, everything you own serves a purpose or brings joy—everything else is out of the way, which allows you to focus on what’s truly important: health, relationships, passions, growth, and contribution.” These conscious decisions help stop us automatically accruing stuff and allow us to really question what we buy, given the end goal is living more meaningful lives.
We’re just starting to move away from owning products to using products as a service, focusing on the experiences those products allow us to enjoy. New fashion models established by visionary brands like Mud Jeans (read our Journal feature on them here), have us leasing a pair of jeans with the option to keep them or send them back for recycling and lease a new style. In letting go of our attachment to things, we can tune into what’s really important: what those ‘things’ enable us to do. And with fashion being one of the world’s most polluting industries, this shift to seeing products as a service has huge environmental ramifications.
“For me, minimalism has never been about deprivation; rather, minimalism is about getting rid of life’s excess in favor of the essential.”—Joshua Fields Millburn
We’re now seeing a strong link between being a minimalist and leading a zero waste lifestyle. They both require us to take time to think about what’s important to us. They provoke questions like, “If ‘stuff’ of itself doesn’t make me happy, why am I accumulating it or contributing to it, especially when I have to work so hard to get it?” “What can I let go of to make room for something more valuable?” “How can minimising distractions allow me to do more good?” When we form the habit of consciously choosing what we want in our lives, our awareness is heightened and it’s much easier to live in alignment with our values.
The way forward is clear. We need to reassess our priorities and find ways to nourish the most important things in life. Our health, relationships, passions, growth, and the contribution we can make in the world. Head over to The Minimalists for information on simplifying your life. There are lots of little things you can do that will get you feeling a whole lot lighter, brighter and more connected.
x KT
Image: Courtesy The Minimalists
0
“Minimalism is the thing that gets us past the things so we can make room for life’s important things—which actually aren’t things at all.”—The Minimalists
Now if you think that one of the objectives of minimalism is to minimise, you’d be right. However, it’s not the main goal. Going through the process of simplifying our lives—removing excess material things and the people and activities that don’t light us up—is actually a strategy to get us to make room for more. More what? More time. More time for life-enriching experiences. More time to follow our passions. More time to come to know ourselves so we can give more to and enjoy more with those we love. People living a minimalist lifestyle focus on experiences, rather than ‘things’. They’ve removed their attachment to excess material possessions, unhappy relationships, and habits that don’t bring them joy, freeing up time to live the life they actually want, instead of the life they’re told they should strive for based on consumer-driven societal conventions.
In 2011, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, left corporate careers after realising that the bigger homes, cars and luxury items that long, stressful hours at the office afforded them, were not making them happy. In fact, this conventional way of living—working to buy more stuff—was making them very unhappy. They wrote their first book, “Minimalism: Living a Meaningful Life” and toured it internationally, sharing their message of minimalism with thousands of people. Known now as The Minimalists, they’ve published another two books, “Everything that Remains” and “Essential: Essays by The Minimalists”, a documentary film call “Minimalism” and a podcast series. They’ve continued to tour and interview widely as we increasingly fall in love with the very real possibility of living lives as the best, most connected versions of ourselves by letting go of ‘stuff’ to make room for life.
To get more out of life, we need to make decisions. We need to ask ourselves questions to get closer to living in alignment with our values. Minimalism provides a solid foundation for asking questions like: “What’s important to me?” “Which material possessions help me live a comfortable and productive life and facilitate the experiences I actually want?” “What can I cull in order to feel more connected to myself and the people I love?” Joshua says, “Minimalists actually get more value from their possessions because they own only things that add value to their lives. As a minimalist, everything you own serves a purpose or brings joy—everything else is out of the way, which allows you to focus on what’s truly important: health, relationships, passions, growth, and contribution.” These conscious decisions help stop us automatically accruing stuff and allow us to really question what we buy, given the end goal is living more meaningful lives.
We’re just starting to move away from owning products to using products as a service, focusing on the experiences those products allow us to enjoy. New fashion models established by visionary brands like Mud Jeans (read our Journal feature on them here), have us leasing a pair of jeans with the option to keep them or send them back for recycling and lease a new style. In letting go of our attachment to things, we can tune into what’s really important: what those ‘things’ enable us to do. And with fashion being one of the world’s most polluting industries, this shift to seeing products as a service has huge environmental ramifications.
“For me, minimalism has never been about deprivation; rather, minimalism is about getting rid of life’s excess in favor of the essential.”—Joshua Fields Millburn
We’re now seeing a strong link between being a minimalist and leading a zero waste lifestyle. They both require us to take time to think about what’s important to us. They provoke questions like, “If ‘stuff’ of itself doesn’t make me happy, why am I accumulating it or contributing to it, especially when I have to work so hard to get it?” “What can I let go of to make room for something more valuable?” “How can minimising distractions allow me to do more good?” When we form the habit of consciously choosing what we want in our lives, our awareness is heightened and it’s much easier to live in alignment with our values.
The way forward is clear. We need to reassess our priorities and find ways to nourish the most important things in life. Our health, relationships, passions, growth, and the contribution we can make in the world. Head over to The Minimalists for information on simplifying your life. There are lots of little things you can do that will get you feeling a whole lot lighter, brighter and more connected.
x KT
Image: Courtesy The Minimalists
0
In 2011, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, left corporate careers after realising that the bigger homes, cars and luxury items that long, stressful hours at the office afforded them, were not making them happy. In fact, this conventional way of living—working to buy more stuff—was making them very unhappy. They wrote their first book, “Minimalism: Living a Meaningful Life” and toured it internationally, sharing their message of minimalism with thousands of people. Known now as The Minimalists, they’ve published another two books, “Everything that Remains” and “Essential: Essays by The Minimalists”, a documentary film call “Minimalism” and a podcast series. They’ve continued to tour and interview widely as we increasingly fall in love with the very real possibility of living lives as the best, most connected versions of ourselves by letting go of ‘stuff’ to make room for life.
To get more out of life, we need to make decisions. We need to ask ourselves questions to get closer to living in alignment with our values. Minimalism provides a solid foundation for asking questions like: “What’s important to me?” “Which material possessions help me live a comfortable and productive life and facilitate the experiences I actually want?” “What can I cull in order to feel more connected to myself and the people I love?” Joshua says, “Minimalists actually get more value from their possessions because they own only things that add value to their lives. As a minimalist, everything you own serves a purpose or brings joy—everything else is out of the way, which allows you to focus on what’s truly important: health, relationships, passions, growth, and contribution.” These conscious decisions help stop us automatically accruing stuff and allow us to really question what we buy, given the end goal is living more meaningful lives.
We’re just starting to move away from owning products to using products as a service, focusing on the experiences those products allow us to enjoy. New fashion models established by visionary brands like Mud Jeans (read our Journal feature on them here), have us leasing a pair of jeans with the option to keep them or send them back for recycling and lease a new style. In letting go of our attachment to things, we can tune into what’s really important: what those ‘things’ enable us to do. And with fashion being one of the world’s most polluting industries, this shift to seeing products as a service has huge environmental ramifications.
“For me, minimalism has never been about deprivation; rather, minimalism is about getting rid of life’s excess in favor of the essential.”—Joshua Fields Millburn
We’re now seeing a strong link between being a minimalist and leading a zero waste lifestyle. They both require us to take time to think about what’s important to us. They provoke questions like, “If ‘stuff’ of itself doesn’t make me happy, why am I accumulating it or contributing to it, especially when I have to work so hard to get it?” “What can I let go of to make room for something more valuable?” “How can minimising distractions allow me to do more good?” When we form the habit of consciously choosing what we want in our lives, our awareness is heightened and it’s much easier to live in alignment with our values.
The way forward is clear. We need to reassess our priorities and find ways to nourish the most important things in life. Our health, relationships, passions, growth, and the contribution we can make in the world. Head over to The Minimalists for information on simplifying your life. There are lots of little things you can do that will get you feeling a whole lot lighter, brighter and more connected.
x KT
Image: Courtesy The Minimalists
0
To get more out of life, we need to make decisions. We need to ask ourselves questions to get closer to living in alignment with our values. Minimalism provides a solid foundation for asking questions like: “What’s important to me?” “Which material possessions help me live a comfortable and productive life and facilitate the experiences I actually want?” “What can I cull in order to feel more connected to myself and the people I love?” Joshua says, “Minimalists actually get more value from their possessions because they own only things that add value to their lives. As a minimalist, everything you own serves a purpose or brings joy—everything else is out of the way, which allows you to focus on what’s truly important: health, relationships, passions, growth, and contribution.” These conscious decisions help stop us automatically accruing stuff and allow us to really question what we buy, given the end goal is living more meaningful lives.
We’re just starting to move away from owning products to using products as a service, focusing on the experiences those products allow us to enjoy. New fashion models established by visionary brands like Mud Jeans (read our Journal feature on them here), have us leasing a pair of jeans with the option to keep them or send them back for recycling and lease a new style. In letting go of our attachment to things, we can tune into what’s really important: what those ‘things’ enable us to do. And with fashion being one of the world’s most polluting industries, this shift to seeing products as a service has huge environmental ramifications.
“For me, minimalism has never been about deprivation; rather, minimalism is about getting rid of life’s excess in favor of the essential.”—Joshua Fields Millburn
We’re now seeing a strong link between being a minimalist and leading a zero waste lifestyle. They both require us to take time to think about what’s important to us. They provoke questions like, “If ‘stuff’ of itself doesn’t make me happy, why am I accumulating it or contributing to it, especially when I have to work so hard to get it?” “What can I let go of to make room for something more valuable?” “How can minimising distractions allow me to do more good?” When we form the habit of consciously choosing what we want in our lives, our awareness is heightened and it’s much easier to live in alignment with our values.
The way forward is clear. We need to reassess our priorities and find ways to nourish the most important things in life. Our health, relationships, passions, growth, and the contribution we can make in the world. Head over to The Minimalists for information on simplifying your life. There are lots of little things you can do that will get you feeling a whole lot lighter, brighter and more connected.
x KT
Image: Courtesy The Minimalists
0
We’re just starting to move away from owning products to using products as a service, focusing on the experiences those products allow us to enjoy. New fashion models established by visionary brands like Mud Jeans (read our Journal feature on them here), have us leasing a pair of jeans with the option to keep them or send them back for recycling and lease a new style. In letting go of our attachment to things, we can tune into what’s really important: what those ‘things’ enable us to do. And with fashion being one of the world’s most polluting industries, this shift to seeing products as a service has huge environmental ramifications.
“For me, minimalism has never been about deprivation; rather, minimalism is about getting rid of life’s excess in favor of the essential.”—Joshua Fields Millburn
We’re now seeing a strong link between being a minimalist and leading a zero waste lifestyle. They both require us to take time to think about what’s important to us. They provoke questions like, “If ‘stuff’ of itself doesn’t make me happy, why am I accumulating it or contributing to it, especially when I have to work so hard to get it?” “What can I let go of to make room for something more valuable?” “How can minimising distractions allow me to do more good?” When we form the habit of consciously choosing what we want in our lives, our awareness is heightened and it’s much easier to live in alignment with our values.
The way forward is clear. We need to reassess our priorities and find ways to nourish the most important things in life. Our health, relationships, passions, growth, and the contribution we can make in the world. Head over to The Minimalists for information on simplifying your life. There are lots of little things you can do that will get you feeling a whole lot lighter, brighter and more connected.
x KT
Image: Courtesy The Minimalists
0
“For me, minimalism has never been about deprivation; rather, minimalism is about getting rid of life’s excess in favor of the essential.”—Joshua Fields Millburn
We’re now seeing a strong link between being a minimalist and leading a zero waste lifestyle. They both require us to take time to think about what’s important to us. They provoke questions like, “If ‘stuff’ of itself doesn’t make me happy, why am I accumulating it or contributing to it, especially when I have to work so hard to get it?” “What can I let go of to make room for something more valuable?” “How can minimising distractions allow me to do more good?” When we form the habit of consciously choosing what we want in our lives, our awareness is heightened and it’s much easier to live in alignment with our values.
The way forward is clear. We need to reassess our priorities and find ways to nourish the most important things in life. Our health, relationships, passions, growth, and the contribution we can make in the world. Head over to The Minimalists for information on simplifying your life. There are lots of little things you can do that will get you feeling a whole lot lighter, brighter and more connected.
x KT
Image: Courtesy The Minimalists
0
The way forward is clear. We need to reassess our priorities and find ways to nourish the most important things in life. Our health, relationships, passions, growth, and the contribution we can make in the world. Head over to The Minimalists for information on simplifying your life. There are lots of little things you can do that will get you feeling a whole lot lighter, brighter and more connected.
x KT
Image: Courtesy The Minimalists
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x KT
Image: Courtesy The Minimalists
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Image: Courtesy The Minimalists
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