Last week I read a great interview on Leo Babauta by Everett Bogue who is author of one of my favourite blogs Far Beyond the Stars. The interview consisted of posing questions to Leo in regards to the subject of being minimalist.
Leo Babauta is the author of the highly popular simple productivity blog Zen Habits and more recently Mnmlist.com which further reinforces his love of all things Minimal. I wont go too much into the interview (as you can read it here in full) but I will highlight a section that made me question how I could explain my journey better,
Everett: Occasionally I’ll tell someone that I’m striving to be minimalist and they’ll say something like “Isn’t that boring? How do you stay busy and entertain yourself?” Assuming you’re talking to a stranger, how would you answer that question?
Leo: “Minimalism isn’t about having or doing nothing – it’s about making room in your life for the things you love doing most. In this way, by getting rid of all the clutter in our lives – physical clutter and commitments – we are freeing ourselves, so that we can focus on what truly matters, and not all the extra crap people tend to do and have for no good reason”.
Now, here is what got me thinking.
What exactly is a minimalist? Am I a minimalist? What would I say?
To answer this, I needed to see how others interpret the meaning of Minimalism
The following are quotes that have been taken from blogs that I find inspirational. This also acts as a great reference for those of you like me who are seeking a path to Minimalism
Far beyond the stars : “Being minimalist opens a world of possibilities,
* You can live wherever you want, and move as often as you want.
* You will worry less, because all of your stuff is with you.
* You can be productive with the tasks you choose to accomplish.
* You can free yourself from the cycle of consumerism.
* You can survive with less money, which allows more freedom to live doing what you’re passionate about”
The Minimalist Path : “The most important element of being a minimalist, for me, is determining what is most important in my life. Simplifying and reduction is the key, but knowing what is important is the best reason to become a minimalist”
Becoming Minimalist : “Becoming minimalist shows my kids that we do not need personal belongings to be happy, that our security is not found in the things that we own, and that the pursuit of happiness runs a different road that the pursuit of possessions. those are life lessons that they will never learn at school. and unfortunately, will not learn from us until we successfully navigate this transition.”
Everyday Minimalist : “I really do apply the principles of minimalism to everything I own or think about. I like to simplify, organize and not be stressed about having things too detailed or complicated (and also) Minimalism is simply keeping & using only what you truly love and want”
The Art of Great things : “As with any idea, there are different types of minimalism. It can be focused on reducing clutter. On streamlining finances. On being a real man – or woman, for that matter. And these are all great ways to think about minimalism. But they’re not for me. They’re not my way. They don’t make me get up on a soapbox and annoy my friends about them. For me, minimalism comes from a rock-solid, unshakable, 100% belief that you are enough. That’s what “self-reliance minimalism” is to me”
Simple Minimalism : “There are many bloggers who do a fantastic job of writing about minimalism. Unfortunately, a lot of them talk about embracing minimalism in ways that are unrealistic for most of us. We have families and jobs, a headquarters where our lives are based. Unfortunately, we can’t just sell our homes, quit our jobs, and live location-independent. Simple Minimalism is about implementing simple, yet effective, solutions to help us get the most from life”
It is interesting to read all the above views, I guess what we can conclude from the above is that although Minimalism can be interpreted in slightly different ways, the recurring theme appears to be that you can live life to the full with less.
Am I a Minimalist?
I wouldn’t say I was just yet as old habits are hard to break, but I will get there eventually, especially with such a great abundance of resources out there.
So what’s my take on all this?
Live It With less : “I just want to live with less and eliminate the unnecessary so that I can concentrate more on becoming great”
Enjoy
Please add to this post by leaving a comment with your definition of what it is to be a “Minimalist”
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For me being a minimalist just means making the commitment to omit needless things and to live with less.
I think you’re selling yourself short if you’ve already made that decision then you already are a minimalist – it’s that simple
That’s true Jules, I am.
Thank you for stopping by, sounds like you are having a fantastic time in Spain.
A minimalist is someone who has realized they are not their stuff.
Once you’ve internalized this, all sorts of interesting things can happen. Minimalism manifests itself in lots of different ways, but it can lead to greater freedom, happiness, and balance.
Thankyou Chris , your site is another great resource I gather inspiration from in my “quest for less.”
Though provoking post. I wrote a piece recently on the whole minimalist/simplicity movement which kind of sums up my thoughts on this.
I think the Minimalist Path quotes best articulates it, “The most important element of being a minimalist, for me, is determining what is most important in my life. Simplifying and reduction is the key, but knowing what is important is the best reason to become a minimalist”.
Ultimately it’s one piece of a jigsaw, which is why I’m not keen on these things being viewed as movements (the same thing happened with productivity). You need to simplify, you need to be productive, you need to develop yourself personally, etc.
Great comment James,
agree, for me its the pieces of jigsaw that have the straight edge, lol, you know the easy border pices that you put down first and then you work on the guts of the puzzle. This is my foundation for creating something great.
Cheers
Greg
For me, being a minimalist is about recognising that which is personally most important to you and then choosing to remove everything else.
It is a journey with no destination, a lifestyle choice whichcan be applied to everything that you own and do.
Thanks Simon,
I like that you mention that it is a lifestyle choice, same for me, its not a goal to tick off on my to do list, its about evolving.
Appreciate your comment. Thanks for dropping by.
First, thanks Greg for using one of my quotes. It’s funny how some things I say or mention are lost in articles until others point them out. I think this point I made and you highlighted is the whole reason most of us are or are trying to become minimalists.
To James:OrganizeIT… You make an interesting point with the jigsaw comment. I think that sitting down and organizing levels of life’s actions help. For example, if you want to have $50,000 in the bank in 2 years, then that is the apex of your pyramid. The next layer are the job(s) to generate that money. The third layer down is made of the minor ways to increase money through job(s). Too often, we do not organize those thoughts and they get jumbled. Something I stress is that minimalism is an integral part to my life, but that I work it properly into the structure of my goals. If I do not include it in my pyramid near the top of lifestyle choices, then this action of being a minimalist may be lost in the bottom, crowded areas of my life pyramid.
Great comments here on minimalism. Glad to see so much interest flowing about.
David Damron
The Minimalist Path
Interesting take on minimalism. Before reading this post I simply thought of minimalism as reducing clutter and “stuff” from your life, but your other examples work great as well.
Inspiring and strong beliefs.
Ryan @ Plantingdollars.com
Thanks Ryan,
Thats great that this post provided you with more insight, it is really up to the individual on how they wish to interpret.
Stick around, I hope I can provide you with more of the good stuff in future posts
Cheers
Greg
Sorry I’m late to the party. The whole party. I have been learning about decluttering, “unclutterer”, minimalism and so forth just these past few months. You have some good thoughts, and also some good comments. I agree with your quote from Simple Minimalism, many people seem to have unrealistic views for those of us who have lives and need to honor our commitments and responsibilities.
First, lost the attachment to “stuff”. Get rid of things that are distracting us and creating burdens, as much as we can. A great deal can go at first if we take an honest assessment of it all. Then, we can pare away bits and pieces at a time so that we have time, money and energy for what really matters to us.
Hey, thanks for the comment, and no your not late, this party has just started! If there is anything you need to know more about in your search for a less, give me a shout.
Greg
I have to throw something out there: When going on vacation, offer to buy a minimalist something to put on their nicknack shelf. Think about it. Does anyone else think this is funny?
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