Since the word minimalism appeared on my laptop(or phone?) screen, it has had a weird force of attraction on me. I started researching minimalism and I was hooked. I read lots about it, I started doing the stuff I was reading about and was extremely excited about it all.
What is minimalism, you ask? I take the liberty to assume you have in mind those overly simplistic paintings that could've been painted by a 4-year-old and those modern art pieces that are mostly white. A minimalist house interior might also pop into your mind, and I don't blame you. That's what most people think about. But that's not what I'm talking about. Minimalism as a lifestyle is the thing I'm passionate about.
The definition of minimalism that has stuck with me is the one written by Joshua Becker from Becoming Minimalist: "minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of everything that distracts us from it."
(He also made a list of some of the benefits minimalism brings into people's lives).
Another cool way of putting it can be found on mnmlist.com:
"It’s a way to escape the excesses of the world around us — the excesses of consumerism, material possessions, clutter, having too much to do, too much debt, too many distractions, too much noise. But too little meaning. "
I think minimalism is about actively participating in the development of your own life. It's about changing or removing what you know's not good for you, not bringing you any joy or is not useful, but has been allowed to remain in your life for different reasons: you haven't realized until now that it's in your way, you feel guilty even thinking to throw it away, you feel like you might regret getting rid of it or a million other reasons. Most of them are only in your head, and would probably turn out to be completely false if you tried them.
That's why I encourage you to try and see for yourself what you can improve in your life. Start by asking yourself this question: "How could my life be better with less?" Find one area in your life that needs change the most and focus on it. Simplify, experiment, try things and see what works for you. There are countless methods all over the Internet for doing this. Look around and see what you like. Then DO something. Minimalism doesn't bring you any benefits if you just read about it. Start doing something today!
"Love people and use things, because the opposite never works" - Joshua Fields Millburn