For those that read my blog regularly you may have heard one of the quotes that had an impact on my life. I read it outside a coffee shop over 20 years ago as a student.
"You can't have what you want until you want what you have"
There are many versions of the same philosophy in many quotes, this was just the one that struck me. So why do I write about it now? Because of the many things that have helped me in my life journey so far, this has had a most profound impact, physically and mentally. If my minimalism journey has help me, perhaps it can help you?
Minimalism is not living in an empty house with white walls and furniture. Then I would be really bad at it. It is about the intentional promotion of the things that matter, and the "de-cluttering" of the things that don't. It is also not just about "stuff". It is a lifestyle, it is about opening space, literally and figuratively, for what matters in your life.
You can start small, with your time. That is probably the most important start anyhow. Decluttering what you give your time too. For this I can use the rocks, pebbles and sand in a jar analogy, what you put in the jar first affects what you will eventually fit in the jar. The sand represents the small, less important things in your life. The pebbles represent things that are important, but not the most important, for many it will include work/school and social activities. The larger rocks represent the most important things in your life, like your loved ones and what you regard as most important. Your life is represented by the jar. You need to decide what matters in your life and place these things in you jar of life in order of that importance, by that I mean what time you give each, largest to smallest. The principle of this, to my reading, is not to get stuck in the small stuff. A modern day example of small stuff that takes all the time out of our day is scrolling on your phone. It adds no value to your life, other than to mindlessly entertain you, where you could be sending a message, visit or call someone you care about.
Another example of minimalism impacting my choices is prioritising what I choose to think, listen and read about. Decluttering the subject matter that adds no meaningful value to my life, most especially in out digital age. A digital diet of sorts. What we allow to take up space in our digital environment has a lasting impact on how we make choices and affects our mental well being and mood. I may not always be able to control what I think and when, but I can try be more intentional in what I click on and what my news feeds show me. Control the things I can.
The obvious side to minimalism is the actual physical stuff I acquire and keep in my life. This has a multi factorial impact. As I said earlier, the quote, we can never truly want what we have if we keep seeking something else, something we think is better. Living intentionally and presently means I can managed to lesson the desire to constantly acquire more stuff, of which our society is constantly tempting us with - that we "need" more. Camping is an extension of this, it reminds us regularly how little we need. This is, however, never a smooth or straight road. It has speed bumps and challenging. I try use the principles of what brings connection/community (as I value this deeply), what brings joy (as said by Marie Kondo) and what brings meaning. I have not mentioned the obvious consideration of what we need to survive, I think this goes without saying.
So when thinking about the season of spring, it is the season of new beginnings, think about what matter to you and what you want to do/add and take away so that you are living a more intentional and grateful life. Its never to late to prioritise what is important, we will always get wrong at times and therefore need to be intentional about always trying again.
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