People are reading blogs, listening to podcasts, reading books, and downloading ebooks on this topic like crazy...but WHY?
What is it so many are searching for lately?
One of the first things someone living this way will tell you that it's about working less, and needing less, to free up more time to do the important. With less overhead expenses, less frivolous spending, you can intentionally choose to live a better quality of life. They talk about making more memories, having better experiences, and generally being more happy.
Simplicity is beautiful. Clutter looks like disorganization, chaos, and sometimes, the beginning stages of hoarding. Space in your room, office, or home somehow brings with it mental head space. It helps you breathe easier, be more calm, find inner peace. I don't know how else to describe it to others who've never experienced it - it is what it is.
The minimalist wardrobe is sometimes what turns people off. Some love to have multiple closets full of clothes they've hardly ever worn - and often, many they've NEVER worn - with tags still on them. Somehow owning those things make them think they have more choices, but most people will still wear only about 20% of what they have in their closet, and often it's even less than that. It wastes time, brain power, and worst of all, it wastes money. If you could have back what you spent on 80% of your closet items, you'd probably be able to take a nice vacation with someone you love the most, and have a lifetime of wonderful memories. Instead, you have clutter, you can't find "anything to wear" no matter how many things you own. With a minimalist wardrobe, which can be anything you decide, anywhere from say 30 items to 50, you save money, time, and brain power when you get dressed. You get to the point where you either love everything you own, or you donate it. This way, no matter what you pull out, you'll enjoy wearing it. I've been at about 35 items for 6 months now. I still tend to trade out things that have gotten too big or too small for something that will work with the pieces I already own. I don't buy a weird color top that will require me to purchase different pants or skirts, new shoes, and new accessories. I chose a few basic, favorite colors and stay within that palette.
Worry and stress go down when you aren't scrambling between 2 jobs to cover your bills, you worry about how you'll make your next rent or mortgage payment, or how to pay the minimum balance on your maxed out credit cards. Nothing that hangs in the closet or sits on a shelf is worth the stress over paying for it with interest for the next several years! Don't buy what you can't afford. Stop using your credit cards as an additional source of income.
Disconnecting from an overload of social media, along with saying NO to the unimportant things also will free you up to really BE with those you care about the most. You'll have more time to enjoy life.
Maybe as 2018 approaches you could think about how you could trim down your life (if you're not ready to become a full-blown minimalist) and live more simply. More time. Less stress. More intentional living. Less wasted time and money. More peace.
And now you know WHY people choose to live more simply.
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