How To Be A Minimalist

We live in a very noisy and busy world. It’s becoming more and more difficult to assert yourself, to find your own path and pursue the things you really want in life.

There has never been a better time to be a minimalist than now, The Capitalist machine is spinning at a frantic speed throwing us off from our vital centre and leaving us feeling dazed and confused.

There isn’t a second that goes by whereby you can escape the impeding presence of advertising. Whether it’s a Johnnie Walker billboard nudging you to enjoy the finer things in life. A BMW advert proclaiming the importance of driving in style; A Plastic surgeon imploring you to find happiness through changing your looks.

Wherever you go everyone is trying to sell you something, and the dangling carrot is Happiness. As the proverb goes, “You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar”

You can win people to your side more easily by gentle persuasion and flattery than by hostile confrontation. Advertisers invest billions of dollars in research, to understand the psychology of human desire.

Minimalism is the only antidote to the nefarious claws of conspicuous consumption, let’s start by finding a simple definition for minimalism.

In simple terms minimalism is a state of mind. It’s main tenet is based on the idea that “less is more” When a cup is full of water, the only way for you to add more water is to empty the cup.

Life in many ways resembles this, we spend our lives accumulating stuff, while at the same time adding more and more things until we are overwhelmed with a plethora of useless things which stifle our life.

These things cause anxiety and the inability to relax and think clearly. Minimalism encourages you to change this destructive state of mind.

As a self proclaimed minimalist I have found a substantial amount of benefits to this lifestyle: The ability to make resolute decisions; Save time and money; Peace of mind.

Minimalism is not a proclamation to renounce the world, shave your head and live on a mountain in a straw hut. It is a mind state which frees you, from the emotional baggage we accumulated through constant consumption.

There is a difference between what you want, and what you need. The minimalist mindset is able to clearly differentiate between the two.

The Advertisers jobs is to muddy the waters, to make you think that a Louis Vuitton bag is more important than having medical insurance.

Here are 3 simple tips to help you develop a mind of steel against the seductive allure of consumption:

48 Hour Rule:

This is the most important rule in my Minimalist survival kit. If there is anything that costs over $50, I will wait for 2 days until I purchase it. The exception is if this is a medical cost or an an emergency payment, such as a burst pipe etc.

The reason why this rule is extremely important is because you will see how weak our minds are and susceptible to desires. Impulse buying is the biggest cause of people landing into dept or exhausting their credit cards.

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You will be shocked at the power of the 48 hour rule. In most cases, even after a day you will forget about that expensive sweater you thought you couldn’t live without.

The mind is extremely deceptive, it will use all psychological manoeuvres to convince you that you need something. However time is the only antidote to pour cold water over this hot tempered organ.

30 Day Box Challenge:

If you suffer from the inability of giving away or throwing out old stuff, then this is the winning strategy for you.

Get an empty box and put it in the corner of your room, anything you are considering parting with; put it in a box and seal it.

During the 30 days if you did not need the item, then it’s time to get rid of if. If however, during that time you needed the item then you can open the box and put it back in your closet.

For this strategy to work you have to be completely honest with yourself and sign the mental contract that once the 30 days is up. You have to get rid of the item.

Sentimentality is your greatest enemy, remind yourself of why you are doing this. You are freeing up space in your life for better things, there is no reason to feel attached to things which don’t serve you anymore.

Social Media:

Most people are not aware of the nefarious intentions of social networks. These are new problems in our society and did not exist a decade ago.

These companies have become extremely sophisticated and our devices are a gateway to a world of infinite desires. If you are aware of this, then you will at least be able to see the red flags when they occur. But I’m sceptical about how well you will be able to fend off these marketing vultures all trying to get a piece of your mind.

Extremely smart people are paid thousand of dollars to persuade you in infinite ways. So the only solution I have is to limit your time on these platforms. Our minds are not built to to deal with such invasive stimulation, when used in moderation I think the harmful effects are reduced.

In Conclusion

Minimalism is a way of life and not some final destination which you will eventually arrive at. It’s an ongoing journey which requires an open mind and flexibility.

It’s important to always remind yourself why you are pursuing a minimalist lifestyle. The purpose is to make your life easier and not to cause frustration because you are following something which makes you feel like you are doing military service.

The ultimate goal of life is to be happy, Minimalism tries to eliminate all the clutter from life which causes us perpetual anxiousness. In order for water to flow freely, there should not be anything impeding its way.

These impediments could be holding on to outdated ideas about the world, the stubbornness to change our ways, or our propensity to addict to stuff and accumulate possessions which make us a slave to them.

In the words of the cult classic movie “Fight Club.” ‘The things you own end up owning you. It's only after you lose everything that you're free to do anything.’

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