Are labels making it harder?!?
Just a random thought we had today. Part of our ever advancing plan is to become more minimalist. But what is that? It seems some believe that means you live in a 1 room apartment where your bed doubles as your couch and your dining room table, and you wear 5 shirts on a rotation. To others not so much...
So as we were cleaning out what seems like years worth of stuff to sale, or toss, or donate, we started thinking. Is this “minimalism” or is it just spring cleaning (it’s really winter, there is actually snow in GA, again)? And once you get rid of all of your crap, isn’t the idea of being a minimalist to just buy less... well, crap?
Why does it have to be called “minimalism”? Why isn’t it just referred to as throw away all of your useless crap and stop buying new useless crap? Is the title of going “minimalistic” scaring away people who want to attempt it? Are they watching the Youtube videos of the extreme cases, relating it to the name and then thinking, “Yep no way I can live that life, minimalism isn’t for me...”
Look folks, you don’t need to get rid of everything. You don’t need to live on 5 outfits or 2 pairs of shoes, or sell your car and ride a bicycle that you ride share on a snazzy new app. You just need to live simpler. You don’t need 15 pairs of shoes, you don’t need 8 phone cases, 6 watches, and an attic full of “memories” you have NEVER looked at since you put those oh so important items up there. Just look at what you use and keep it. Not sure if you can get rid of it? Tape a piece of paper to it, put it back up, and then next time you use it, make a mark on that paper. See how many marks you have on things in 6 months.
Lets make this easy, don’t get scared by the Youtube extremes and labels. I’m starting to think the labels are a way to brand a movement to make money on it...