3027: Minimalist - The Beginning by Chris Lovett of Less is Progress on Life Change and Simpler Lifestyle

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[00:00:29] This is Optimal Living Daily Episode 3027 Minimalist The Beginning by Chris Lovett of Less is Progress dot com and I'm your narrator Justin Malik.

[00:00:40] Happy New Year, welcome to the show where I simply read articles to you, the best ones I can find and get permission from, and then I give a little bit of commentary at the end.

[00:00:49] And we can jump right into our next article today for Minimalist Monday as we optimize your life. Minimalist The Beginning by Chris Lovett of Less is Progress dot com. I hadn't even heard of minimalism 18 months ago.

[00:01:08] I mean, I'd experienced minimal music, visual art and fashion before and maybe used the term a few times in work context. But overall I had no idea about a minimalist movement, what a minimalist was or anything of the sort.

[00:01:22] In early 2017 a window of opportunity opened up whether that was carefully planned or if the stars just aligned who knows.

[00:01:29] For my partner and I to take a break from work and go traveling, something I had not done in my teens or 20s because I just wasn't in that mindset.

[00:01:38] I always thought I had too many things going on but I always listened to the stories of my friends who took that adventure and felt slightly envious of all the amazing experiences they had and people they encountered and memories they would keep forever.

[00:01:51] And to lead up to this, we needed to save money for it all. A few months to prepare, a rough number to get to. Now I feel like I can squeeze general day-to-day savings from lifestyle choices but that wasn't going to cut it. That would help.

[00:02:05] But we needed something more substantial and long term. As I sat in a flat full of things, I looked around for what I could sell, what I hadn't used for a while and realized that I had a lot of stuff.

[00:02:18] Stuff that we needed, stuff that had emotional attachment to it, stuff that was just stuff. Those jeans with the rips I loved but never wore, the super cool trap door t-shirt that was stuffed down the bottom of the wardrobe with my old football kit.

[00:02:33] The DVDs that were never watched but when it came on TV I watched it. The books I promised myself to read but never did.

[00:02:40] The sofa bed we bought years ago for that one time someone stayed over, which actually stored all the extra cameras, school work, sleeping bags for festival season. Old phones, a keyboard, three guitars which I only played to impress my partner when we first met.

[00:02:55] Computer game accessories, we're talking guitar hero here with full band here. Cooking books, random wires, old routers and board games that didn't have all the pieces. Aren't we all searching for missing pieces? They all went, some to new owners, people who would get great value in using them.

[00:03:13] The mentality was there but it was more to save money. As the travel time got nearer the furniture holding all this stuff went as too did more shoes, trinkets, tools and clutter. For the final push we sold the flat.

[00:03:27] Whatever core valuables remained stayed at my parents until our return. I looked down at my key ring and there was nothing there. No car keys, no house keys, no work fob, no pass, no bottle opener or nothing. This should be scary but why did it feel so good?

[00:03:44] A couple of nights before we left we packed our bags, overpacked them, minimalist work in progress and reflected on the effort put in to get rid of that stuff.

[00:03:53] It felt good not just knowing that I could live quite happily with less but also giving that opportunity to others to gain value in your stuff. I know one of my guitars went to an 8 year old for his birthday, his first guitar.

[00:04:06] I know a photography student now uses one of our cameras for their course. I know someone has picked up my books and read them rather than leaving them to gather dust. Someone is definitely having the time of their life on Guitar Hero.

[00:04:19] One of my suits was worn by a 16 year old for his end of school prom. The list goes on. It was when we were in Ninh Bien, North Vietnam when it all finally clicked. What we were doing was becoming minimalist.

[00:04:33] Minimalism was the tool that helped remove the excess stuff physical and mental from our environment that allowed us complete freedom to enjoy what was really important to us. Plus we had also helped others find fulfillment and added value along the way.

[00:04:47] There was no anxiety of stuff back home. Was it safe? Will it still work? There's hardly anything left. No work issues, no delayed commutes. We were living in the moment, taking ourselves out of our comfort zone, exploring the world and learning more about ourselves and each other.

[00:05:04] Now I have my own memories I keep forever. Minimalism is not just about consumerism or having less stuff. It can impact many areas of your life.

[00:05:14] A friend of mine once said the reason they couldn't find the time to do more of what they enjoyed at home was because they spent a considerable amount of time cleaning. Cleaning the cabinet that stored the stuff that was never used.

[00:05:27] The minimalism journey so far has been extremely rewarding and it's only the start. You just listened to the post titled Minimalist, The Beginning by Chris Loveit of LessIsProgress.com

[00:05:45] And thank you to Chris for the reminder today about minimalism not necessarily being about consumerism or simply having less stuff. It could be about time or giving back and contribution or your passions. It covers a wide range of things.

[00:06:01] But when we're talking about stuff, I've always loved decluttering when moving. It's a great time to reevaluate what I have and what I truly need. Starting fresh gives us a chance to fill our spaces with the essential and really make things more clean, organized and efficient.

[00:06:19] And hopefully keep it that way. Also while letting go of things that no longer serve us and can hopefully serve someone else. Personally I love throwing things away but as I've learned more and more about sustainability from some of the authors featured here on this show.

[00:06:34] If it has some use to someone then all the more reason to sell something or give it to someone in need. Chances are if you're listening to this you're not in the process of moving and in that case it's all about periodic evaluation and remembering.

[00:06:50] Which gets to the heart of this podcast. It's daily so that we can all remember what's important and hopefully optimize a little bit each day.

[00:06:58] With minimalism maybe it's simply having a box near your door where you can just drop things that you feel like you no longer need as you come across them.

[00:07:06] So then you don't have to worry about a bigger purge down the road. Little steps like this go a long way. So think about how little minimalism can go a long way in your life today and enjoy the rest of your day.

[00:07:17] I'll be curating articles for you here again tomorrow where your optimal life awaits.