3155: Less is More by Catherine of Common Sense Living on Minimalism & Simple Living

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[00:00:54] That's a minimalist Monday edition of Optimal Living Daily, Episode 3155.

[00:00:59] Less is more by Catherine of commonsenseliving.ca and I'm Justin Malik.

[00:01:06] Happy Monday!

[00:01:07] This is where I read to you from some of the best blogs I can find and get permission

[00:01:11] from, covering personal development, minimalism, happiness, and productivity on this show.

[00:01:18] We cover a bunch of other topics in the Optimal Living Daily podcast network.

[00:01:23] Finally check out those shows if you like this one, just search for Optimal Living Daily

[00:01:27] to find all of our shows.

[00:01:29] Now let's get right to our minimalist Monday post and start optimizing your life.

[00:01:38] Less is more by Catherine of commonsenseliving.ca.

[00:01:44] Quote, Becoming Minimalist frees us to live a bigger life with a more passionate

[00:01:49] pursuit of our greatest purpose and goals.

[00:01:54] Joshua Becker.

[00:01:56] Minimalism is often seen as the pursuit of less, and because of this there's a common

[00:02:01] misconception that you feel like you are lacking something.

[00:02:04] However, over time, our society of overconsumption has slowly started learning that the priceless

[00:02:10] moments in life are worth so much more than material objects.

[00:02:15] Sure, we all want the basic amenities in life and then some.

[00:02:19] There's nothing wrong with wanting a house, a car, and even a family.

[00:02:23] But the truth is, happiness starts in your mind.

[00:02:28] If you are always pursuing more, you will never be grateful for what you have right now.

[00:02:33] As humans we tend to continue pursuing more and wanting to be the best version of ourselves,

[00:02:38] whatever that looks like in the moment.

[00:02:40] I don't know about you, but often times I find myself in the grind stage where

[00:02:44] I keep going without reflecting on how far I've already progressed.

[00:02:49] Is when we are at the summit of the mountain, or at least a lot higher than before, that

[00:02:53] we truly start to acknowledge and appreciate our progress.

[00:02:58] The intentional steps we took to get to where we are today should be looked on with

[00:03:02] pride, and thus the first step towards living a truly fulfilled life is gratitude.

[00:03:09] Gratitude.

[00:03:11] Being grateful for what we already have frees us from the expectation to achieve more.

[00:03:16] Although we can still work towards becoming better and reaching our goals, there is a power

[00:03:20] in enjoying the present moment.

[00:03:23] In practicing gratitude, we also raise our vibrations and release good energy which

[00:03:28] has a way of spreading to those in our outer world.

[00:03:30] When we are grateful, we could even start attracting opportunities we would have never

[00:03:35] previously thought we could achieve.

[00:03:37] As well, we start to believe in potential and be happy for all that we have.

[00:03:43] Creativity.

[00:03:44] I don't know if any of you have heard of a capsule wardrobe, but I thought the idea

[00:03:48] was revolutionary when I first heard about it.

[00:03:51] According to InStyle, a capsule wardrobe is a concise, curated selection of timeless

[00:03:55] clothing that can vary from person to person based on our different lifestyles, but

[00:04:00] the best pieces are the kind that can be worn at work during cocktail hour

[00:04:05] and dressed down on the weekend.

[00:04:07] Streamlining your wardrobe streamlines your life.

[00:04:11] After my parents had moved a few months ago, I was forced to look through my childhood room

[00:04:15] and most importantly, my closet.

[00:04:18] I realized just how many clothes I had accumulated over the years without thinking about it.

[00:04:23] The worst part is, I hadn't even worn some of them.

[00:04:27] This sparked a change in me.

[00:04:28] I was determined to make all that was old new again.

[00:04:32] Since then, I have maybe bought five pieces of clothing maximum over the course of six

[00:04:36] months and have been using everything in my closet interchangeably to create new styles.

[00:04:42] Best of all, I already have all I need to do that.

[00:04:46] Minimalism has made me discover my creative side.

[00:04:49] It helps us create things we never thought possible with what we already have.

[00:04:54] The same has happened for leftover food that I haven't wanted to waste.

[00:04:58] This less waste, minimal lifestyle has helped me discover the possibilities of what I already

[00:05:03] have instead of searching for more.

[00:05:07] Freedom.

[00:05:08] Quote,

[00:05:09] Learning to live with less does not mean your life is not abundant.

[00:05:13] In fact, it clears up more space for the things that matter.

[00:05:18] End quote.

[00:05:19] When we let go of the things we thought we needed, we realize we need a lot less

[00:05:23] than we initially thought.

[00:05:25] We start to realize that all the objects and materials we used to surround ourselves

[00:05:30] with do not come close to the life experiences that shaped us.

[00:05:34] Whether they are good or bad, they all teach us a lesson or are treasured in our memories

[00:05:39] forever.

[00:05:41] The relationships we have with others, the fun nights out or days together, our physical

[00:05:46] and mental health, all of these things are free and essential.

[00:05:51] Being minimalist does not mean I have nothing in my home.

[00:05:54] I have actually cleared up a lot more space for the things and people who matter to me.

[00:05:59] It has shifted my mindset and made me feel a lot more free, thus giving me clarity in

[00:06:05] my life and realizing what is truly important.

[00:06:09] Most of all, this freedom has allowed me to truly be present in the moment without

[00:06:13] feeling the need to pursue more.

[00:06:16] I can simply enjoy wherever I am at in my life and feel fulfilled in knowing I

[00:06:20] am exactly where I am supposed to be.

[00:06:24] So if we have learned one thing about minimalism, it is that it focuses more on the internal

[00:06:29] rather than the external.

[00:06:31] When we choose to shift our mindset from one of lack to abundance, we start to truly feel

[00:06:36] like we are living our best lives.

[00:06:39] Minimalism is a conscious choice we make every day to choose experiences over objects, to

[00:06:44] choose abundance over scarcity and to choose people over products.

[00:06:50] This mindset shift has helped me a lot and I know that a lot of others in the self-help

[00:06:54] community have also benefited.

[00:06:56] So you may be saying to yourself, the minimalist lifestyle is not for me.

[00:07:00] But the truth is we can live a more minimalistic lifestyle by making a few conscious changes.

[00:07:07] Focus on the present moment.

[00:07:09] Practice being grateful for all that you have right now and acknowledge your progress.

[00:07:14] Be creative with what you already have.

[00:07:16] Make it into a game and see what options you can come up with depending on what

[00:07:19] you already have.

[00:07:20] This could be food, clothing or anything else.

[00:07:25] And let go of the things you thought you needed.

[00:07:28] Start to assess the things you surround yourself with and ask yourself if they are there out

[00:07:32] of necessity or to fill a void.

[00:07:36] So start taking small steps today to start living a life of true abundance tomorrow.

[00:07:46] You just listened to the post titled,

[00:07:47] Less is More by Catherine of commonsenseliving.ca and I'll be right back with my commentary.

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[00:09:04] Thank you to Catherine.

[00:09:05] The line about being minimalist does not mean I have nothing in my home.

[00:09:09] It's very true.

[00:09:11] But also reminds me of my own personal situation.

[00:09:14] I moved many times and reflecting on it.

[00:09:17] That moving process made me, well, pack everything up.

[00:09:21] And then when it comes to unpacking, I generally only unpack things as I need it.

[00:09:27] This is also a strategy actually that the minimalists recommend.

[00:09:30] They call it a packing party where you pack everything you have pretending like you're

[00:09:35] moving and then only unbox things as you need them.

[00:09:39] But the point is, I still have a lot of stuff in boxes and I didn't even have that much to begin with,

[00:09:46] I think.

[00:09:47] But now there's an echo in my house.

[00:09:49] But at the same time, I don't miss those things that are packed up and I'm not less happy.

[00:09:55] And I know this because I actually track my mood.

[00:09:57] In fact, I could argue I'm happier because I have less stuff in my way and less to clean.

[00:10:03] It's interesting how that works.

[00:10:05] So hopefully something resonated with you in this article today.

[00:10:07] Have a great rest of your day and start to your week.

[00:10:10] And I'll be back tomorrow reading to you where your optimal life awaits.