3467: Essential Minimalist Living: The 3 Things You Really Need by Emma Scheib With Becoming Minimalist

[00:00:00] It's a Minimalist Monday edition of Optimal Living Daily. Essential Minimalist Living, The 3 Things You Really Need by Emma Scheib with becomingminimalist.com and I'm Justin Malik. Happy Monday, this is the award-winning podcast, thanks to you, where I read blogs to you, hopefully adding a little bit of inspiration, motivation or happiness to your day, all with permission from the authors by the way. And I'm gonna keep this intro nice and minimal as we optimize your life.

[00:00:34] Essential Minimalist Living, The 3 Things You Really Need by Emma Scheib with becomingminimalist.com. When I first started reading about minimalism, I'll admit to being overwhelmed. Photos of people living this minimalist lifestyle were trendy. White walls, scandy furniture and not a scatter cushion in sight.

[00:00:55] As someone who has preferred to buck trends and fads and do my own thing, I struggled to figure out how this lifestyle would benefit me and what I really needed to do in order to become a minimalist. I couldn't understand people who lived in tiny homes. I like big open spaces. And white everywhere? I prefer moody autumn colors in my spaces. They make me feel warm and safe.

[00:01:20] Thankfully, I discovered that minimalism is about more than just picture-perfect homes with white walls. It was far more than just a type of architecture, decor, or fashion choice. It is a worldview. And despite its recent growth and popularity, it wasn't a fad. Minimalism is about clearing the clutter in our homes, calendars and heads so that we can do the things that light us up and give us purpose.

[00:01:47] And no, we don't have to keep up with the minimalist Joneses to participate in this way of living. There are, however, a few things I found essential to my minimalist journey. A willingness to do some self-exploration. Like it or not, becoming a minimalist will probably mean working through some emotional baggage. Clearing physical clutter may uncover some feelings that need addressing before you can gain any real traction.

[00:02:14] The most common excuse I would give myself for not getting rid of something was because I was afraid I'd need it again in the future. In practical terms, this scarcity mindset meant that we held onto silly things like old phone chargers, a really large stockpot that I'd used twice in a decade, my skinny jeans from my 20s, I can happily admit to giving up that dream, and many other items just in case.

[00:02:38] The moment I realized that fear was the roadblock to me clearing the clutter, it became easier to let go. I didn't want fear controlling me and holding me back from living the way I wanted. Once I did some self-exploration to shift the fear, I was able to shift the clutter. An ability to fiercely guard time. As I decluttered, I discovered that the process wouldn't be as long as I thought or others said it might be.

[00:03:05] I've always been naturally drawn to simple spaces and having less always made sense for me. I remember feeling rather boastful of my clutter-free spaces and the relatively quick time my initial decluttering efforts took. This was not the case with my schedule. I was quick to answer yes to any new request for my time, resulting in an overflowing calendar. These yes commitments meant I was living under constant duress. I began to feel fearful of the life I was creating for myself.

[00:03:35] I couldn't articulate it at the time, but looking back, it felt like I was a character in a scary children's book on the run from a monster. My own personal, busy monster. It didn't take long before I realized that although that monster was imaginary, the consequences of continuing to be so overscheduled were very real. Something had to give or break.

[00:03:58] Thankfully, the concepts of minimalism taught me the importance of saying no and the courage to enforce personal boundaries that I never had before. Now, I regularly flex my no muscle and don't feel like I'm running away from a busy life anymore. I make time to do the things that fulfill me, even if that's simply reading a book on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Dogged determination.

[00:04:23] Minimalism, while being a current on-trend lifestyle choice, is not an easy path. It's counter-cultural, and there will be obstacles along the way. Someone asked me recently how I'd managed to maintain the decluttering after so many years. My answer? Grit. Man, dogged determination. I'm basically like my dog when she gets a chew toy. I'm not letting go for anything. I preserve, and I commit to the long haul. Why?

[00:04:51] Because minimalism isn't the choice you make once. It's a choice you make every day. Every time my kids bring something home, we have to make a choice. Every time I purchase another item of clothing, I choose which one goes in the bag for charity. I'm determined not to let our home get re-cluttered. Determination helps me sustain a minimalist lifestyle. And this determination helps when I get questioned about the simpler life I choose to live.

[00:05:20] Friends and family might not get it. They might question your choice to have only one car or only four pairs of shoes. They might continue to expect more of you. They'll keep asking you to commit and expect things that you can't realistically deliver. You have to be confident in your choice to slow down and simplify, so that when you get questions and pushback, it will come, believe me, you can sit tight, determined to weather the storm.

[00:05:47] The truth is, there isn't much you need to give minimalism a try. You don't need to paint your walls white, and you don't need to count the number of items in your closet. With a little determination, self-exploration, and the willingness to say no, you can begin to craft the life you really want. You just listened to the post titled, Essential Minimalist Living, The Three Things You Really Need,

[00:06:15] by Emma Scheib with becomingminimalist.com, and I'll be right back with my commentary. Thank you to Emma. I do think it's true that minimalism or even decluttering does come with some self-exploration. If you go through the often painstaking process of getting rid of a lot of things that don't add value to your life, you're really learning a lot about yourself in the process, what you had previously bought and why, if you're still that same person, what the item means to you now and why.

[00:06:44] Because when we really think about it, I'm sure we only see a handful of items we own on a daily, like, consistent basis. That stuff that's packed away in that box or closet or garage or basement or attic, it's out of sight, out of mind. Who knows what's in there? And deciding whether or not to part ways with it, whether by selling, donating, gifting, trashing, or whatever, it's definitely a learning experience. But hopefully not too stressful of one.

[00:07:14] I say try it whenever you're ready, even just a tiny bit at a time. And have a happy start to your week. Thank you for being here with me and listening every day. I'll be back tomorrow as usual, where your optimal life awaits.