Minimalism Introduction-Challenge One

Hello wonderful readers,

Thank you all so much for the endless love and support on this blog. It means so much to me to have you all reading and sharing. Thank you!

The second word in this blog title is minimalist due to my journey toward a minimalist lifestyle.

So what is minimalism?

My definition of minimalism: Living a happy, healthy and holistic life in mind, body, and sprit with items that only add to my happiness, healthiness, and holistic-ness. (Yes, I created a word!) J

Other definitions of minimalism:
“Minimalism is a tool that can assist you in finding freedom. Freedom from fear. Freedom from worry. Freedom from overwhelm. Freedom from guilt. Freedom from depression. Freedom from the trappings of the consumer culture we’ve built our lives around. Real freedom.”
(www.theminimalists.com/minimalism)
“I am intentionally trying to live with only the things I really need. At its core, minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of everything that distracts us from it. It is a life that forces intentionality. And as a result, it forces improvements in almost all aspects of your life.”
(www.becomingminimalist.com/what-is-minimalism)

Many people from many different walks of life and around the globe have turned to minimalism for their own personal reasons. Some turn to minimalism to own less stuff, to get out of debt, to travel more, to live in a smaller physical home, and so on. Whatever your personal definition of minimalism is, and whatever your reason for turning to minimalism, it’s a great one. There is not one single person who is the “best minimalist” or the “top minimalist”. Minimalism can be a personal journey, so please, enjoy it!

The idea of minimalism was introduced to me by Joshua Becker through his blog: Becoming Minimalist. I found this blog by accident when I typed in minimalism on Google around three years ago to learn more about this intriguing lifestyle. After I read the Wikipedia definition-don’t lie, a lot of us start there, but don’t finish there-I wanted to dive deeper and actually understand what minimalism entailed from a real minimalist. The Becoming Minimalist blog was the next result I click on in my search.

I clicked on the blog and subscribed right away. Joshua's story and writing style captivated me to continue digging and recently finish his book The More of Less. Minimalism has been something I have always had an interest in-I mean who doesn’t like the sound of getting out of debt, having less stress, and more freedom-but since my diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in January, I started practicing a rigorous minimalist lifestyle. One particular chapter in Joshua's book kicked my minimalism efforts into overdrive when he introduced Project 333. A wonderful woman by the name of Courtney Carver started Project 333 after she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (a diagnosis I can actually relate to). I told myself after reading this chapter, "if Courtney can do it, I can do it!"
(Check out Project 333's website to learn more!)

After finishing the rest of the book, I found myself going through every room in our house. My husband jokingly asked one day "you aren't going to get rid of me and Riley (our dog) next are you?" Of course he was saying this in a loving way, because he fully supported me and our downsizing, but I was getting rid of so many items Trevor questioned if our dog and him would somehow end up in the Goodwill pile-which they never would!

First of many trips to Goodwill

I began my downsizing efforts in a place that I clearly had too many unused items: my closet. When Trevor and I moved into our very first home last December, our master bedroom came equipped with three, yes three, walk in closets. They are not massive closets, but they are indeed closets. I am saddened to admit I was able to almost fill two of the three closets with just my articles of clothing (a lot of clothes, I know). As I started to examine my articles of clothing, I found myself saying “I haven’t worn this in over a year or I forgot I owned this, but I might need it, so I am going to keep it.” The reality is, I probably will never need it in the future if I forgot I owned it and haven’t used it in over a year. Something that helped me decrease the items in my closet was actually trying the clothes on. If I didn’t love the piece as soon as I put it on and I saw myself in the mirror, it was donated. I even use this “rule” when I am shopping. If I don’t love it right away, I wasn’t meant for me, so I simply walk away. After I created this rule, my Goodwill pile grew exponentially! I found it extremely rewarding knowing that I would be donating nice pieces for some else to enjoy. This statement right here is another reason I continued downsizing my closet. I had so many nice items that hung in my closet to collect dust when someone else could be using it and enjoying it. Clothes are meant to be worn, that’s why they are created. They are not meant to idly hang in your closet and hope for the one day you “might need it”.

Going through each room on a macro level was extremely fun and I began to see and feel the benefits from getting rid of so many unnecessary items. I wrote every item I donated down, so I could know the exact amount for tax reasons, which is another amazing perk of minimalism. I loved watching the donation pile get bigger and bigger, and I began to feel as though the weight of these objects was actually coming off my shoulders. Even though I wasn’t wearing all of these clothes at once, as I parted with them, I began to feel lighter and lighter. I could begin to see the actual size of my closet, and I could see the beautiful articles of clothing that still remained.

Another perk of going through my clothes and looking at each item individually made it clear to me that I did not need to purchase any new clothes for my wardrobe. I already had clothes for every season and any type of event I might attend, so the need to go to the store and buy new clothes doesn’t sound too appealing. Plus, I am taking time to downsize my closet; why would I want to use my time to travel to the store and pay for an item I might not wear? You are in control of what you buy and what you walk away from. Think of how much money you could save if you just used the clothes that currently hang in your closet? (Talk about getting out of debt and increasing your savings, if that’s your goal!)

As I finished downsizing my closet, I would move to the next place where I felt we had too many unused items: the kitchen. This I found to be another tricky area because Trevor and I just got married over a year ago and we got so many beautiful kitchen items from our wedding. We didn’t part with any of the gifts we got just a year ago, but we were able to get rid of almost half of our kitchen items. Our kitchen has a lot of cupboards, and I mean a lot. (Before my minimalist journey all of our kitchen items fit into our cupboards and we still had room. That’s how much space we have in our kitchen.) When going through our kitchen cupboards, I pulled out every item to examine it and really ask myself if we use it (plus it gave me an opportunity to re-organize the items-which I LOVE doing!). Taking everything out really put things into perspective for me on how many unused items we had in our kitchen.

As I continued to go through our kitchen, Trevor and I had kept all of our college cooking ware. This cookware was hammy downs from our parents or friends, so they were used and loved many times over. Since getting our wedding items, we were no longer using the college cookware, so we parted ways with it, giving it to our younger siblings (who are in college now), or donating it for others to use and enjoy. After putting the kitchen items we were keeping back into their new homes, our kitchen looked and felt like a new space. We had more open space in our cupboards, our countertops were cleaner and less cluttered, and the space finally really felt like ours.

My next stop on my minimalism journey in our house was our spare bedroom closet. I like to call this closet the “miscellaneous closet”. It is filled with wrapping paper, notebooks, medical supplies, electronics, and so on. As I looked at the items in this closet, I was drawn to the electronics that had been sitting in this closet and not being used. I found my old iPhone, iPod, docking station, and two cameras. I had completely forgot we had these items in our home because they were tucked away and collecting dust. Nothing was wrong with any of these electronics, we just didn’t use or need them anymore. My next thought was how minimalism can help alleviate the amount of debt one has, so I thought of selling these particular items. I listed these items the next day for sale and sold three of them within two weeks and made over four hundred dollars.

I would like to stop here and take a moment to preface that I do not recommend selling all of the items you are parting with. I decided to sell these particular items because I knew they would go quickly and could be used by someone who knows how to properly use them. These are the only items I have sold to date on my minimalism journey because I personally enjoy donating my items more. Selling items can take time and add stress to your life, which are two things we are wanting to get rid of, so please don’t feel as though I am advocating for selling all of your items. Creating a donation list and writing your items off for a tax reduction is a way you can benefit financially from minimalism. Okay, tangent over, let’s get back to the good stuff!

After finishing my minimalist journey in the closet, I continued to feel a sense of lightness and relief. I had done my research on minimalism before starting this journey, and I read about this feeling of freedom, but until you experience it for yourself, you don’t truly understand the liberation sensation of donating and owning less. Some of the items I owned were actually owning me. They were taking away time and energy just by living in our house. They also were causing unnecessary stress and weighing me down in ways that I had not fully understood. Since my diagnosis, I felt as though I lost control. Knowing that I am in control of the items I own and keep in my house has helped me regain peace of mind. Minimizing my stress levels was one recommendation that came directly from my doctor, so minimalism is somewhat “exactly what the doctor ordered”. J

As I have previously stated, I am still on my journey towards minimalism. This is not something that will happen overnight, but I am more than willing to put in the work because I know the outcome is worth it. I am worth it. You are worth it too. If your items seem to be consuming you, causing you stress, taking away your time and your energy, I ask you to join me on this journey towards minimalism. You don’t have to get rid of all the items in your house, quit your job, and live in the middle of nowhere to be on this journey with me. What you do need is the desire for more freedom and less stress. So, are you with me?

If you are with me, I will be posting challenges to help you towards a minimalist lifestyle. My husband and I will be completing these challenges with you. These challenges are not required, they are simply suggestions or recommendations to encourage you and keep you motivated. I strongly believe in working as a team, so if you have any questions, or if something comes up, please feel free to comment and I would be happy to offer assistance. After all, we are stronger together!
I do ask if you are taking part in the challenge to take a photo, if appropriate, tag me, and use the hastag #msminimalistchallenge

Challenge: For your first challenge, you don’t even have to part ways with any of your beloved items. All I ask you to do is go into your closet and flip the way your hangers hang. What I mean by this is your hangers "normally" hook over your closet bar and the opening faces the back.  

"Normal" way hangers are used

I ask you to flip your hangers so the hook and opening faces toward you.

Hangers flipped-Challenge One

When you use an item and take it off the hanger, make sure you turn the hanger back around to the "normal" way to see what items you gravitate towards. 

Think of the 20/80 rule-you wear 20% of your wardrobe 80% of the time. Which means we are creatures of habit and typically go for the same clothes or 80% of your wardrobe doesn't get used. 

You might wonder how this is going to help you toward minimalism, but let me explain further. I turned all of my hangers around one day and told myself, “whatever items are still hanging this way in six months, I am going to donate.” It's one simple way to see the clothes I wear and the ones I don't. For the challenge, you can pick a time “limit” that works for you: two years, one year, six months, three months, one month, and so on. All you have to do this week is simply change the way your hangers hang, and pick your time limit. Harmless right?
Once this task is complete, take a picture, tag me, and use the hashtag: #msminimalistchallenge.

As always, thank you so much for reading and stay tuned for next week’s blog post.

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