minimalism for the traditional life
What exactly is realistic minimalism?
Firstly, I thought this phrase up at the start of my blog two years ago, but low and behold, I am not all that original and the idea of minimalism on a realistic level already exists!
Secondly, it is actually just minimalism at it’s core because true minimalism should be realistic!
I started to fall in love with minimalism years ago – pictures of clean crisp spaces with no clutter and only the most joy-bringing piece – but it never seemed realistic for me. Yes, I enjoy the uncluttered life but I also like my walls full of pictures and my Christmas decorations and my trendy clothes. According to REAL minimalism, trends and seasonal things are the first thing you are supposed to give up! Or so I thought.
The more I stopped looking at white washed pictures and actually looked into what minimalism is as a principle, I realized it is already realistic.
There are no rules to minimalism. There isn’t a club you have to apply to and qualify for. No one is scoping out your life to see if you are minimal enough. No one is allowed to come into your home and say that you are not minimal enough to label yourself as a minimalist, although they are free to judge you based on what you do and what you say. Just make sure you are ready to stand by your decisions and accept their judgement. There isn’t a limit to how many things you can own and still consider yourself to be minimal. If minimalism is something you want to claim and identify with, do it.
Ok, but how does one get started with minimalism with out just throwing away everything they own or replacing all their furniture with Scandinavian designs? That was my question when I first started my love affair with minimalism. I wanted it in my life but wanted to keep it a side thing and maintain my standard of living. I didn’t want to feel like I was suddenly going without.
To live minimally, as I’m learning the deeper I go, is more about your mindset. It is replacing instead of adding. It is analyzing everything already in your life and asking yourself why it is in your life. It is really considering why you are about to buy what you’re about to buy – is it impulse or whim? Is it for one specif purpose but won’t be used again? Could you go without it, borrow it, or just use something else? It is letting go of the guilt surrounding owning or getting rid of things and only keeping what really enhances your life. It is about learning to be grateful for what you have rather than focusing on what you don’t have. It is simplifying your life for the sake of your mental, emotional, and physical health and not just for obtaining a certain look for your home.
So if you seek and desire a simplified and reduced lifestyle but your child has a book shelf full of plastic toys, you have non functional decor on your shelves, and your couches are laden with pillows, can you still consider yourself to be a minimalist or can you even pursue the idea of being a minimalist?
Yes. Yes you can.
XO Beka
tianiangelahibbert says
Great read!