A Journey Towards Minimalism
So, forgive me, I'm attempting to type a blog post via iPhone in one hand and a sleeping baby in the other. Lately, I have been reflecting on my lifestyle and I've come to the conclusion that I've made some wrong choices for my body, my health, my emotional state, and my family. I've also come to terms with needing to make some major changes on a slow but steady pace.
My first goal is downsizing. To go a little further I'm talking about minimizing, decluttering, living with less excess in my life. The excess I am speaking of is anything from too many pairs of shoes or scarves to too many magazine subscriptions. My husband and I have donated six large garbage bags of STUFF. That seems like quite some excess to me. Sadly, I am no where near finished or at the place I would like to be, but I will get there. If anyone else is interested in downsizing some clutter in their own lives I definitely recommend sproutandblossom YouTube channel and her blog, as well.
The thought of minimalism first came into my head while I was pregnant with my daughter, Eleanor. I had this fear that I would give birth to this beautiful innocent baby and then turn her into a stuff loving child by letting her watch me want and purchase things that I truly didn't need. I didn't want her to live by the assumption that money and things will buy you happiness. I wanted her to live a life filled with happiness but without a cluttered home and mind. My first initial step was to analyze my own life and see where I could eliminate some excess. I started one room at a time, tackling our bedroom first, going drawer by drawer, shelf by shelf and asking myself, 'does this bring value to my life?' or 'is this something I use on a regular basis?'. By my surprise more than half my items I answered no to.
I'd seen a quote recently that said 'a cluttered environment leaves you with a cluttered mind'. And this really resonated with me because I am definitely a person who keeps a cluttered mind. There is usually not a time that I don't have at least ten different thoughts running through my head. I thought if I could eliminate some of the causes to those reoccurring thoughts I could keep a calmer mind and a simpler life.
My first step toward minimalism was to declutter and to downsize. And I started outwardly, knowing that I'd have to live with less before I could focus on my inner being. Room by room I traveled with a hefty trash bag following, filling up as I went. It was reinvigorating and rejuvenating collecting all of this stuff that wasn't at all what I once thought it was. Happiness. I've have since continued with this project daily by finding at least one item a day that I don't use or need anymore. Some days are harder than others and some days I'm just not ready to part with an item. But, later on I go back and truly consider 'could someone else put this to use more than I could?' Absolutely.
My goal in all of this is to keep a more optimistic outlook on life by living in the present and keeping a simple life. I am hoping to achieve more time and energy to devote to my family, my work, my passions and relationship with community.
My first goal is downsizing. To go a little further I'm talking about minimizing, decluttering, living with less excess in my life. The excess I am speaking of is anything from too many pairs of shoes or scarves to too many magazine subscriptions. My husband and I have donated six large garbage bags of STUFF. That seems like quite some excess to me. Sadly, I am no where near finished or at the place I would like to be, but I will get there. If anyone else is interested in downsizing some clutter in their own lives I definitely recommend sproutandblossom YouTube channel and her blog, as well.
The thought of minimalism first came into my head while I was pregnant with my daughter, Eleanor. I had this fear that I would give birth to this beautiful innocent baby and then turn her into a stuff loving child by letting her watch me want and purchase things that I truly didn't need. I didn't want her to live by the assumption that money and things will buy you happiness. I wanted her to live a life filled with happiness but without a cluttered home and mind. My first initial step was to analyze my own life and see where I could eliminate some excess. I started one room at a time, tackling our bedroom first, going drawer by drawer, shelf by shelf and asking myself, 'does this bring value to my life?' or 'is this something I use on a regular basis?'. By my surprise more than half my items I answered no to.
I'd seen a quote recently that said 'a cluttered environment leaves you with a cluttered mind'. And this really resonated with me because I am definitely a person who keeps a cluttered mind. There is usually not a time that I don't have at least ten different thoughts running through my head. I thought if I could eliminate some of the causes to those reoccurring thoughts I could keep a calmer mind and a simpler life.
My first step toward minimalism was to declutter and to downsize. And I started outwardly, knowing that I'd have to live with less before I could focus on my inner being. Room by room I traveled with a hefty trash bag following, filling up as I went. It was reinvigorating and rejuvenating collecting all of this stuff that wasn't at all what I once thought it was. Happiness. I've have since continued with this project daily by finding at least one item a day that I don't use or need anymore. Some days are harder than others and some days I'm just not ready to part with an item. But, later on I go back and truly consider 'could someone else put this to use more than I could?' Absolutely.
My goal in all of this is to keep a more optimistic outlook on life by living in the present and keeping a simple life. I am hoping to achieve more time and energy to devote to my family, my work, my passions and relationship with community.
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