So this thing about minimalism is a pretty new thing by the looks of things. Less is more. Actually come to think if it, its not that new. Monks of all traditions have cultivated a culture of having the bare minimum of material possessions, although I have heard rumours of some modern orders of Monks with iPhone and other modern worldly possessions. It does seem however that minimalism makes a fashionable return after a period of manic consumption in the modern world in the same way that you feel like you don’t have to eat for 3 days after a mammoth dinner outing with friends.
My personal journey of less is more started with an enforced period of minimalism when just about all my modern gizmos were stolen in one foul swoop a couple of years ago. I have yet to return to the dizzy heights of GoPro, iPad, and electronic book reading device among other things. But that event did set me off seriously thinking about why we felt we needed so much stuff. Sure, the lure of new and shiny things is always there, but was all this stuff really adding value to my life? Perhaps, perhaps not.
Another thing that has stuck with me for some time was my distain for having the wool pulled over my eyes, and I just cant shake the thought that the culture of consumerism in the Western world is leading us all up the garden path. I mean, here I am, working hard, earning a few pound here and there, and as soon as it comes in, I feel the need to spend it all straight away, keeping me in a constant state of limbo. Sometime broke, sometimes flush. Sometimes with nice new gear, sometimes craving an updated version. Sometimes getting robbed and having no stuff. At the end of the day, who’s winning here? I still have less money for food, mind enriching trips and travel, accommodation, and less free time. I feel like the big winner is the company who sold me the latest gadget. Then again, I could be wrong.
The best example that I can thing of if in business. My own long term project ACLAÍ is doing great these days. There have been times in the past where we were doing great as well, but ended up spending much of the revenue generated on the next bit of equipment, marketing, or professional service. Of course, reinvestment is important, but I came to realise that everyone out there wants to jump on the bandwagon and take a cut of our success (i.e. profit), and will do so without hesitation if given the opportunity. I keep the phrase; “Its not about how much you take in, but how much you keep at the end of the day, that counts” in mind when it comes to business expenses these days, and this has really made me look carefully at how we spend and re-invest our money.
Speaking from my own personal perspective, 32 years old at the time of writing, I feel like I am in the -setting-it -up-for-the-future stage. Working to save money to buy a house some day, have enough for some travels here and there, and create something with ACLAÍ that will make a positive difference to the world. I feel like when I have a lot of outgoings, especially when they are equal or more than the incoming cash, it sucks the energy right out of my sails when it comes to putting money aside, and even driving on to create more business. I mean, who wants to work their butts off, just to have enough money to pay everyone else for the mostly unnecessary stuff that I have allowed to slip in our lives? Not me anyways, thats for sure. This has been a big driver for me to cut away the unnecessary, and rethink how much I actually need and value certain things. This has resulted in less monthly outgoings, plus more incentive to work and save, as I know that I will be keeping/ saving a greater percentage of what I am bringing in. Winning.
Since I have adopted the philosophy of making the effort to have things that bring real value to my life, and shedding the excess, I have
- Ditched most of my clothes, a lot of which were just collecting dust in the wardrobe.
- Given away a lot of gadgets
- Cancelled a good few monthly subscriptions that were not bringing much value to the table.
- Sold my car in favour of getting around by bike (burn fat not fuel, as the saying goes)
- Moved out of the rather expensive 2 bedroom apartment that was not convenient to get to anymore with a change of work venue, and moved into a room with some great housemates.
This whole approach costs much less in terms of money, but also and more importantly in my eyes, much less in terms of time, brain power, and decision making. Its much easier to do the laundry when I have less clothes, faster to get ready for work when I coach in black clothes most of the time, and easier to tidy up, or move location with overall less stuff. A little gem of a trick that I have started is getting rid of all my socks, except the black ones. Never a problem finding matching socks anymore.
Another benefit of having less stuff, is that I have changed my focus to being more selective about what I buy, and now make more of an effort to buy sustainable, locally produced, or high quality products that will last longer. When the barrier to entry for material possessions is high, its easier to be more selective about what gets in.
The impact that having less material possessions has definitely been a positive one. It may be just down to perception, but carrying less physical things, seems to have cleared my mind, and inspired a greater sense of clarity and freedom. Maybe its the fact that I am getting rid of stuff that has been lingering in drawers and boxes for years that has given rise to the feeling of letting go of the past, and making space for the future.
Of course, I am only relaying what I have undertaken myself in this post, and it is in no-way meant to condemn the buying of fancy things and whatnot. If thats what floats your boat then go for it. Maybe sometime in the future I will go for the swish motor, and penthouse apartment, but for now, I am happy with my somewhat minimalist approach.
A few nice resources that I have come across if you would like to read more include:
Thanks for reading!