I don’t openly tell people (outside this blog community) that I’m a minimalist. I think there’s a certain image that comes to mind: whether aesthetic minimalism, extreme minimalism, or philosophical minimalism– and I don’t want to be immediately associated with those things.
Moreover, being a minimalist is not my primary, personal identity. As I’ve written before, minimalism is a vehicle that takes us somewhere we want to go. It lightens our load on the path forward. It helps us see clearly.
So even as minimalism continues to unfold as the buzzword of our decade, I want to stay true to why I write this blog. This space is designed to be a hub for those who have a goal, purpose, or raison d’être behind their desire to simplify. I want to encourage you– yes you– to pursue what it is that makes you come alive.
The irony is that, in order to be a “good minimalist” (if there is such a thing), you have to ground your identity in something else. And it needs to be something worth grounding yourself in.
While there’s nothing exclusive about minimalism– like most ideas, we can make it mean what we want it to mean– but the path ahead is not easy for those who desire to be steadfast. It is all too easy to commit to decluttering, and then to bring home tons of souvenirs. Or perhaps you might choose to quit buying things you don’t need, and suffer the agony of sitting out on a shopping trip with friends. Some of us have peers who are living for bigger, better and more– saying no to those things flies in the face of the circles we walk in.
[Tweet “For #minimalism to be effective, you need to be deeply rooted in something far greater. via @daisylinshih”]
So how can you tell if minimalism is right for you? How do you know that it’s something you should actively pursue? Here are some things that might be true of you if you are ready to become a minimalist.
5 Telltale Signs That You’re Ready For Minimalism
1) You value what you’re pursuing more than what you’re going to leave behind.
Do you really love generosity (or family, joy, impact) more than your stuff? Can you become permanently less trendy than your friends, and still invest in those friendships? Are you truly tired of relying on your possessions to give you confidence? Whatever it is you’ve decided that you love more than your stuff, ask yourself if you love it enough to sacrifice for it.
2) You already go against the cultural grain in some way.
Allow me to reference the Lego Movie– in which, at the beginning, everyone in town sings the same song and has the same reactions to the same things everyday. We laugh at them, but we’re not always so different from the Lego people. It’s hard to go against cultural norms for deep, true convictions. Everyone enjoys a little rebellion here and there, but minimalism is going to challenge you to continue to continually rebel for the sake of something you value more.
3) You’ve identified what it is you’re after.
This is so key. One of the major flaws of the minimalist movement is the lack of emphasis on the need to find one’s purpose first. We like to throw out a lot of feel-good terms as the things we’re after: peace, intention, joy, mindfulness. But do we have a clear path towards those things? Do we have a mission, or at least a mission statement? One thing I love about minimalism is that, when taken seriously, we need to know what exactly we’re after. If our purposes are still shrouded with uncertainty, minimalism will make that painfully clear.
4) Your actions and desires actually align.
We can talk about what we want all day– but if we take absolutely no actions, then those desires will be for naught. It seems natural for actions and desires to be in sync, but many of us have contradictory behavior. Perhaps there are habits we say we want to put an end to, but we’ve failed to quit for years. Or we claim to have every intention of making better decisions, but manage to find a cop-out every time. Merely saying that we want to change is not enough.
5) You have a community of likeminded people ready to support you.
I hope that there is at least one person who will be your partner in this. Perhaps your spouse, another family member, or a close friend who understands your vision and mission. Having someone by your side can make the biggest difference in those painful moments of self-discipline. And if you don’t have a community (or even if you do), why not join mine?
The bottom line: minimalism can only help you if you’re ready.
There’s no shame in not being ready to take big strides towards simplicity. Nothing about becoming a minimalist needs to be drastic, and never does it need to look like legalism. But if you’re ready, I hope you’ll take this leap. Take it with me and thousands of other people who recognize that the true value in this life is to chase after the ultimate.
[Tweet “Are you ready for #minimalism? 5 telltale signs via @daisylinshih”]
I really enjoyed this blog post. I have considered a minimalist lifestyle for a while now. The simplicity and cleanliness has always appealed to me. I’m glad I read this before taking the plunge and cleaning out my life, I’m going to have a sit down and good think about what I want to aim for and my values. Thanks for sharing your post.
This is beautiful. I’m not a minimalist, not really, but this totally makes sense to me. I’m not sure I can live up to being a minimalist, but perhaps I need to really envision what I see minimalism as and try to determine how to go about being a minimalist. I know what I’d like to pursue and am happy to give things up in that pursuit, but you’re right about needing a path to get there. Thank you for sharing such a lovely post.
So true. An empty, clean house is not an end goal in itself and does not make the person living there automatically more ethical, vibrant, etc. I would go even further in saying that declaring yourself a minimalist socially actually undermines the whole point of the practice. You are exactly right about the identity issue.
Thanks so much, and thanks for reading! There’s a lot of buzz around minimalism, but I don’t think it’s necessarily a useful tool for everyone. Which is okay! 🙂
I would LOVE THAT.
We can visit each other in our storybook cottages someday! 🙂
Your comment about minimalism only being a ‘vehicle’ really resonates with me. It’s like dieting – it won’t change your life. It’s only a vehicle and it only works/lasts if you’re ready for it.
You’ve found an interesting perspective on a well-trodden topic – well done!
Thanks for reading this, Kat! 🙂 I appreciate your thoughts here and am glad this was helpful!! x
So true, Christina. And people who choose to take those actions hopefully know that what they’re working for is more than worthwhile!
Thanks Daisy!!
Oooo… I’ll have to look into that book!
This is such a great post! I don’t consider myself a minimalist (at least not yet!), but it was so great to hear your insights on a “buzzword” I hear all over the place!
xoxo
Kat
I think it’s true that you have to be ready to do the work–you can’t assume that moving into a tiny house will magically change everything else about your life.
Hi Natasha! Stress is a great place to start. And you know, minimalism is more than an aesthetic so you can always play with the numbers. 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by!
Thanks Susannah! And ohhhh yes. Kids get so much stuff from doting adults nowadays!! Have you read Joshua Becker’s “Clutterfree with Kids”? It’s here –> http://amzn.to/1XoZ0kE
Thanks for this, Linda! So wonderful that you went on that journey! I think if we allow ourselves to get used to very simple living, we realize we can actually do it, with no desire to go back!
Yes absolutely!! It takes time to zero in on why we want to simplify… I think so many people are attracted to the idea of simplicity, but don’t have a particular direction. That direction is so important– as you say– we don’t want to just drift along!
That’s awesome Elise! And I think I’m on team tiny cottage with you! As long as it’s near some water… the ocean, a creek, a lake, whatever. That would be fabulous. 🙂
Yes!! Moving definitely helps with this journey. I love that you were able to leave most things behind– except your beloved few things! So much of what we purchase really does collect dust.
Thank you so much, Gina! I’m so glad you found this useful! 🙂 I have loved seeing how you integrate minimalism into your own posts and thoughts too!
I love that last heading on minimalism only helping when we’re ready. So true!
I envy those who have mastered minimalism especially when it comes to decor. Nothing looks better than a clean, crisp house with white and black. But it’s just so not me. A lot of my friends have cut down the amount of shoes, clothes and etc they have. And for me, although I adore their lives, it just makes me feel naked. I’m trying to be more of a minimalist but the only part of my life I have been able to “minimalize” is stress. And that’s because I literally monitor what I allow to bother me and what I don’t. Does that count? 😉
I’m starting my minimalism journey and these are some great tips to help me as I go this direction. Now if I could just convince my mom and Nate’s parents that Caleb is a minimalist too! 😉
My first step into minimalism happened when my allergist told me all those bookcases had to go. But the big step happened when we decided to sell our house and move into a motorhome and go traveling around this wonderful country of ours. Six years later the traveling is done and we now live in an apartment that feels too big to me. I have no desire to fill it up but I am adding a few pieces to my wardrobe to bring it up to Project 333’s numbers–nice to have a bit more variety.
“THE BOTTOM LINE: MINIMALISM CAN ONLY HELP YOU IF YOU’RE READY.” << – so, SO true! I thought about minimalism for YEARS before I actually did anything about it. Looking back my biggest problem was definitely #3 – at that point in my life I was definitely just drifting along without purpose or intent. Thanks for sharing 🙂
It felt so good to sell so much of my stuff before our wedding. It was a huge sigh of relief not to have to pack and move everything and the lightness of eliminated clutter was awesome. I used to dream of owning a big home, but the older I get, the more I would love a tiny cottage. 🙂
“You’ve identified what it is you’re after.” Yes to this! I feel like this applies to my life. Minimalism for us started with taking as little as we could when we first moved, and then really liking that our home only had the bare essentials plus a few little things sitting around. We had a few family and friend photos, a little Dutch shoe from my best friend, a little Eiffel Tower from my parents, and that’s about it. Two “knick knacks” and photos. It was amazing. Now we want as few “things” as possible. It’s wonderful spending our money on experiences instead of stuff that collects dust.
Beautiful and challenging post, Daisy! You’ve truly captured how minimalism is just a tool for going after something more—your purpose, your values, what’s important to you. I loved the ideas you talked about here, especially about going against the cultural grain already and making sure our actions align with our desires and hopes for what’s truly valuable to us. Thank you for these thoughts! You alway inspire me in my journey and ideas about minimalism!