Mehmet K.Most people have a similar idea of what success looks like. It looks like a big house, nice cars, a boat out on the lake, and an excess of cash coming in as a result of hard work. But what they don’t take the time to understand is that our idea of success can be a trap. Inside that big house is, inevitably, a deluge of items. More and more furniture, decor, gadgets, television screens, outfits, shoes, keepsakes and souvenirs. The neverending quest to consume, to acquire more and more possessions, entraps many of the people we typically view as being successful.
That is where minimalism comes in. Minimalism, essentially, is the idea of living with only what is truly necessary. Instead of being surrounded by clutter, and odd knick-knacks that you once wanted, you fill your environment with only what serves your ultimate purpose. When you remove what you do not truly need, you are left with only what is most important.
Here are some of the key arguments and contributing factors to the minimalist philosophy, and why you should consider a radical change in your lifestyle if you want to achieve true success.
Stop Staring Into the Void
These days — especially in the parts of the world most obsessed with consumerism — it can seem like acquiring as much as possible is the ultimate goal. Rather than focusing on what is truly important, we are spending our time, efforts, and money, trying to fill an endless void. This void, or bottomless pit, is where we put all of our new products, gadgets, gizmos, and wasteful purchases.
Imagine all of what you have bought in the last year. Maybe it’s a new car you didn’t really need, that new TV for the spare room, an assortment of collectible figurines, outdoor decor that not even you truly appreciate. Then imagine tossing it into that pit. What have you truly lost? At first, it may seem like you have given up all you have worked for lately. But soon, it may seem that you have freed yourself from an endless cycle of wanton consumerism, and into a world of minimalism and conscious and wise spending.
If you don’t make this change, then you are going to continue working very hard just to fill that void. No matter what you try and stuff into it, you will end up feeling emptier and emptier, rather than fulfilled, as you go.
Removing Distractions
Think about all of the things in your life that serve mainly as distractions. The goals that society has told you to care about. The shiny car, piece of technology, or grand property that has filled your subconscious or been presented to you in shiny adverts. No matter how “successful” you are when it comes to acquiring property, you will never feel as successful as you would had you focused on what is truly important.
Removing distractions, clearing your home, life, and mind from the needless clutter that plagues so many of us, can grant you a fresh perspective and new lease on life that few are able to emulate and enjoy. Instead, all of what you own serves a purpose, and is built to make your life easier, rather than to drive yourself to make your life harder in pursuit of ever-more-distant goal posts.
Removing those needless distractions can help you focus on what is truly important: your family, loved ones, physical and mental health, and the expression and pursuit of dreams that are meaningful and truly fulfilling. The path to minimalism can be a hard one, but it is also extremely rewarding.
In Conclusion
By embracing a minimalist philosophy and lifestyle, you may be losing out on what you once thought was important. But in doing so, you are realizing a new happiness, and are taking off the blindfold that has been placed over your eyes by wanton consumerism. You will find it easier to live in the new environment you have created, and you will be less driven by more stuff, and instead by a better life.
Make the first steps toward a better, more minimalist lifestyle today. Remove the clutter you do not need. Give up on trying to acquire more and more “better” things to fill that void in your life. Instead, dedicate your efforts, and give more of yourself, toward what truly matters.
