Minimalism Saved My Life

Minimalism Saved My Life In the beginning I was lost. But I made it look like I knew the way. That was a few years agoâ€"back when I had the job, the paycheck, and all the stuff, all of which formed my personal identity, an identity I clung to with a reptilian clutch. But I wasn’t happy. And buying more stuff didn’t fill the emptiness I felt inside. I tried, thinking if I bought more stuff, I’d be happy. But I wasnt. I wasn’t content because I wasn’t living a meaningful life: I wasn’t healthy. I wasn’t focused on my relationships. I wasn’t pursuing my passions. I wasn’t growing. And I wasn’t contributing to others as much as I wanted. Then I stumbled across minimalism via Colin Wright, Joshua Becker, and Leo Babauta, right after my mother died. I learned a lot from letting go of her sentimental items. It was difficult, but letting go made me question all the other stuff in my life as wellâ€"all the anchors weighing me down and keeping me from being happy. Eventually, I embraced minimalism. As I got rid of my stuff, I replaced it with important things, focusing on the five most important areas in life: health, relationships, pursuing my passions, growth, and contributionâ€"making subtle changes every day. Minimalism was the tool I used to clear away the meaningless stuff so I could focus on the important things and live a meaningful life. Ryan and I wrote about this journey extensively in our first book, Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life. Subscribe to The Minimalists via email.