8 Surprising Things I Learned About Being a Minimalist

1. The true meaning of minimalism

Minimalism brings us closer to our natural state of being. Consumerism really only exploded in the past hundred years or so. Before that, most humans lived with a lot less stuff and managed to survive. Even today in many countries, people still don’t live with so much abundance.

Although we're lucky to live in such wealthy countries, the work and pressure we have to endure to be able to buy and maintain all this abundance removes us from our natural state of being.

2. Returning to nature

I'm getting more and more in contact with my intuition and my natural state of being. I realize that once you peel down the layers of your high-maintenance life, you start to feel and reconnect with what is truly good for you. 

It's not a coincidence that I love windows so much since having daylight in a space makes such a difference in your overall enjoyment of it. It's my natural calling to be in contact with our source.

Just like why having plants in my home, watching the birds, feeling sunlight on my skin, and being emerged in the forest feel so good. I'm learning that the basic things in life that feel good often are also good for us. 

For example, we enjoy walking barefoot because that's our natural state of being. The thousands of nerves in our feet serve a purpose. They communicate with the brain about safe and unsafe surfaces. They connect us with the soil. They deeply connect us with the here and now through our senses, our natural state of being. 

3. Escaping society’s expectations 

Our society is screaming that we have to fit in. That's why we often don't hear nature whispering our name. We are deafened by society to be productive, make money, and spend our money on things. 

Society tries to make you believe that you're only of value when you give your money, time, and attention while at the same time, nature is gently welcoming us to nurture us, calm us, and heal us. 

That's why I think minimalism is such a powerful escape. It's a way of rejecting and refusing our system, a way of silencing the noise. Removing the unnecessary is a powerful practice with every item you declutter, every item you refuse to buy.

4. Reconnecting with your values

Living more intentionally is a way of not allowing things to distract you. Our society is racing at a fast pace, and everything is designed to be disposable or quickly replaced.

So with minimalism, I have a slower approach in that I take my time to do research about items, and I pick something that is made to last. 

I also try to go for items that align with my values, things that allow me to connect to nature instead of disconnecting me from it. 

5. Discovering minimalist products

My old shoes are completely worn out, so I recently purchased new barefoot shoes because I absolutely love them. If you are not familiar with barefoot shoes, they are basically shoes that give you the closest experience to walking barefoot. 

6. Making improvements to your life

Being outside, I listen to nature all around me and inside of me. I find it easier to look inside while I'm outside. Listening to your natural state of being is not as hard as it may sound, and it gets easier over time. 

The more you reconnect with yourself, the more you recognize things that could use some improvement or changes. It's in the simplest things you tend to overlook when you wake up tired in the morning.

Maybe the solution to the problem is not that easy. But the problem itself is not more complicated than that. 

7. Getting back to your roots

When I'm on my laptop, I always get really cold hands. Like an out-of-proportion cold. It's because it's not healthy and natural to sit still for such long stretches of time behind a screen while my hands are in a weird position. It's the little things like that that teach you how to reconnect with yourself.

For me, it's a combination of listening to your gut feeling, using common sense, and looking deeply at the way nature intended us to move and behave.

8. Starting a minimalist journey

Still wondering what it means to be a minimalist? The best way to answer that question is to try it out for yourself. Discovering how to be more minimalist is a gradual process and one you can start at any time.

Share your ideas for getting started on being a minimalist from this day forward down below.