Why I Choose to Be an Extreme Minimalist & Own Nothing
When aiming to become an extreme minimalist, decluttering is an exciting part of the minimalist journey. Although it takes up a lot of energy and brings mental and emotional challenges, it's often very rewarding as you see significant results and changes.
However, there often comes a moment when you start questioning when you've downsized enough, or there's not much to declutter anymore.
The right amount of decluttering
In The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Mary Kondo says you are at one point likely to experience a click point of what is just right for you.
After a decluttering session, I feel accomplished and light, but after a while, it becomes the new normal again for me.
I've struggled with wanting to declutter more but also wanting my house to look cozy and homey. I want to declutter my kitchen items more, but I also want enough cups for guests. I want a house that is easy to clean, but I also want plants to make the space feel alive.
Going shopping used to give me dopamine. That's why it's addicting, but decluttering also gives the same kind of dopamine.
Extreme minimalism
Although I'm pretty content with where I am regarding minimalism, being an extreme minimalist is still quite fascinating to me. There's just something about ultimate simplicity that seems so appealing to me. The environmentally friendly aspect of it also appeals to me.
I've been reading books about monastery life and watching videos on YouTube from a monk who talks about not having anything. Living in ultimate simplicity calls to me. It has been for years, and it seems to keep returning on my path.
Japanese minimalism
Whenever I see Japanese minimalist interior pictures online, they speak to my heart.
The calm room with a low table, some floor pillows, and a cup of tea look like a dream. It is so pleasing to the eye.
Everything is streamlined and seems to breathe. You can easily imagine living a calm and worry-free life in such a place. I often ask myself if I could live this way, and what would be the purpose of living as an extreme minimalist.
I could get rid of everything today. But A, that would be super scary, and B, it would probably be a mistake if I wouldn't think it through if it doesn't serve me in any way.
Living a nomadic life
People with less than 100 items often live a nomadic life, traveling the world and moving from place to place. I have no desire to live as a nomad.
I live in my dream house, and it feels like we've built our little paradise here, with a beautiful garden and lovely pets, living close to nature.
Everything seems to be in harmony. We have our work here. We know the people in our village, our community. When you build a home somewhere, you naturally need more than when traveling. We need tools for the garden, cleaning the home, and construction. There are just a lot of items you wouldn't need when traveling.
The concept of owning
When I think about owning and decluttering, I always think about what Rob Greenfield, who also hardly owns anything, said in one of his videos. He said he doesn't believe in the concept of owning. In our society, we talk about; this is mine, this is yours, and that's his.
Ultimately, we all don't own anything. We are all living beings on this big, beautiful planet.
We can walk on it and eat its fruits, but we don't own any of it.
It is a man-made concept to claim part of this planet as our own when we are just part of it. So that's something I keep in mind when I want to purchase something or when I want to declutter something. There's not anything to be owned.
We can use these items, and we should be grateful they are there, but owning them does not exist. Thinking about that makes living as an extreme minimalist a lot easier. It helps to put material desires into perspective.
Japanese minimalism doesn't work for me
When it comes to the Japanese minimalist interior style, I think it's difficult to obtain because it's an all-or-nothing kind of thing.
It would look a bit mismatched in our farmhouse, and it would not work with guests coming over. I cannot ask my grandma to come to sit on the floor with me. Also, after a long and exhausting day, there's nothing better than lying on a comfy couch. Those are some of the concerns that hold me back from trying this style.
A serene tea room indeed looks inviting to be mindful of, but it's also very much possible to be mindful in my own home. A room represents a lifestyle, and which room looks appealing to you are the ones that mirror the lifestyle you desire.
I desire a simple, slow, mindful lifestyle, and that's why I'm so intrigued by extreme minimalism. When you think about it, having very few items in and of itself is not something exciting.
It's about being content and having a simple life while living a simpler one.
Minimalism is just a habit, a way of doing things. It becomes a normal way of making choices.
Work on yourself first
Humans are bad at predicting the future, and it's even harder to predict how you will feel in a different situation. But you will always take yourself into that new situation when you look deeply. You will bring your struggles and hardships. That's why I think it's better to start with yourself and work from there.
Extreme minimalist
As you work on yourself, the choices of a lifestyle, like living as an extreme minimalist, will follow. That kind of thing usually grows over time. Are you living a minimalist lifestyle? Share where you are in your journey in the comments below
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Less .... is more.☺️
Now more than ever, I have become a "semi" minimalist,when my husband passed away 18 months ago, I downsized and moved into an apt. to be closer to all my family. I love having fewer things, as our house was very cluttered. It took some doing for me to let go of alot of things,once I did ,I was glad I did it. It was actually fun buying all new, and decorating, while keeping things "simple". Not to mention how easy it is to clean now. Also you still get a cozy feeling when entering my place, just less "things"..