Is Minimalism is for the Rich? What You Need to Know

1. The intrigue of minimalism

One day they hear about minimalism and they are intrigued.

Minimalism looks appealing to a lot of people because they see the clean aesthetic online and see beautiful people with Macbooks sitting in cafes, apartments with white rooms and white furniture, and nice, clean organized homes.

They see people who can afford nice things and don’t live in a mess. It looks more appealing than a cluttered, messy room with stuffed closets.

It appears that a fancy, minimalist lifestyle is the right solution so decluttering to become a minimalist then becomes a new and exciting project. 

2. Minimalism turns into an exciting venture

Starting minimalism is often exciting, but it ends up failing for many people in the long run.

It just ends up being a phase in their life instead of a new way of living. It becomes just another trend they followed. And, over time, they get gifts and buy new clothing as needs change and evolve and the clutter creeps back in.

3. Then the excitement wears off

As the excitement wears off, people feel the need for a new style, trend, or something to keep them busy and to excite them.

Maybe they feel they are lacking, like they don’t have enough. They have a mentality of scarcity, so they are constantly seeking retail therapy and buying things to try to fill a void.

4. It all has to do with mindset

A reason minimalism ends up working for some and not others is mindset.

People who solely declutter for the aesthetic still have a scarcity mentality. A big part of minimalism that is often overlooked is the mindset of being content.

Being content with everything you have and having no need to add anything, wanting what is just enough, no more, no less.

Being content is a muscle that needs to grow and it doesn’t happen overnight. At first it takes constant reminding that you have everything you need.

It’s a gratitude practice. If you don’t see all the blessings in your life, you’re not there.  

5. Why we aren’t happy 

Most of us have more than enough yet we are still not happy.

How you experience life is all in the way you see yourself and the world around you. And you can choose to see things in a different way and train your mind to focus on the abundance around you.

Gratitude and being content are the foundations of happiness. 

6. Stop chasing happiness

If you keep chasing money, a good career, wealth, and social status, you are running away from happiness.

Happiness can only truly be found by stopping the chase. Happiness is right where you are, not where you’re heading.

The faster you’re running, the further you leave it behind. The difference is being aware, being grateful, and being content.

7. Circling back to feeling content

Minimalism looks appealing because minimalists radiate peace.

Mimicking the superficial stuff like the aesthetics won't help. They overlook what’s necessary to have happen on the inside—a way of living with enough, a way of being content, a way of slowing down consumption, taking care of what you have, and a way of choosing less stress about material objects.

Simply decluttering your items is not the equivalent of being content with what you have.

8. All you need is what you have

Minimalism does save many people a lot of money which they often choose to spend on higher quality items so they can enjoy fewer but better things in life.

Having pricey items is not necessary to feel rich. Having essentials is a luxury we can all enjoy.

If you have your basic needs covered, you have everything to be the fancy rich minimalist because being rich is all about being content.

9. What is being rich?

True wealth is seeing what you have and not needing anything more. Being rich is having food, a bed, safety, having time, and being in nature.

Being rich is enjoying the taste of your cup of tea, putting a smile on someone’s face, and soaking up the first spring sunlight.

Being rich is being aware of the simple moments in life. Being rich is being free from the rat race and chasing after happiness.

It is slowing down the hamster wheel to step off.  

10. Is it minimalism or poverty?

I also hear people say that minimalism is just for the privileged. I also hear people say they are not minimalists, they are just poor.

I do think modern day minimalism took rise in a privileged West because there is so much overload of stuff that it makes sense that people are now overwhelmed. There’s a counter-movement.

But suffering real poverty is a completely different story. When you have nothing, there’s nothing to declutter. 

Minimalism is for the rich

I think everybody’s goal should be to live a pleasant life and depending on your situation, you need a different approach.

Which approach suits you is very personal. It depends on your personal preference, your cultural background, and so on. When you struggle with poverty, minimalism might not be very relevant. But choosing a path of gratitude is a universal path to being more content. 

If you live in a world of abundance, just like me, I think minimalism can be a very good path to live a more down-to-earth, pleasant life.

Overabundance and poverty are two extremes that are both harmful for a person’s mental health. Having too much and having too little both have an effect on our mind and they may have more in common than we may think.

What do you think - is minimalism for the rich? Or do you need the right mindset to make minimalism work? Let me know in the comments.