Focus on Minimalism, Declutter your Mind

                                                         Photo by Alex Lvrs
 

External Pursuits

Do we really need expensive things, go on lavish vacations and pursue extravagant pleasures to be happy. If you feel this way and it works for you then all the power to you, no judgement. However, these sort of goals may not lead to full satisfaction in the long run. These external pursuits may lead to us just wanting more in a never ending cycle and exhausting all our energy doing so. There has been a wave of the Minimalist lifestyle increasing in popularity where many people get rid of unnecessary clutter and junk in their lives.

So how do we develop this Minimalist mindset?

Minimalist Mindset

The Minimalist view can be functional in taking care of our overall well-being. Is it possible to be wealthy without breaking the bank? It all comes down to mindset and how we put this idea into perspective. 

Most people focus on accumulating material things in abundance to the point that they are so afraid of losing it all. This fear creates more stress, being unkind and untrusting to others, and the feeling of being isolated from the rest of society.

Spending multiple hours a week working to accumulate wealth in order to buy more shiny toys we tend to neglect the time spent more adequately. That precious time could be better spent with our loving partners, family and friends. So what's sounds better? Working to the point of exhaustion doesn't sound very appealing. I am not saying working is not important as it can give us a sense of purpose and meaning in our lives. However, the standard 9-5 job is not cutting it nowadays. Think more simple.

                                                                  Photo by Polina Abramova

Think more Simple

Do not get me wrong, the idea of the Minimalist lifestyle is no easy task. I am trying everyday and still get faced with challenges. The majority of the world tends to look down at others who lack money and social rank. It becomes very easy for most of us to get in the habit of putting all our energy in achieving these materialistic goals. This path persuades us to focus more on ourselves and less about serving others. Cherishing the idea of giving to others can help us deflect away from the concept of just what's in it for me.

By thinking more simple we can stop feeding our expensive appetites for material culture. Being out in nature, eating a simple well cooked home meal or just spending quality time with our loved ones without the pricey bells and whistles can be the path better chosen. Navigating toward more passive pleasures could be the answer.

Passive Pleasures

Getting ourselves hooked on expensive pleasures comes with higher price tags when really these pleasures can be much cheaper. Think of the concept that a rich person is not One who has the most but the One who is satisfied with what they have. If a person is full of desires to be fulfilled then they will always feel poor since it is never enough. Being content is the real rich.

The highest contentment can be passive pleasures which require no pain or discomfort to achieve instead of working extensive hours. Passive enjoyment like reading, learning new skills, nature walks and playing require little effort with all the benefits at a low cost. Such pleasures are easy to come by and are easily available. This makes a great source of enjoyment which is far easier then just wishing for more stuff in this never ending material culture. 

Minimalism can even make us more productive as pointed out by Robin Sharma

Declutter our Minds

The art of Minimalism is not an easy task to achieve. We are bombarded with seeing advertisements through social media enticing us to buy more. Those material things that we want especially when it is purchased impulsively gives us what's called a dopamine rush. What does dopamine then want, well more dopamine. We start to lose interest very quickly with our impulse buys and so we end up to just buying more to feed our satisfaction. 

All our shiny toys become status symbols which we try to create envy from others so that we are looked upon with the hope of respect and admiration. These status symbols unfortunately do not nourish our souls, they corrupt it. By decluttering our space full of stuff that we don't really need we can actually have more tidiness in our minds and eventually bring us inner joy and peace. Less stress from accumulating equals a freer mind.

The same concept works in different aspects like in friendship. We tend to focus on having lots of friends or followers in social media just to feel like we are higher on the social rank. When you really think about it, most of those friends or followers don't really care about or truly love you. If you think more Minimalist then we can declutter to just a handful of friends. Those few close friends are the ones that really share your views and always have your back.

By sitting and reflecting on decluttering our minds we can start to have mindfulness of how we go about our daily lives. The passive pleasures start to take root and less desire toward external wants and needs. Clearing the mind gives us a better outlook of more important things which we sometimes take for granted. By gravitating towards the Minimalist concept all those external pleasures which do not really serve us become a distant part of the past.

Recommended Reading: The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli 

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