Tuesday, February 11, 2014

What minimalism did for me

 
 
I often get asked, still today after many years, why I became a minimalist???  Why bother?  Why "reject" everything everyone is working so hard for? Why not try and give the maximum to my son? Why depriving ourselves?
 
 
Fortunately, as this movement grows in number or people practicing it, I get asked those questions less and less...
 
Unfortunately, when I do get asked those questions, it is very likely to be by the same people over and over again...  They just don't understand it... or cannot accept the idea... and I know this is not mine to deal with... 
 
However, for those who never did as me the question and are trying to understand...  I thought I would be proactive and answer them right here...
 
First and foremost, I want to make it clear that I am not depriving myself...  and I am not rejecting anything anyone is working for... I am making choices....  my OWN choices...  I am not in position to decide for anyone what they wish to do or how to live their life... I only want to share my own experience!
 
Second most important thing here is that my son DOES NOT feel deprive of anything.... actually he even likes the fact that we get to spend more time together...  Why is that?  Because I am a minimalist... because I have no house to take care off... only a small 800 sq.ft.  apartment... I have no car to bring to the dealer every now and then... I do not spend hours in traffic every day...  It does not take me hours to clean, dust and vacuum the place I live in... because there is not much to dust...  and surface to vacuum is tiny! 
 
This is why I bother....  for quality time...  to do stuff I enjoy instead of stuff I have to do! To spend time with my loved ones instead of with my cleaning product and vacuum cleaner...
 
 
In summary, I became a minimalist to:
 
1) Address a health issue I had....  related to stress
2) Address financial problems
 
Why did I got from it:
 
1) More time - quality time for whoever or what ever I want
2) More freedom - because cost of living is smaller I can earn a living how I love to and because we do not have too much stuff to move around, and no property to sell we can pack up and go whenever we want for wherever we want!
3) Gain my health back
4) A stress free life (ok maybe 90% stress free....  life can never be 100% stress free)
5) Met amazing, inspiring people
6) In the process of resolving all my financial issues - I was so deep in debt, it takes a long time!!!
7) Found myself - underneath all that crap that was cluttering my house, I found the most amazing person I ever met - ME!!!  (I say that humbly - we all are the most amazing people we'll ever met - try it!)
 
See???  it wasn't so bad...  I got much more then what I bargained for when deciding to give minimalism a try...
 
p.s. when I was working for big corporations, they were always asking us to do more with less... and cut our budgets.... I never got it then... but I do get it now!!!!  I am doing much more with much less money coming in...  difference is it is not going in anyone else's pocket!!!  ;-)
 
p.s.2 I am giving the maximum to my son... not in material possession... but in life experience... In freedom... in autonomy... in ability to make his own decision and not be brainwashed by publicity...  in being responsible for his acts....  in seeing that not everyone is lucky like he is... in learning to share stuff once he's done with it... In understanding that there is more to life than $$$... This is the maximum that is acceptable to me...  It will turn him into a fine, sensitive, caring, loving man later on...
 
love&peace,
nath
xox

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