How to do the minimalism

Minimalism is more than a passing fad. In fact, dare I say, it is the newest and most interesting counter-culture attempt to break through the internet. This sensational idea takes all the haphazard attempts the media throws at us and flips it on its ass. Luckily for us, we don't have to do much in order to fight all the ads and constant chatter. That's the whole point-simplicity. Simplicity that is brought about consciencely, and by design. Your design.

How often are you wishing for more time to do the things you want to do? More time for the things that matter to you? As a single mom, I wanted to have my career and also be there to raise my child. That feels hard to do, but I found a way to do it, and it started with minimalism. Actually, if we really look at the hear minimalism it actually all starts with a concept that we have all heard about before. Buddism. The idea of not desiring. Desire is the root of the issues we have. Therefore, the idea to fight the desires that we are sold. Again, simple. However, simple doesn't always mean easy; but is anything worthwhile easy?

All of that is basically a fancy way of saying, stop buying shit you don't need to impress people you don't know or like. Or even to fill a void left inside of you. It doesn't work. I use to be an "influencer" on Instagram. That being said, I bought and was sent tons of items that no one ever needed ever. How many different lotions does one person need? How many different ways can we sell the same item? Most items were free, however, some required a certain amount of money invested. Not to mention the time involved to track likes and even just create content. All of this took my most valuable asset; time.

Your time is the most important thing. You trade your time for a salary. You trade your salary to buy groceries, your house, your car, and other things. So how do you create more time? You decrease the things that you spend money on. There was a report that just came out that stated that most people have less than $300 in savings. Most people live paycheck to paycheck because they overextend themselves. Buying the latest models of things, and being upsold on items that really don't require being luxury to do the most basic function you need from it.

I wanted to arm you with information to start. Make you think about money and how you are relating to it, in a different way. Money is just a tool of exchange. Time is that exchange. So look at how you are spending your time, and your money. The next article will be about how to budget your time and money, and how to hack these to work for you instead of against you. How to design a life that doesn't feel like you need a vacation from but instead works for you. A life where your time isn't wasted, where your money isn't thrown away, where everything you want is in your hands.

My suggestion from here is now to start arming yourself with more information. I had tried for months to get my boyfriend into minimalism with me. I finally convinced him to sit and watch "Less is Now" by The Minimalists on Netflix with me. I recommend this documentary. This is a great way to start the conversation with yourself and others on what is important. My boyfriend told me "this movie has me anxious that I have been too reckless with everything." Yes, honey, that is what I have been trying to say. Watch that movie, read "Everything That Remains" also by The Minimalists. Arm yourself up with the knowledge to start the process to make a change.