Last month I shared with you my story, my why. This month I want to share the single most important catalyst that allowed me to grow:
becoming a minimalist.
Before I scare you off with that loaded word, I want you to know that while I don’t believe minimalism is right for everyone, I do passionately believe in the power of simplicity!
My minimalist journey started with Joshua Becker’s blog post about how cleaning his garage changed his life. You can be inspired by it here - Joshua Becker’s most inspiring blog post.
My husband and I worked every weekend for about 1 year going through every inch of our 4200 sq ft house and getting rid of our ‘stuff’ in hopes it would make us happy. The best part was, the feeling of less stuff was addicting! Once we cleared one closet, we got excited about the next closet, then room, then floor. Soon our entire house was minimized.
Today, I’m sitting in my new (much smaller) dream home that I’ve had for almost a month now and designing a life that fills me up to my soul. It’s a far cry from where I was and a journey I’d always choose take over and over again.
Why was minimalism so powerful for me?
It wasn’t the getting rid of the stuff or the good feelings I got that made minimalism so great, it was the space it created to dream. Once the excess was gone, I had so much more room to closely examine what kind of life I wanted. I was able to see what I was passionate about. I could do much more of what brought me fulfillment.
I minimized my belongings and then I started getting glimpses of who I really wanted to be. I was able to first think about the things I actually enjoyed, then the job I really wanted, and then the house I really wanted. The possibilities started to expand exponentially. I literally felt like the world was my oyster.
Then I crashed.
I know, this is supposed to inspire you to become a minimalist! Nope- it doesn’t really matter to me if you become a minimalist. Why? Because it’s only a means to an end that I want to share with you.
First, why did I crash?
When I minimized, I got rid of things that were taking up space in my mind so I didn’t think about things that were creating the pain in my head. Once I got rid of the junk, the quiet got too loud. Those things I’d been squashing down for years started to surface. This next step that I took was the one that made the most difference, the one that makes me feel passionate about sharing.
I met a friend for coffee. The friend was a coach, a beautiful soul who saw my pain and knew she could help. She gave me the tools to work though the loud silence in my head. Working through my beliefs that didn’t align with my truth and mostly those things that made me scared to look in the mirror (this reference is from my last month’s post, if you haven’t seen in, you can check out the post about why I do what I do). Becoming more self aware, healing hurts, growing as a human. This is what has truly made my life exciting again.
I don’t need everyone to be a minimalist, but it IS an effectual means to an end.. I started out looking for happiness but we got so much more — an examined, mindful, fulfilling life.
Next month, I’ll let you in on a few secrets on simplifying to create space in your life for fun, joy, and best of all fulfillment!
