ThreeKeyWords

I noticed some friends getting into influencers who talk about living a minimal lifestyle. I’m all about this, but watching their content I found an issue — a surface understanding of minimalism that in the end leads to a rigid, unsustainable way of life.

When minimalism resembles a diet plan, you know something has gone terribly wrong.

The problems start when people apply minimal attention to the idea of minimalism.

At the heart of minimalism is a realization of a simple truth: the way you relate to one thing is the way you relate to everything. In other words, your relationships to many things and in many areas of your life spring from a single source — a root belief.

So, minimalism invites you to question your root beliefs underpinning your relationships with possessions.

The philosophy isn’t a set of rules; it’s not a cult where you are spoon fed answers to your life, even if some influencers might wish to do that for you; it’s not a safety blanket to hide from the world or a panacea to solve all your problems.

Instead, it can be a reminder to wake up your unconscious relationship with consumption.

Think of the philosophy like a gym training who asks you to do push ups before each purchase. Slow down and ask yourself a series of questions to ensure what you’re about to do aligns with the life you want to live.

Minimalism is simply asking you to place more attention on what you consume and what you surround yourself with. It’s really a practice of intention and attention. What is the impact of this thing on you? What is the cause-and-effect relationship you have with your environment—and with buying this product or that product?

The minimalist attention routine consists of inquiry, such as:

• What is the cause that motivates me to spend money?
• What’s my attitude toward my environment and what I add to or remove from it? And then, what is the effect of having that item there?
• Is the motivation wise with healthy intent—or founded in fear and the need for approval from others?
• Does this purchase enhance my life, or does it create more stress?

Minimalism simply asks you to slow down, think, and consider: what is the cause and what is the effect? It’s a way of life. It’s not a rigid rulebook saying “buy less.” The idea that minimalism is a strict set of rules about how much to buy or what to buy completely misses the point. Those who think minimalism is about a list of rules will end up breaking every one of them. And they’ll want to.

They want a nice, secure, safe world where someone else leads and gives them all the answers. It’s the same mindset that leads people to ask for a diet—and then constantly break that diet. It’s rooted in fear of the unknown and a weak relationship with one’s own awareness and attention.