There's more to life than finding the perfect car, but finding the perfect car can help you get the most out of life, like the SUV that handles everything from drop-off to off-road, and the car that holds groceries and hockey teams, or the van that's gone from just practical to practically family. Whatever you want, wherever you're going, start your search at autotrader.ca, Canada's It's a minimalist Monday edition of Optimal Living Daily Episode 1809, how I live minimally with Intention, four years later, by Felicia Renee of TheFeliciaRenee.com, and I'm Justin Molick. Happy Monday, and welcome back to Optimal Living Daily or the OLD podcast, where I read to you from some of the best blogs I can find and get permission from, mostly covering personal development and minimalism on this show. We cover a bunch of other topics in the Optimal Living Daily podcast network, which includes a bunch of other shows.
Definitely subscribe to those if you like this one, just search for Optimal Living Daily to find them. For now, let's get right to it, and start optimizing your life. How I Live Minimally with Intention, four years later, by Felicia Renee of TheFeliciaRenee.com. I just realized that this is my fourth year of practicing minimalism and living a life with Intention, simply.
I've learned so much during the process, and some things I thought when I first learned about it, differs from how I feel now. I felt like there was only one way to approach it, by getting rid of everything I own and judging others for buying new things. But the more that I expanded my knowledge and realized that there's no right way to go through life, I realized that everyone's approach to minimalism or simple living is different. Ultimately, I stopped judging others, and I no longer compared my minimalism or lifestyle to others.
Let me tell you this, it is not easy at all. From such a young age, we begin to compare ourselves to others, and sometimes we do it without even realizing it. I remember a podcast I used to listen to called Let It Out by Katie Dilbout, who always referenced the idea of Velcro. She felt that we didn't come into this world with the idea that we were better than others and wanted to look like someone else or be like someone else.
But over time, we began to take on the expectations and ideas of others like Velcro. We constantly allow things to stick to us like Velcro, without coming up with our own ideas of what we know to be true. After four years of simple living, I have figured out what minimalism means to me. And me, minimalism is just a tool that I use to focus on what's important in my life.
It's not a set of rules or guidelines that I follow and not allow myself to do what I want to do. Sometimes I feel like minimalism can come across as ridding yourself of all of the possessions you have by living in a 50-square-foot tiny home and buying nothing, but I don't feel like that at all. I do live very minimal, as my apartment is less than 350 square feet, but it's just right for me. I live my life very intentionally, so I can appreciate what I have, be positive, and enjoy life.
I don't want you bogged down by things that don't matter to me. Don't get me wrong, I love luxury, skincare, and name brands just as much as someone else, but I've decided to be more mindful when it comes to my purchases, which is why I'm doing a low-buy year. I want to make sure that what I bring into my home has a purpose, is useful, and could be sustainable. Since I'm really interested in sustainability, I'm beginning to eat less meat again and no longer buy paper towels, but I'll discuss this in another post.
To me, it's the little things that add up. What living with intention means to me. To me, intentional living is simplifying and doing what adds value to my life. I want to live a purpose-driven life.
I know that God brought me into this world for a reason, and I'm slowly figuring out what that reason is. Just like some people are in your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime, it is all meant to teach us something about ourselves and others. I want to make sure that my life is creative, enjoyable, and loving. The older I get, the more I realize that we all have trials and tribulations, but that doesn't mean that we have to suffer and dwell on the negative.
We can deal with something terrible and fuel that into another way to help others. For me, writing is one where I express myself and help people. How to practice minimalism by living a life with intention. I've noticed that I ask myself these three questions when I'm making a decision, spending too much, or just unmotivated.
Number one is what I'm doing purposeful or at value to my life. Number two is it worth my freedom, such as is it prohibiting me from reaching my ultimate goal? Number three, am I enjoying the process? I realize that for me, it's best that I live my life with intention.
Being a minimalist or not, there's no way to reach perfection. So I've learned to let go of perfection and control, but I would admit that I struggle at times. But being able to do things without trying to keep up with the Joneses or carrying what others think is a lot more fun. I've had to realize that minimalism to me is about living an intentional, purpose-driven life.
I want to encourage others to reduce their waste, simplify their life, save, and get out of debt. One thing that keeps me going is constantly remembering this quote. When I say before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent's left and could say, I use everything you gave me, or my bomb back. I've definitely learned that I need to do what makes me happy and being creative fuels me.
It's very intentional and I'm enjoying every bit of it. Three ways to not become obsessed with the idea of minimalism. Number one, define what simple living, minimalism, or intentional living, whichever you choose to call it, means to you. It is so easy to get caught up in the mundane of titles and ways to define yourself without figuring out if it truly works for you.
I could get rid of everything I own, but would that truly make me happy? Maybe, maybe not, but I figured out what does make me happy and how I want to portray that. Number two, declutter often and figure out what is working and what isn't working in your life. I do a declutter of my space about every other month.
When I made the decision to start cooking more, I went through my cabinets, made a list, and started using up what I have. Then I got rid of everything that I didn't like because all of the pantry essentials lists on Pinterest had the item on it. I had to figure out what was working for me and what wasn't to get clear on my goals. Number three, feel your life without focusing on consumption.
Stop resorting to consuming by figuring out what is fueling you spiritually, mentally, professionally, et cetera. I love blogging, I really do, but I've also realized that blogging fuels my creative passion while my day job fuels my very type A structural side. I realized that by separating the two, I'm able to forget about one and use the other as a way to unite a fire within me. Minimalism shouldn't make you feel like you only need to live in a van or that you can't own 500 books because you can.
You can do whatever you want to do and figure out what works for you in your life. I strongly believe that each person needs to define simple living for themselves. You've just listened to the post titled How I Live Minimally with Intention four years later by Felicia Renee of TheFelishaRenee.com. This episode is brought to you by Tell Us Online Security.
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I hope your week is off to a great start. Thank you for being here and listening to me and for subscribing to the show. And I'll catch you next time, where you're optimal life. Oh wait.