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No one can prevent all cybercrime or identity theft conditions apply. It's a Minimalist Monday Edition of optimal Living Daily Episode 808 the Life Cycle of a Minimalist by Lori lippincott with becoming minimalist.com and I'm Justin Mollick. Happy Monday. Welcome back.
Or welcome for the first time for New Year. This is where I simply read to you every single day of the year. This minimalist post is from Becoming Minimalist, which I narrated recently, but this is a guest author on the site. So with that, let's get to the post as we optimize your life.
The Life Cycle of a Minimalist by Lori lippincott with becoming minimalist.com if you are facing in the right direction, all you need to do is keep on walking. While I may still be relatively new to minimalism, I find great value sharing with others, a process that has brought me here step by step. Sometimes it's hard to imagine the process that goes behind the scenes in the life of a minimalist, but for my conversations I found most seem to follow the same general path, thought process, and even struggles throughout their journey. You may be further along than me, you may be struggling through the first steps, or you may have stumbled upon this site and are being introduced to minimalism for the first time.
But no matter where you currently place yourself on the journey, considering the Lifecycle of a Minimalist will surely bring encouragement to you. The Life Cycle of a Minimalist Number one Stress Overwhelmed Searching Everyone reaches a point where they're open to change differently. It might be a money crunch or a time crunch. It might be searching for purpose.
It might be wanting more energy for a relationship that is valuable to you. Somewhere something blows, a little steam switch in your brain and you decide, intentionally or not, that maybe the way you are doing things isn't working as well as you thought. Awareness. You see or hear of someone who is living a minimalist lifestyle.
Sure, you know you don't need things to be happy, but the idea of intentionally living with much less never really entered your mind. It's not rocket science, but for some reason you never really considered it an option before initially, it may seem crazy, but as the idea sits for a while, it seems less and less crazy, just different. Number three Curiosity. As the idea sits in your head, you look for other information.
You may look online for blogs, read books or talk to friends. You start to play with the idea in your head when you look at your house, imagining what it might look like if you made the change. Number four Action. Your imagination sticks its toe in the water of reality.
When you tackle the first project, it may be as simple as cleaning out a closet, the family junk drawer, or a spare room. For me, it was cleaning off a bookshelf. I was amazed to discover I could easily get rid of 80% of its contents. Excitement.
After the first project, a new sense of excitement emerges. Closets start getting emptied. Floors get covered in piles. The basement looks like a tornado hit and the car won't fit in the garage.
You develop distinct goals to live a more simple, minimalist lifestyle. And it is exciting as you begin. Number six Setback. You hit a setback.
It might be work gets busy and you have less time in the evening to declutter. You might get a family emergency. Someone might question why you're doing what you're doing because sadly, this is one of the biggest fears in life. Or maybe get rid of something you end up needing and have to go buy again, making you question your own sanity.
Number seven Exhaustion. Stepping over piles and having the house torn apart gets old. Spending all the time sorting has tired you out. Finding people to buy or places to donate has become frustrating.
The process seems never ending and it feels like the house is just as full as it was when you started. Your excitement is waning and your energy is on its last leg. Number eight Strength. Finally, some big piles get moved out.
Maybe a garage sale or your 10th trip to the Goodwill drop off finally let you see the light at the end of the tunnel. For the first time in years, you realize that you actually know what is in your house. All the closets, garage and more. And what is still there is what you have specifically chosen to keep.
Finally, it feels like you are over the hump and excited about the real progress you have made. Number nine Incorrect finish line. You get to the end. You've gone through everything in your house and got rid of lots.
Maybe 30%, 50%, 80% of material belongings. The place looks different. It looks and feels so good. You pat yourself on the back for a job well done.
Number 10 more decluttering. Over the next few months, while walking around your house and cleaning, you find more and more items you are willing to remove. Maybe you were afraid to get rid of it during the first big sorting, but now you don't know why you kept it. You end up with more and more sale and donation piles growing around your house.
Again. Number 11 holidays or stuff purchasing slips. Your home begins to collect more material things through holidays, gifts or your old purchasing habit that sometimes sneaks around the corner and catches you off guard. 12 more decluttering dealing with number 11 and still living to pretend.
Number 13 more decluttering realizing number 10 is still going on a year down the road and number 11 really never ends fully. Number 14 understanding that right Sizing your life is not a destination but a journey. Whether you keep cutting back or life changes require you to gain more material possessions. You stick to intentionally owning only what you need and truly want.
You have learned how to make possessions a servant instead of a master and have exercised your control over it. You have reached the other side, but the other side is much more personal mastery than you originally thought. It isn't so much about a specific number of things you own, but a healthy understanding of the proper place of material things in your life. You are free to tackle growth in other areas of your life, always striving to grow and becoming a better version of yourself.
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And this life cycle is exactly what I see in Facebook groups. And when people ask about minimalism when they get started, it can be stressful. And you can feel that with the questions that are being asked, like, how many of this should I have? Or how do I get rid of that?
The last point is exactly what I try to explain. It's a journey, not a destination. You never reach a point where you can say, ah, done. I'm a minimalist, which is pretty similar for many areas of life, like health.
If you're into exercising, chances are you will never say, yes, I've reached the exact amount of muscle that I want. You get close, but there are always areas to work on, and that process is all part of the fun. So, yeah, if you're into minimalism or trying it out, keep that in mind. It's very important.
I'll leave it there for today. Have a great rest of your day, and I'll see you on the Tuesday show tomorrow, where your optimal life awaits.