Minimalism came into my life at a moment of profound busyness. I was doing a million different things, feeling proud of myself because I was doing what I thought was expected of me. I had a job and three side projects and I was working for at least 12 hours every day. I didn’t have time for myself, I didn’t have time for my relationship, and I was not living life the way I truly wanted to. I was just reacting to whatever life was throwing at me. I thought living this way was a small sacrifice to pay in order to live life to its fullest later on.
My experience with minimalism began after watching the documentary “Minimalism.” I was dumbfounded by what I had watched. I realized how wrong my life was and how, in reality, I was missing all that really mattered. In that moment of clarity, I decided to make a change.
Almost immediately, I decluttered my wardrobe and my possessions and found countless things that I didn’t need or didn’t use anymore. I started spending money more mindfully and soon, I didn’t need to work so hard. I realized that I had been spending just to support a lifestyle that I saw in social media, movies, and blogs—a lifestyle that I didn’t really want.
It wasn’t only the material side of my life that minimalism helped me improve. The most important change was an internal one that had to do with my personal life and who I really was. When I stopped working so hard and found extra time on my hands, I started reflecting on who I was, what I wanted out of life, and what made my life meaningful. These were hard questions without easy answers.
For so long, I was just working to become successful and to buy new and shinier things. I would show my “love” to my girlfriend and everyone I cared about by buying them expensive things instead of being present with them. I didn’t realize that I was just alienating myself from them. I was at a point in my life where I didn’t know who I was or what was really important to me anymore. All the people that really mattered complained to me that I was missing in their lives. As a result, I lost my girlfriend who could have been the love of my life.
Minimalism helped me get through this crisis, like a mirror that only shows the truth. It showed me my scars, my wrongdoings, and my deviation from the things that really make life worth living. Minimalism made me reflect on and change my life.
Now I possess fewer things and I work fewer hours. I spend time with my family and friends and try to do work that offers me genuine satisfaction. Minimalism helped me start a journey of reconnection and rediscovery, leading me to focus on what is really essential in my life. It made me see the truth and start living a meaningful life.