A lot of us get into minimalism very quickly, like I did. The idea seems odd but exciting and empowering. We eagerly gulp up ideas and philosophies from any minimalist content creator and get rid of so many things and we feel so great. (There’s a high you get from taking control of your life in a dramatic fashion, I’m not going to lie.)
And then comes the lull. Because what happens after you get rid of 60% of your belongings and you have only what you need or what brings joy or what you find value in (depending on who your teacher/muse is)? Well, then you’re just left with yourself. You, with less stuff.
If you’ve been following this series so far and you’re here now, you’re probably here for one of two reasons. (And if you haven’t been following along but want to get up to speed, you can find the first two posts here and here.) One, you’re a beginner and you want to know what comes next. Or two, you’re someone who isn’t new to minimalism. You’ve probably been practicing it for a while. Getting rid of stuff, re-wiring your brain, and so on and so forth. When you read the last two posts, you may have rolled your eyes at the basic nature of the information conveyed. So to you people, who are so often overlooked by content creators and communities alike, let’s have a conversation.
Space
I think what minimalism really affords us is space. Space in our homes, but also space in our minds and our lives. When we’ve taken the time to curate what we keep and what we graciously say no to, it’s empowering in the moment. But after that moment’s over and we’ve said no to that party or that new shiny thing at the mall, we’re left with an empty space where we would have put it.
In the space we find a silence that is both comforting and deafening. The fact is, it’s human nature to want to fill an empty space with something. But minimalism teaches us that a little empty space is not always a bad thing.
I think it’s funny that I’m writing this piece about intermediate minimalism when I don’t really even consider myself a minimalist. (Not anymore anyway.) I guess a more accurate way to put it would be “after minimalism”.
After minimalism
It’s important to note that I don’t think of myself as more mature or advanced than minimalists. In fact, I’m impressed by them and their ideas about life and consumerism and philosophy. But maybe not everyone is meant to be “a minimalist” in the most intense sense of the word. I think all of us can improve our lives with the ideas minimalism proposes to us. But as with anything, take what works for you and leave what doesn’t.
For me, the question that came up was “What do I use all this space for?” I mean that both physically and emotionally, in my life. I mean, an empty apartment can feel barren and lifeless. And after you stop practicing shopping as a hobby, what’s left? What can we do with the space minimalism allows in our lives? At this point you can always go back to unconscious consumerism if you’re uncomfortable. But I think the more worthwhile objective is looking into yourself and figuring out what would make your life, well, come alive!
Living life on purpose
Something that I learned through my journey of tidying up and minimalism was that we don’t amass great excess of possessions for no reason. We do it because society tells us to, because our peers encourage it, because our parents tell us how worried they are. We do it for others, unconsciously. But we also do it unconsciously for ourselves.
Remember all that space that we mentioned? We fill it up for a reason. A lot of us fear the quiet and the questions and thoughts that set in when we’re left truly to ourselves without a distraction. Because we’re covering things up—and boy, do we use our things as a distraction.
When we get those quiet moments where there’s nothing to clean or buy, some deep, maybe painful questions will start popping up for you (they probably already have). Questions about what is really important to you in your life. Questions about meaning, fulfillment, and regret. These kinds of questions don’t have objective answers. That’s why they’re scary, and that’s why we want to avoid them. And I understand that impulse. But if you don’t ask these questions, you won’t ever live the fulfilling life that you deserve. Nobody can give you these answers. If you want to find out one simple principle you can use to live your life more purposefully, read this post now.)
Who are you?
If you’re going to live a fulfilling life, it’s time to meet someone new: yourself. Get to know yourself for who you are now, not who you used to be in the past. (If you’re having problems letting go of the past, you can check out this piece about letting go, or this one about being embarrassed about your past.) The way you do this is by trying new things. Make some new memories and experiences, explore the world around you! (To hear more about building a personal identity, take a look at this post that walks you through some ideas.)
Remember that you are not always going to be the same. Change is good, it means you’re alive. But what you need to do is fill your life with all sorts of new, nourishing activities for your brain, body and heart. This builds character, perspective, and your understanding of yourself. You might find that you really get into a hobby you already owned some equipment for that you got rid of last year in the name of minimalism. That’s okay! What’s important is that you’re including this in your life now because you want to, you enjoy it, and you find it a worthwhile activity. Even if the old you would have thought you look silly.
We need to let ourselves grow and change. As minimalists, as people, as individuals who are making their way through this crazy experience of life. (You can read a previous post of mine on that subject here.) It’s not just about how little you can own. It’s about how much you let yourself live, love, and learn. Your possessions or lack thereof should only support that.
Whether you live the life of a minimalist or not isn’t really that important in the grand scheme of things. What’s important is what you can give to this world, what you can experience, and what you can make of it. Don’t ever let your possessions hold you back from that. But also, don’t let a dogma against owning possessions hold you back from that either. Because this is your one life, and only you can decide what you make of it.
