Every Monday I post Real Life Minimalists, a profile of one of my readers in their own words. If you’d like to participate, click here for details.
This week, we have a wonderful contribution from NerdyMinimalistIslandGirl. She explains how a trip to an island country marked the beginning of her minimalist journey.
NerdyMinimalistIslandGirl writes:
NerdyMinimalistIslandGirl
2013 wasn’t a year I expected it to be. In late 2012, I graduated with my Master’s, started my doctorate, and began a new job—my dream job. The new job lasted for only six weeks before I was laid off. Then I began several miserable months of unemployment. During this time, besides wallowing and fervently searching for a job, I had to go overseas for family reasons. Luckily, I had some savings for the unexpected trip, and there I was—traveling to the other side of the world with just a small piece of luggage and handbag. While overseas, not only did I have my mind off of disheartening unemployment, but I also turned to minimalism.
On the island country where I was located, I don’t think the word “minimalism” is even used—it’s their way of life. Homes were simply made and had just the basics: table and chairs in the kitchen; a couch, table, and maybe a television in the living room; and a bed and nightstand in the bedroom. On average, people had a dozen items in their wardrobe, including two pairs of shoes—a pair of sandals and a pair of tennis shoes. Food had simple, fresh ingredients: fresh rice, fresh fish or other meat, fresh vegetables, and fresh fruit—all caught, bought, or made on the same day or from the day before. Water was the choice of drink; sodas were available but only in glass bottles that were used and returned to recycle. There was minimal waste. Even entertainment was simple and included singing, dancing, walking, or playing cards. Work didn’t consume their lives; they worked to live—not lived to work. Family was the center of their lives. The people I met did not have much “stuff,” but they had full, happy lives.
My world was turned upside-down. I yearned for the simplicity and minimalistic aspects of their island life. I knew that upon arriving back to the States, I couldn’t exactly emulate what they had, but I want to simplify and minimize every aspect of my life. I began to differentiate between my “wants” versus my “needs” and what was baggage and what was truly important to me.
Still in the midst of unemployment, the journey to minimalism was cathartic. I divided my time among applying for jobs, working on my doctorate, and working towards a minimalist lifestyle. Here are the little steps I took, in random order:
- Decided that I wanted people to be the center of my life–not work, titles, or money
- De-cluttered and organized my e-mail box and consolidated all of my e-mails into one account
- Pared down my entire wardrobe to 33 items every 3 months and donated clothes I did not fit anymore or wore only once
- Organized, purged, shredded, and recycled all my paperwork
- Cut down all of the possessions in my apartment to 53 items/groups of items (besides my 33 wardrobe items)
- Transitioned into all digital/paperless billing and documentation
- Limited unnecessary paper and plastic use
- Cut out TV/cable
- Limited wasting food and began buying and consuming food I won’t waste
- Began using less electricity
- Stopped myself from buying new clothes
- Consolidated and simplified any way I can
During this journey to minimalism and after applying to 144 job positions, I finally landed a job. I move in two weeks to begin the new position. With me, I will bring a new perspective in life, a whole lot less “stuff,” and more insight on what is important to me.
I’m looking forward to a new beginning, but I know the journey has just begun.
{If you’d like to learn more about minimalist living, please consider reading my book, The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide, or subscribing to my RSS feed.}
Wow, a very inspirational story. Thank you for sharing and also shining light on the important work that is finding your priorities. Thanks for the reminder to us all that it doesn’t have to be on the traditional stuff most people get stuck on (fame, money, jobs, promotions) but rather on what truly brings us happiness!
I very much enjoyed reading about such a terrific journey you are on. I too am still in the process of minimalizing and it just feels great. I tried using less electricity but was punished by my hydro company. My member of parliament is an active supporter of using less energy and sends us periodic updates on how we can consume less. So I followed his directions, unplugged everything that is not in use (except fridge, stove clock and bedroom alarm clock); use the dishwasher once a week or when very full; wash laundry in cold water and use the “short” rather than the “normal” cycle; check the dryer and pull out clothes once dried instead of waiting for timer to go off, etc. I don’t have an aquarium or a water bed, and the tv/dvd player are always switched off when not in use. So, what do I get in return for my diligence? My hydro company has increased the rates since they aren’t making as much of a profit as they used to! But I continue to buy and consume less.
I just can’t call you Nerdy Minimalist Island Girl. I’m going to call you Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom! I just published a post on my site asking the question “can you become wealthy without a college degree?” One of my followers, Ross Lukeman, was similarly laid off just after landing his first job out of college. You should check out his site AlternativeHomesToday.com; I think you’d like him!
Anyway, Athena, I have to applaud you for being so observant on your trip to the tiny island. Instead of jetting in, hanging out and then returning home, you dug into the experience and bumped it up against your own real life. You took the time to figure out what you truly value and then built a life to support that.
I’m sure there was some tweaking along the way, but you started and kept going. I think that’s a testament to getting it right…if you can sustain a lifestyle change it means you found your path…
Congratulations on figuring that out so young and for sharing your very inspiring and well-written story!
Ree
I like that your minimalism includes the way your eat, your inbox, and your electricity usage. It is not merely the amount of items you possess! Good thoughts, thanks!
Isn’t it amazing how so many people live the life we are striving for naturally, without even trying? I had a similar experience when visiting my husband’s family that live on an island in the Caribbean.
Congratulations! What a great way to start a new chapter of your life!
MarieG LifeSimplyBalanced.com
i wish i knew which island you visited. i’d love to go there for personal tutoring! j.k….thx for the inspiration!
Thank you for sharing! I know a lot of people who have found minimalism through other cultures, that simply live that way. They definitely have something to teach us, about finding balance within our hectic lifestyle.
I didn’t realize my post was featured here until today. Thank you all for the comments! And thank you, Miss Minimalist, for featuring my post! I am still on the minimalist journey and am imperfect, but I strive each day to filter out what is unnecessary and focus on what is most important.
I simply believe in simple minimalist living and love to read articles about it.
I simply believe in simple minimalist living and love to read articles about it. I regularly receive Real life minimalist mail, and enjoy reading as well as learning from it.
I am sure a lot of the world doesn’t live like we do. I laughed when I saw an ad for a refrigerator with 30 cubic ft of space. I can ‘t imagine where I would put one like that or why we would need one. Here in the US Midwest, most of the year it’s cold enough that you can keep food outside if you need to. We haven’t bought pop in years which cuts down on ice use and wasted money. Sometimes we have a pot of tea.2 tea bags makes a lot. Rice or noodles makes a little bit of protein go far.
It was my mother’s birthday and I had a lot of out of town guests. I ordered a cold cut tray from a deli, for the exact number of people. I got twice as much food as we needed. My husband said next time–cold cuts are my mother’s favorite food- we should order for five fewer people. DId people used to eat huge meat sandwiches? We haven’t had deli food in years and my mom is in a nursing home, we’ll have to sneak it in.
I am still using up as much as I can and buying only what we need. We have fresh fruit in the house and no sugary treats. We live on small pensions and small social security checks.
When my son was studying abroad, he was in a relatively poor country. He told us only the rich tourists drank pop or ate at McDonald’s. He did his laundry in a bucket, and clothes dried in the sun.
It is good to travel. It makes us see how much we have and how much we waste. When I go to a beach or forest I pick up trash. It amazes me that people are still throwing garbage all over. Years ago, before plastics, most everything would compost. Now our garbage will out live us.