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.
Today we have a wonderful contribution from John, who shares his progress a year into his minimalist journey. Be sure to visit his blog to read more.
John writes:
Hello there! I am John from TheHillofBeans.com.
I began my minimalist journey last year, after the dissolution of my marriage. I was alone in a large, 2600 sq ft house filled with the accumulation of 25 years and four children (who are now adults living on their own). I was faced with the decisions of what to do now?
How to best use the second half of my life and the time I have remaining on this earth?
In my quest to answer that ubiquitous question, I discovered minimalism and simple living through the blogs, such as The Minimalists, Zen Habits, Be More with Less, and Miss Minimalist. I slowly began to realize making my life simpler and more authentic was truly what I wanted.
One thing was obvious. I had too much stuff.
Why does a single, middle-aged man need over two dozen cloth napkins?
Over the past year I have been paring down my inventory. It was difficult at first and I started with the biggest item first – my sports car.
I loved that little roadster. It was fun to drive, yet it was redundant and impractical. I have no regrets in selling it, and my life is simpler and more pleasant without it. I began to sell other items on Craigslist and it has been a worthwhile process of learning to let go. Lately I have been giving things away to friends and family. It is very freeing, and it allows others to enjoy items that are no longer useful for my lifestyle.
The more challenging part of the minimalism journey is reducing the mental clutter. Over the decades I have accumulated wrong, unnecessary thinking (mental baggage), such as “big is better” and “the more responsibilities I take on, people will like me more”, or worse “I have nothing of value to contribute to this conversation/relationship”.
Embracing minimalism has allowed me to re-evaluate my values and beliefs from a fresh perspective. By reducing the physical clutter in my life, I have reduced the distractions and allowed myself the freedom to focus on things that are important to me. Not only have I made physical space, I have made mental and emotional space. I try to be more observant of what goes on around me, more available to live in the moment, and more engaging with the people in my life.
As part of my journey to recovery, I started a blog earlier this year. I created The Hill of Beans as a forum for discussing what matters in this crazy world and to encourage my readers to simplify their lives, savor the short time they have here on earth, and think about that which is important and lasting. I invite you to read more at www.thehillofbeans.com.
It has been a great journey on the road of minimalism. I am far from complete. I still live in a big house, but have a plan to downsize and reduce my individual footprint. Most importantly, I truly enjoy the more “authentic” person I am becoming along the way.
{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.}
Well done John! Good point about the mental clutter. I found that more challenging too. Looking forward to checking out your blog.
Thanks!
I have learned that slowing down and breathing deeply helps clear out some of the mental clutter.
best regards,
John
Enjoy the process. It’s not really a destination, but about what you learn along the way about yourself, and learn that you can do without. Needs vs. wants. Societal expectations vs. personal values. Habit vs. intentional living. Divorcing the idea that you are your stuff, and your stuff is you, and never shall you part or be viewed as separate entities.
I hope we hear back from you after you’ve shed that house and moved on!
CountryMouse,
Thanks for the feedback. I think the “intentional living” is the most important aspect of minimalism. We break free from the lemming mentality of consumerism, and make intentional choices on what our lifestyle will be and thus free up space to intentionally do those things that matter most to us.
Since this article was written, I have sold the house and moved into a nice condo nearby. I still think I retained too many ‘sentimental’ or “just-in-case’ items, and I will gradually and intentionally part with these things in time.
best regards,
John
My journey to minimalism was pretty similar to yours, John! When my relationship ended, I sold most of my stuff, gave away what I couldn’t sell, whittled everything down until it would fit in my van, and set up a blog about my experiences. It seems to be true that nature abhors a vacuum, though. The more stuff I got rid of, the more I received – not as possessions but as opportunities in life. I remember reading somewhere that you have to physically clear the space for new things to enter into your life, but I didn’t realise it was quite so literal. I’m really enjoying my continued journey with minimalism, and I hope you will enjoy yours – and best of luck with the downsizing project!
Living in a van – now that is a small space, sort of what Glen does and chronicles at “To simplify…”. I contemplated that option, but intentionally chose not to. I believe that I am called to sustain and deepen relationships, and thus prefer a stationary platform to do so.
best regards,
John
Thanks for refering me to his terrific blog.
He sure looks different in the photos on his blog than pic you used
Gail,
That picture is me. A friend took it during my 50th birthday celebration this past June. It is one of the few close ups of me that I believe depicts my inner happiness!
John
John, awesome to hear about your courage! I’ve found that the most rewarding facet of living a minimalist lifestyle is the letting go of mental baggage, as you said. The less distractions and physical clutter we have around us, the easier it becomes to let go of mental clutter from the past that serves no purpose but to weigh us down!
Thank you!
Very good post, John. I liked it very much and will be reading your blog. Thanks.
Thank you!
Glad to see you sold your house because it can be quite lonely living in so many sq.ft. alone. The condo idea was great because now you can travel if you want and leave it for long periods of time knowing that nothing will happen to it during your absence. As well, condos for us (I also live in one) to keep things at a minimum. Best of luck with your new endeavours!
I meant “condos force us…”
Good story, John, and you do look very content and found on that picture :) It’s so inspiring to read over and over how minimalism helps people from all the hard situations you can imagine. It just makes me more and more convinced that this is the cure for all the world and everybody should discover it and just let themselves be happy.
Thanks for your sharing.
Thanks for commenting. I agree, being intentional with one’s life will definitely contribute to happiness. So also will disconnecting from consumerism. BTW – I can neither confirm nor deny if alcohol had been consumed prior to that photograph!
Haha, never mind :D Still counts ;)
What a great story John! I admire you for leaning into the change in such a big way. I can really relate to your note on mental baggage – that is what I’m working on today. Look forward to reading more insights on your site.
Thanks, Maryn.
I enjoy your site too!
http://thewellspringblog.com/
Stuff does get in the way of living simply and with authenticity. It seems to me you have made incredible progress in just one year! I’ve been at it for four and am about to embark – again as we’re having insulation installed – on the loft. I guess it’s an ongoing thing. Good luck John.
Thank you!
I love the test of “does this make my life easier and more pleasant.” I am working on paring down and stumbling so often along the way looking at things that are “perfectly fine” or “useful.” We won’t even talk about the sentimental items! Your little phrase there really spoke to me and I am going to see how my next round of purging goes when I apply this.
Good luck on your journey and thanks for sharing.
For quite a while, I have been giving away a big bag of things to Goodwill or Salvation Army every week. I’ve given art and crafts supplies to the park district or the public library. We seldom buy anything new and yet we aren’t close to simple living let alone minimalism. I know there are at least 2 more bagfuls of things I want to give away. I am glad we live next to the library so I can get books and magazines whenever I want.
I am still finding bagfuls of things to give away. Lots more craft items are leaving this week. It would take years for me to use up everything I have. I have 2 big bags of plastic bags to give my son to clean up after his pets.