We live in a world where we are constantly being chased by the temptation of being or having ‘more’,
due to advertising and various other influences which have now become a commonplace in our society
and the impulse for acquisition of things have been definitely brought out by our consumerist lifestyles.
It has lead us to believe that happiness has a positive association with the accumulation of more and
having more or having better things means that we are living ‘the good life’.
With this constant illusion, our need to have more, often times makes us believe that this is what we “should do”, as if it is something compulsory in our lives, while we never really contemplate whether it really satisfies
ourselves. Unfortunately this pursuit of materialistic objects has influenced ourselves not to really
question whether we will eventually lose sight of what is really essential in the end. This in turn will
affect our own actions and daily habits following our own thought process.
We sometimes forget to remind ourselves that we are the authors of our own choices in our own
stories. Seemingly without control, our actions and priorities have shifted from what we should have
thought essentially to becoming hoarders of more materialistic possessions. This will lead to a mighty
distraction, where we will in the end miss out on what is essentially paramount by losing focus.
Our obsessions over several physical, material or mental habits will overpower our minds and as a result we
will be further away from that spiritually rich, abundant, “more” life we all aspire to live one day. This
change has to be initiated within you, not with anyone else. This process can be commenced by taking
stock of what you really want in life versus what does not contribute to that process. This approach can
be used to organize your wardrobe, kitchen utensils, condiments, food supplies and the list goes.
Ideally it could be applied for every aspect of our lives not forgetting the electronic devices as well.
As your smartphone is one of the key essentials of your daily routine, the applications and the
notifications that you receive on your phone can be reduced to a point where it entails only what is
essential and value adding. Further this can make a huge impact on how you interact with social media,
in a world where we have strived to be more connected with one another. But coincidently it has made
the lives more distracting where we are constantly inundated with glamorous, virtual environments
that we view through social media on the daily.
By reducing your feed to what is essential will help you focus on what is more important to you. But if you are slightly alien to this whole picture of letting go of your bad habits, you would know it is quite difficult to turn over a new leaf, in one go. What we need to come into terms is that, while it is pretty much easier to say yes to something than to turn it away, making small changes one step at a time would lead you towards your goal eventually.
One should be able to discover yourself within and get a grip on this new enlightening philosophy where it improves our mental, physical, and emotional well-being while making you an all-round human being. It takes courage and self-discipline to find and experience what is present outside your comfort zone, while
walking away from your old, prodigal habits. We can use our ideals as to who we are, what we need
and what is our destination or the ultimate goal in life, as a foundation to this practice.
Mental de-cluttering goes hand in hand with the practices of minimalism; in fact it’s one of its ‘essential’
components. This affects your pattern of thinking, your ultimate objectives in life and your personal
growth as a human being who is satisfied only with what is essential. This effort can be very
instrumental when you put in the correct amount of work to focus on what really satisfies you and what
you genuinely care for.
Everyone we meet today is on this relentless journey in pursuit of happiness and most of us fail in discovering the true happiness. Minimalism can be used as a tool to rediscover the path way to your happiness and fulfillment. In comparison to physical de-cluttering, mental de-cluttering seems like a struggle to keep up and follow through till the end. Our negative, demeaning thoughts can always be redirected to thoughts that add value and help us better ourselves. This can be your ultimate productivity hack which makes you get rid of the things that are mentally weighing you down.
Over thinking is one of the most prominent habits among us that will increase our mental pressure which can also act as a barricade in finding your passion in life. We need to train our mindset to let go of the
unnecessary thoughts or physical objects that we are so dearly holding onto, while focusing on what
truly serves you. If you ever feel trapped in and cluttered, it will be your ideal calling to rethink and
reorganize the direction you are currently headed to and it will eventually be followed by your physical
clarity in how you manage what you focus on materially.
When you learn the art of owning less, your urge for constant comparison of your life with others and your desire to be socially accepted because of the physical, materialistic things you possess will deplete. Staying true to oneself can be one of the major learnings that can emerge out of this journey towards minimalism.
When you de-clutter yourself physically and mentally, you will eventually be one step closer to that
‘rich’ life you always wanted to live; a life without overthinking, judgment, and superficiality. You will be
left with more time on your hands to engage in that passion project you always wanted to pursue or to
allocate your time for those soul-nourishing relationships that you often missed out on.
This makes you question yourself whether you truly miss the things that you de-cluttered. It will enlighten you with the fact that your life will be much simpler financially, mentally and physically. The time and the financial
resources will be abundant in a way that it will ignite sparks in new avenues for you to follow and it will
reward you with more time, freedom and space along with an intentional life rather than worldly possessions.
