Minimalism as a Lifestyle

Minimalism is not about less, it is about more! More experiences, more creativity, more of yourself! It is about living a life full of experiences and more time to do what you really love. Time for simple things that fill our hearts like spending time with our loved ones, exercising, exploring, new hobbies, being creative, or more time to figure out what you really love to do.

In this world full of noise telling you who you should be and what you should buy to be “happy” We lose our personality consciously or unconsciously. Just think about it, advertising is everywhere! On the road, on the radio, on social media, on what you wear, on your phone, on what you eat, etc. The time we live now is by far the most apart of Minimalism. A normal trip to the grocery store can be overwhelming with the surreal amount of brands for one product. Our lives are being cluttered constantly physically, emotionally and digitally; and then we wonder why anxiety is so common nowadays.

But what is Minimalist lifestyle? A minimalist lifestyle is based on the ability to decide carefully with your true-self what to bring in and out of your life by recognizing how these physical or non physical “things” affect your life negatively or positively.

This can be applied to any aspect of your life; relationships, thought, health, technology, finances, responsibilities, Shopping, stress, fatigue, decoration, projects, hobbies, priorities, etc. you name it!

Becoming a minimalist is pretty easy, get rid of everything you own, leave your job, travel the world and open a blog! Yes...I am being sarcastic! some minimalists do that others have a full time job, have a large family or are single, some of them live in the city other live in the mountains, some are millionaires others aren't, some are from the US and other from El Salvador, this is the beauty of minimalism; is for anybody who wants to live a streamlined life!

Every real change in life comes from: “The enough point” I called it. That moment when you decide you had enough pain, enough frustration, enough anger, enough of what hurts you! For me it was: ENOUGH-TO-DO-LIST! I realize I was spending way too much time cleaning the house, organizing stuff that I thought I needed, relocating “Just in case” stuff, tons of laundry loads, trying to find scissors, keys, favorite sunglasses, phone, basically every item that didn't have a designated spot. I was tired of picking up all my hair pins from the floor, keeping the garden blooming, finding the right decoration for every room, creating the right outfit for every occasion, cleaning before people arrive to our house, cleaning after people left our house, the gift for that babyshawer, birthdays party, bridal shawer, etc.

That's a short list of things that were overwhelming my life but what about the “untouchable things”? such as toxic friendships, bad thoughts, insecurities, decision fatigue, responsibilities, stress, fatigue, worries, fear, etc.

On top of that I have to work full time, be a good neighbor, be a good citizen, be a good friend, go to all “Friends'' birthday parties and also bring a homemade dish, drinks and gifts. I had to volunteer, eat healthy, exercise, travel to new places, protect the animals, avoid straws, read more, post on social media, reply to all texts and email.

When I place all “on the table” I realize why I always felt frustrated and stressed. I was putting so much pressure on me that was affecting my sleeping and mental and physical health. It has been a year since Kevin and I started our minimalist journey to change so many bad habits. We have less “Things” to Find, replace and maintain. We have notices a change in our life, that's why we want to share with you our Minimalist journey.

The following links are from amazing humans who have inspired us to believe that less is actually more, check it out!

• Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus introduced me to minimalists when I found their documentary on Netflix called “The Minimalist”. https://www.theminimalists.com/

• Joshua Baker love his book “The More of Less” and “The Minimalist Home” https://www.becomingminimalist.com/

• Closet problems? Let Courtney help you https://bemorewithless.com/project-333/ I love her!

With love, La Canana y El Kevin