Adopting a Minimalist Lifestyle and Mentality: Four Steps to Simplifying

With all the options and availability we have today, it is easy to become weighed down by excess stuff that does not serve us. Whether it is physical, mental, emotional, or otherwise, we all tend to carry around baggage that we would be better off without.

Adopting your own unique version of a minimalist lifestyle is a manner of simplifying your life in a way that will serve you. It can be catered to your own needs and desires and altered as you grow.

Set the goal to live deliberately, intentionally choosing what you will allow into your life from here on out. From the smallest time-suckers like social media to the heavy hitters such as a soul-crushing career, be bold and dare to analyze what is serving you and what is not. Daily habits and routines can be solid foundations to build a life around or they can be deterrents holding us back from truly living.

“I lost me when I gave up on my dreams. I lost me when I outsourced the tough decisions in life to society’s expectation of me.” -Grant Peelle (Featured in the documentary “I’m Fine, Thanks”)

Are you ready to start living your dreams? It’s time to make some changes, so get ready to jump.

Four Steps to Simplifying Your Life

1. Realize your dreams and your heart’s deepest desires.

For some people, this will be the fun and easy part. For others, it may take a little to get the ball rolling.

If it helps, write a mission statement for your life, or a number of simple, powerful statements that resonate with you, such as:

“I want to be self-employed and make $100,000 a year.”
“I want to have 3 hours a day of quality time with my partner/my kids/my friends/my books/my craft”
“I want to become a strong, powerful athlete.”
“I want to have authentic, meaningful relationships that inspire growth for everyone involved.”
“I want to be able to travel everywhere I want, whenever I want.”
“I want to live in a simple, beautiful home with lots of natural light and no excess junk.”
“I want to have plenty of free time to relax, be in nature, and pursue the things I am passionate about.”
“Every day I want to feel happy, healthy, and free.”
“I want to share what I am passionate about with the world and to inspire growth and personal development.”

If you are more of a visual person, get find pictures that inspire you either online or in magazines and create a vision board. Or, do a combination of both.

Start writing, start dreaming, start getting in touch with what you truly desire. The hardest part is beginning and it becomes progressively more exciting and invigorating once you get going.

Allow yourself to define your desires without limitations.

2. Let go of that which is no longer serving you.

Now that you know what you want your life to consist of and to feel like, it will be easier to look at your life and know which situations, people, items, etc. are serving you and helping you to get closer to being the person that you want to be and living the dreams you want to live.

It will also be clear which situations, people, items, etc. are not.

By eliminating that which no longer serves us, we create fresh space in our lives. We create freedom. And freedom is power.

3. Decide what you are going to invite into your life and where to hold space for new possibilities.

You have acquired your power, now you get to decide what you want to do with it. Don’t rush to fill the newly created space, especially out of fear. It is easy to get pulled back into soothing routines, which are sometimes disguised as new ones. Commit to being keenly aware of what is going on, daring to allow yourself to sit with the new space you have created until you feel the pull of true inspiration.

When a new opportunity presents itself, check and see if it is in line with your deepest heart’s desires as defined in step one. If you are not sure, these questions may be helpful to ask yourself:

Will this add value to my life?
Will it bring joy or help facilitate more joy in my life?
Do I need to jump in or can I test the waters as a trial before committing?
What will it take the place of? Is it worth it? (Contemplate this, even if what it will be replacing is free time, which the importance of cannot be understated.)

Be discriminating. Elevate your expectations of life. Don’t just settle for a good life, insist on an awesome one. When you get used to living that way, if something is worth your time, you will know, because your excitement about it will be clear.

4. Appreciate your life, whichever phase of this process you may be in, and be grateful.

This step cannot be emphasized enough. It is easy to get caught up in our daily routines and habits, even when we are being intentional. So make appreciation a habit. It is one that you will not regret.

Wherever you are in your life, wherever you are in your journey with minimalism, wherever you are period, take time to stop and appreciate anything and everything you truly can. Be grateful for your life. The more you do this the better you will feel and the more you will generate in your life to be grateful for.

Quick Recap

  1. Realize what your ideal life looks and feels like without limitations.
  2. Analyze and eliminate that which is no longer serving you.
  3. Intentionally choose what is essential for your ideal life, being discriminating.
  4. Appreciate and be grateful.

Now get out there and start living the epic life you deserve, you badass minimalist.

Check out the video I did about this topic here: