It’s time to minimize. Maybe it’s because of the New Year. Maybe it’s because I’m starting on my second journal of the Race and the blank pages are ready to be filled with the thoughts and experiences from the next five months. Maybe it’s because we’re only a few weeks away from being halfway through the Race and it feels like time is slipping through our fingers. Whatever it is, it’s time for me to re-evaluate what I fill my life with.
Minimalism may look like throwing away everything or sitting on your one chair staring at a blank wall. It may look boring, like a lack of life. But, it is the opposite. Minimalism is only having what you love or need. Therefore, everything you have brings you life. I love all of my t-shirts, decorations, and keepsakes. My tiny dinosaur makes me so happy and the stuffed elephant that takes up a lot of space in my pack (in comparison) is special because my little brothers have matching ones.
So, I am a physical minimalist. I have spent the past year and a half decluttering my closet to about 75 items, my bathroom to three toiletry bags, and my random crap to one box. I love the space it provides for me to breathe and the energy that it gives me. My dad undertook a minimalist challenge this fall and threw or gave away over 300 items. And yet we still have so much.
We say, “I don’t have time,” but we spend so much time on Wifi. We say, “I have nothing to wear,” but we can’t fit all our clothes in our closet. We say, “I don’t have the money,” but we impulsively spend so much on the next best thing, because we aren’t satisfied with what we have. We say, “I can’t do this,” but aren’t we always criticizing and doubting ourselves? We don’t need these statements. In fact, I’d rather not say them at all.
I am minimizing. Unfortunately, I can’t get rid of any of my shirts, because I only have six of them in my pack. But, I can become a spiritual and emotional minimalist. I can spend less time doubting God and more time strengthening my faith in his promises. I don’t have to feel other people’s emotions when I need to process my own. Stress is not in Heaven, so it has no place here in earth. By minimizing stress, I can spend more time resting in the simplicity of God’s unconditional love.
So here’s what I’m decluttering: stress, worry, doubt, a victim mindset, and fear. I will not be ruled by my emotions or anyone else’s. I will find life in the quiet moments where I reassure myself of my own strength. I will give myself validation, instead of seeking it from others. I will spend less time complaining, and more time seeking out the good things. I will build a new mindset and perspective. I will have more emotional capacity and more brain space to focus on what really matters to me.
Minimalism. Only what matters to you. I’m so passionate about it, because I have seen how many positive ways it has impacted me. If you want to know more, please e-mail me. I also really recommend the Minimalist Moms podcast, or the many YouTube videos, where you can find someone who reflects where you are in life in the best way. You may not have the time or the brain space now, but you might once you minimize. Thanks for supporting me by reading my blogs!!
love,
kate
