I believe it’s safe to say that the minimalist lifestyle is getting a lot of traction through the internet world. Minimalism has slowly grown over the years as many more people are realizing that having too much stuff not only clutters your space but also clutters your mind. Balancing a full time work, college, and social life schedule will wear your body out, guaranteed. Following and researching on minimalism has helped me to transform the way I purchase and receive things in my life as well as welcome people into my life. In this post I want to share with you 4 things I learned about myself in this beginning journey of minimalist:

I held on to the past

It’s safe to say that when I went through my own decluttering process I realized how much the things I had held no significant value. They sat on shelves, in boxes, in closets but they bared more memories of pain then feelings of improvement and forward movement. After reading Marie A. Kondo’s “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up”, I realized that most of my items did not spark joy.

I was still grieving

The decluttering process wasn’t an easy one. When I held each item I found myself recalling unfavorable and terrible memories from middle and high school. My motivation for keeping certain items was for me to remember why I should keep going which for me is a terrible motivator because I was holding to pain and revenge to propel me forward.

I was busy but not productive

I always had paper, folders, and just so much pens lying around just about everywhere. I was involved in so many events and programs but I don’t believe I fully gave myself 100% into what I was doing. They just became routines and tasks to get things done whether or not it was the best. I saw projects that I’ve started but never completed, so I never was able to master anything. With much evaluating I found that I was just more of a people pleaser.  

I did not love myself

As I continued this journey, a feeling of freedom came to me. Removing the things that only serve as negative memories allowed me to forgive and let go of the past. Let go of expectations, disappointments, and false facades. The things I stored were merely tools I used to cover and hide the real me and to block what was really happening inside. Though I still have much to work on.

Overall having less stuff helps to maximize more of the experience you receive while helping you to live more intentionally.

If you are on your own minimalism journey, I’d love to hear both the good, the bad, and the ugly and how are you taking steps to overcome them? I’d love to hear how living an intentional lifestyle has changed you and those around you.

Let’s get personal and build a community. Follow me on Instagram, snapchat, and twitter for more tips, motivation, and inspiration. And if your plant loving foodie as I am follow my food Instagram.