Minimalism : The American dream??

So I think this blog has been 24 years in the making. It starts with my family, first of all my mom and grandparents (her parents) are amazing people. I am not writing this to say anything bad about them at all. I love them and they are some of the best people you will ever meet. With my dad not around as a kid, my mom gave my brother and I everything we wanted, we never had to want for anything. We had it all. If I wanted it, my mom found a way to get it for me. I think I might have said "I want that" more than I said " I love you". She wasn't rich by any means, far from it actually, but she did her best to make sure we had all the nice clothes, and phones in sixth grade, and everything we laid our eyes on that we thought we had to have. She was an excellent mother who raised two great kids who are loving, caring, responsible, great human beings. She did her best, but she also instilled the mentality that if I want it, I should buy it. If I was unhappy, I should go spend money. I grew up with a lot of materialistic things, and I think that when I made the decision to sell everything I own basically, and fit it all into a car I really found out that I am happier with less.

But I believe after learning how to live with less, that once you don't have anything but the few things you like and hold dear, you realize you don't need all that stuff.

You have money in your pocket and you see something that catches your eye, you say to yourself I would be happy if I could get that, so you buy it. And you are happy, temporarily. It may last only a day, maybe a week, a month, a year even, but you eventually find that other shinny thing in the window you have to have. It never stops. The hunt goes on and on, it never ends. You buy nicer things, and eventually a nice car, then a nice house, and you get into so much debt you cant ever leave that job you complain about going to every morning but six am when the alarm goes off. The next thing you know, your sixty years old saying where did the time go? Ive heard it from many people, enjoy your life, travel, meet people, go on adventures, because life is short. The most popular three words that come out of someone who is 50 years old or higher, time is short, life is short. So go out there and live it, well with all the things society tells us and shows us, thats the last thing they want us to do.

We as Americans and as human beings are wired to hunt for the next best thing thats going to make us happy, but its only temporary happiness we fine. Then were hunting all over again. Its a vicious cycle that never actually ends.

The media doesnt help us at all either, because there constantly telling us that well be more popular, get more boys/girls, or have a ton of friends if we live this type of lifestyle. If we buy these clothes, or this makeup, or buy this cool materialialistic item we will be happy and we can live a better life. They tell us we need these things, they will make us happy, and in turn we think its true. If theres anything America or humans in general are, were gullible. It becomes an adiction for us really. We may not even realize it. We put these blinders on and we follow the lead of something or someone else. We want what they have. We want to be like everyone else.

So this brings me to minimalism. Its a feeling of living with less, owning and having less, it can really liberate a person and make someone realize that they really dont need a lot. You dont need a lot of things to live, really nothing at all to live. You have to learn to let go, if something doesn't add value to your life, let it go. You have to look around your room and justify everything you own as something that you need that adds value to your life.

When you compare how easy it is to buy versus how easy it is to get rid of it really puts things into perspective. You can open your laptop up and find something you want online and buy it, put it inside your home and never use it again. Things easily accumulate, and I am very guilty of that also. Throughout college I accumulated all the things that anyone would in four years in a two bedroom apartment. Selling it took a lot longer than buying it all. I had to take pay cuts on everything and find someone who would com pick it up, or move it for me. It was a hassle. Imagine if I could have just put it all into a backpack and took off, less stress thats for sure.

People go out and spend money they don't even have on houses and cars and all kinds of things. They get into debt and then they have all this space, space to put things they don't really need in but there forced in to working those jobs we all know we hate just to pay for it and when that day finally comes (if it ever comes) when that house or car is paid off your probably 65 years old and dont really have a lot of time to spend enjoying it anymore. You want to go out and travel now, but you have this house you have to either figure out how to sell, or find someone to take care of it for you. It can be a big responsiblilyt and not everyone is ready for it, but that doest stop from them from doing it.

Its not about the things we have, its about the people we meet, the memories that we make are what we can take to the afterlife with us, because we defiantly cant take the stuff with us in the end. Were all guilty of buying that nice pair of shoes, or the fancy watch, or whatever it may be in order to fill a void. Maybe you were bummed out, and wanted to feel better, or you were just bored and wanted something to do so you went shopping. Its alright to admit it, thats the first step.

The next step is finding a solution. Finding a change.

So i've made a plan to help me become more minimal. First thing I have to do is declutter the apartment, get rid of everything I haven't used in over a month. Everything that doesn't give me happiness or isn't meaningful to my life has to go. I have to only keep the things I love and use regularly.

The second and probably most difficult for me to achieve is the notion to stop buying things, stop being bored and spending money on things I don't really need. I am very guilty of doing that, I rationalize these things to myself that makes it alright for me to go out and buy instead of putting that money in a savings account so I can take a trip and make memories.

The third and final vow I am taking to become more minimal is to start meditating. It seems like its not going to help, but for at least a half hour a day I want to turn off all the distractions in my life like my phone and television, and just sit in silence and listen to my own breathing. I want to be able to sit in a room with nothing on and be completely content with just myself. Its not an easy concept, but I think its important. You have to learn and train yourself to be happy with what you have already.

Now don't take this blog as a blog of me saying i'm not happy, because thats the farthest thing from true. I am a very happy person, I wake up every day and tell myself that its going to be a good day, and it mostly is. I just want to do things to become even happier, and to embrace life for what it is, not what kind of things I can consume in m lifetime.

In the end it really isn't about what you have, its about who you are as a person and who you choose to surround yourself with, the memories you make. So lets all try to simplify our lives a little better! Throw something away today that you didnt think you would get rid of, but also haven't used in over a month. See how you feel!