What Minimalism Has to Do with Creating a Lifestyle of Abundance
The challenge most face is not knowing how to live abundantly. Think about the images of wealth you see online—Well-lit, open spaces, free of clutter. No messes, no junk.
The zen atmosphere doesn’t come as a result of wealth. Instead, the zen atmosphere contributes to wealth. Sound weird? Can’t you accumulate wealth, cultivate happiness, and curate well-being without having to give up so much? Maybe not. The act and art of practicing minimalism contribute to clarity and focus, both of which are mandatory in building wealth. So, less junk, less clothing, less paperwork. It sounds divine, but how do we get there?
Here are the top 5 ways to live abundantly:
Cherish what you own.
Famous author and organizing consultant, Marie Kondo, wrote in her book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing that if your possessions don’t “speak to your heart,” let them go. It’s a bit of a stretch, but millions have listened and changed their lives.
Think of it this way: you can respect, value, and use what you do have. When you recycle, sell, or give away, someone else can respect, value, and use what you can’t. So don’t just buy more storage bins, boost the space for what you love by brandishing your best cutthroat decluttering tool: decision-making.
Forget “just in case.”
The average apartment or home is filled with “just in case” items. You never know when you may need something, right? So you keep it. Not anymore. Now, you get rid of your just in case items. Find you need something? See if you can borrow it from a friend or neighbor. This also serves as a great community-building exercise. You’ll be shocked when you see how much “just in case” you actually have.
Go digital.
Once the paper is ushered over your threshold, do something with it immediately. Don’t stack papers for later. Handle them once, and be done with them. File important papers like marriage licenses and so on in a file together and place somewhere safe. Throw out all of your manuals; you can find product manuals online now. Have documents you may need, but aren’t sure?
Use an app like Genius Scan to scan them all into files and email them to yourself. Then, you can print them if you need them someday, but they’re no longer cluttering your space.
To Live Abundantly – Buy intentionally.
We found that our little kids’ pajamas were always falling apart. We didn’t like that their clothing had silly characters all over them- characters they can’t identify since they don’t watch most kiddie tv shows. So, we thought about it and looked into getting better quality, the United States made kids clothing.
The result is that we’re far less likely to make impulse purchases when you’re strolling through Target and see something cute. When you put thought into what you’re buying, you make fewer impulse purchases. Also, things like the $3 danger zone at the beginning of Target no longer appeal. Fewer impulse purchases, less clutter, more win-win.
Buy based on your values.
Confession. I really want to get my kids one of those little kid cars that drive, mostly because I always wanted one as a kid. But it doesn’t align with any of the things we encourage our kids to do outdoors: creative play, physical activity, etc. And they’re not cheap. So, I – I mean, my kids- won’t be getting one. These are some of the ways on how to live abundantly.
Another example: our food saver died. We like to do food prep such as buying salmon from Costco, then portioning, seasoning, and wrapping it up to freeze. So, we need another food saver. When Jonathan started comparison shopping, there was a wide variety of options. Do we do the top of the line? Midrange? We prioritize minimalism, and not sitting things on the counters. So, the basic, smallest version was the perfect one for us. What values are you focused on in your own life? Buy according to those.
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