To Live Minimally and Wisely

First off today I want to start out by saying, “Your needs grow accustomed to the mind’s way of thinking.” What does that mean?

Our bodies have simple needs like food, water, air, sunlight, and shelter. That’s pretty much it. Everything else is a luxury. The type of clothes we wear, how we style our hair, the things we collect, the types of food we eat, and even where we sleep. All of these “things” are luxuries. The more things we surround ourselves with, the more we think we need them.

So two months ago I put all of my “things” into a storage unit and moved in with a friend. The only things I have with me now are my clothes, my air mattress, and my two pets. Oh how I miss my things… Wait, what exactly do I have in there??? To be honest with you, after only two months I’m finding it hard to remember. I will even go as far as to say I feel somewhat liberated. Although I miss the comfortable and sentimental feeling of home, there is a sense of freedom I cannot express in words.

Don’t get me wrong, it hasn’t been easy. Sleeping on the air mattress for the first couple weeks was pure torture to me. My back hurt, it squeaked every time I moved. I’d wake up in the middle of the night a lot of times and wonder where in the world I was. And I’m sure my friends got tired of me texting every night to let them know that, “I hate the air mattress,” “I miss my bed,” “I hate my life!” But after adding a foam cushion to it and a feather comforter folded in half and then a couple more weeks of reminding myself that this is only temporary, I must say that I have the most comfy air mattress ever.  

Again, your needs grow accustomed to the mind’s way of thinking. What exactly do I need? This year, I need to get things straight. So I am leaning into the mindset of living minimally and wisely.

With every dollar I spend I ask myself,

1.       Is this a want or a need?

2.       How much do I need this?

3.       Is this something that will end up in the get rid of box 6 or 12 months from now?

4.       Is there an alternative to buying this?

Asking myself these questions forces me to think more about the big picture and less about my impulsive feelings at the moment for immediate self gratification. And to satisfy that feeling I have allowed myself to budget one very small thing for me monthly. It is a reward and something that I look forward to. Over the holidays I heard a lot of people say, “I miss the anticipation of Christmas as a child.” That is because we do not want to wait for anything, and most of us don’t. I promise, you can wait. Try holding out on buying something and then when you do there will be a whole different feeling associated with it.

Try thinking minimally and wisely about everything that surrounds you. The less you need, the more everything else becomes a pleasure, and the more money you will have to put towards more important things.

Thing to remember: Your needs grow accustomed to the mind’s way of thinking.

Tomorrow: Pick Up The Phone