Minimalism didn’t really hold any appeal for me until I was in my twenties. Companies know that they have to be good at marketing to teenagers, so we get indoctrinated with a need for things during our formative years. They train us up to be good consumers for the rest of our lives, and really, they teach us that the need for “stuff” leads to contentment- physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.
But maybe your are like me and you’ve realized that the fabric of your life isn’t measured by the number of things you have. Maybe you are realizing that other things are more equipped to make you happy.
It’s hard to be a minimalist in this day in age. It’s especially hard if you are in your twenties all your friends’ lives seem to be moving at a million miles a minute. We’ve got to undo some of the training we’ve had in our early consumer days.
Since I discovered minimalism a couple years ago, I can say with certainty it has changed my outlook on life. It’s forced me to look at what I truly value. Minimalism has helped me make a habit of letting go of things that no longer serve me. That is something that goes far beyond the physical realms.
Maybe you are a twenty-something on the minimalism fence? Here’s a little push in the right direction.
Your twenties are a time of transition
Any other twenty-somethings feel like you are still growing up, or is it just me? I’ve had to adjust to so many things for the first time in my life. I’ve moved a couple times, graduated from college, changed around my circle of friends, and had a teeny-tiny quarter life crisis. (Like… who hasn’t?)
In all likeliness, things are going to continue to change. With any luck, your twenties will be a time of professional and personal growth; complete with growing pains. Remarkably, I’ve found that minimalism is a good tool to train yourself not to carry unnecessary baggage into new seasons of life.
For example, here is a list of physical things I decided to leave behind as I moved to a new city and a new phase of adulthood:
- My college laptop (first time Macbook user here- never going back!)
- Old school supplies and notebooks
- Clothes that didn’t fit anymore
- Furniture I didn’t absolutely love or served a function
- Discarded remains of old crafts I once enjoyed (sorry crochet basket)
Now here’s a list of non-physical things I decided to leave behind during my move.
- Not getting enough sleep
- Neglecting habits I should be in (reading, exercise, self-care)
- Trying to please people that are not important
- Worrying about things I have no control over
- All-in-all, just being a crisis-mode college student
If you are making a big transition, or will be in the future, I would highly recommend simplifying where need be.
Related: Everything You Need To Get Started With Minimalism
Your interests will be changing
When I was in high school I took the Myers-Briggs personality test, chances are you did to if you took Psych 101 😛 . My result was INFJ, which is actually the rarest personality type. (And INFJs are really pretentious about it, sorry guys! 😛 ) When I took it again after college, I was and ENTJ! This actually made a lot of sense, considering that I majored in theatre, my personality was bound to adjust being around such large characters. 🙂
My interests have changed too, even just my overall aesthetic. I was super girly growing up and now my tastes are a little more grounded and utilitarian.
My point is, I now don’t feel any obligation to hang onto a ton of girly mementos from my past because I know I’m a different person. I’m likely to change more throughout the next decade, and realizing that upfront deletes any sort of obligation to anything that doesn’t reflect me anymore.
To be sure, minimalism is not about discouraging things that are special to you. If you still cherish your high school prom dress, keep it! As for myself, I’m more likely to go for a pantsuit these days.
But the most important reason why twenty-somethings need minimalism?
It teaches you what is really important
After I left college, I had what I am going to affectionately call a post-college-crisis. It seems this is pretty common! You leave the institution you spend your whole childhood planning towards and subsequently freak out because you realize you are not prepared at all!
Sound familiar anybody?!
After a lot of growth (and some therapy) I realized I had all the tools I needed to be successful, and a lot of baggage I didn’t need to carry around. I’m not saying it’s easy, but minimalism helped me learn how to drop that baggage and cherish things that were serving a purpose in my life.
Closing the college chapter in my life was a great time to clear out my mental and physical storage of all the things that wouldn’t serve me in my new chapter. It made me fully ready to embrace a new chapter of my life and meet a new version of myself.
So all in all, I think minimalism has made much more of a mark on how happy I am rather than the number of items I still own. Although I don’t have a huge collection of material things, these days I am much more likely to clear out mental files and habits that clutter my life than an old pair of shoes. It’s made all the difference.
So friend, how has minimalism improved your life? Or if you’re not a minimalist yet, do any of these items resonate with you?
