Is Minimalism right for you? a number of fantastic takeaways from my one-year minimalist journey

I’ll begin by congratulating myself: Happy 14th-month anniversary, Kenyan Minimalist!

It’s been a little over a year since I gave a name to something I’d been looking for for the longest time.

So, what exactly is minimalism?

It’s living a simple life without feeling obligated to acquire or keep items that don’t necessarily add worth to your life, in my opinion. Technically, independence from stuff!

How liberating?

I understand that we live in a fast-paced society and that with the advancement of technology and various inventions, it is easy to become overwhelmed. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Telegram, Reddit, Tinder, WhatsApp, AI, the newest fashion trend in town, your family, friends, partner, children, pets, that car, that gadget upgrade, that vacation, those designer shoes, that new job, that online course…

Exhausting?

While all these things are useful to us in some manner, it is critical to acknowledge and accept that we can never have it all. Adopting a minimalist attitude to life is one guaranteed strategy to help you separate the necessary from the unnecessary and soon be on your way to the freedom we all seek.

Here are a few realizations I have come to in the past year :

• Minimalism is a journey, not a destination. It is not a one-day event, nor is it merely de-cluttering only to bring new junk in a few months later, but rather a way of life. A conscious decision to change every aspect of one’s life. Consider it as gradually regaining control of your life.

• Your next purchase will not fulfill you as much as you expect. Retail therapy, a modern term likely inspired by consumerism, is unfortunately fleeting. While we may enjoy shopping for various reasons, the appeal of that new pair of shoes or device will fade faster than you might imagine.

• You can live comfortably on half of what you already own. When attempting to reduce my material possessions, I took the Marie Kondo approach, which was initially unsettling. I felt it was quite extreme, and the mound of stuff I needed to get rid of almost made me cry. One year later, I have discovered that I have not missed any of it.

• You don’t have to own everything nice that comes your way. It sounds like common sense, but it isn’t as prevalent as it should be. You will not withdraw to a bubble in the midst of Karura forest once you begin your adventure as a minimalist. The environment outside of your control is likely to remain unchanged. This will come with periodic temptations, which you might occasionally succumb to. As a result, it is critical to begin learning how to ‘appreciate things from afar’. You can see and touch it, but you don’t have to take it home!

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.

1 Timothy 6 : 6-9