Quotes on the Power of Personal Possessions

Source: Wonderlane

It is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly.  -Bertrand RusslI

I like to walk about among the beautiful things that adorn the world; but private wealth I should decline, or any sort of personal possessions, because they would take away my liberty.  -George Santayana

When you look at it that way, you can see how absurd it is that we individualize ourselves with our fences and hoarded possessions.  -Morrie Schwartz 

The above quotes address the idea that possessions hinder our freedom.  They tie us down, clutter our minds, and create tension in our lives.  So, are white picket fences signs of affluence, or the bars of jail doors?  

Tread Lightly

Flickr: Allesok: CC-By-2.0

“This is today! What will tomorrow bring? Life arrives and departs on its own schedule, not ours; it's time to travel light, and be ready to go wherever it takes us.” 
― Meg Wolfe, The Minimalist Woman's Guide to Having It All


Here's an interesting blog from Jenny, a young woman traveling the world as a digital Nomad.

http://www.whereisjenny.com/2010/12/11-first-steps-becoming-minimalist/

Tips For Becoming a Minimalist

The idea of coming home to a hotel-like clutter-

Image by Richard Moross 

free existence is exuberating.

You've seen celebrity minimalists count down their personal effects to 100 items.  

Maybe you have visions of living out of a backpack, while you vagabond around the world, a citizen of nowhere, untied down to worldly possessions. 

You want to be a minimalist, but you don't know where to start.  Here are my Tips For Becoming A Minimalist. 

Minimalism Offers Something For Everyone

Do you want to live like this?
Flickr: Davidd.  CC-BY-2.0

Or like this?
Flickr: Rooey202. CC-BY-2.0

Whether you want to live out of a suitcase and travel the globe, or just keep up a clean basement, minimalism offers something for everyone.  Living an uncluttered, healthy, and rewarding lifestyle, offers immense benefits to people from all walks of life. 

There is a tendency within the minimalist community to dwindle ones life down into oblivion, which may not be realistic for all individuals.  The important thing is to keep only what adds substance to your life, and remove any baggage that is weighing you down.  How much you decide to carry through this life is a personal decision but don't forget that you can't take it with you.

Spring Cleaning

Breaking down any task always makes it more bearable.  I have found that I am easily discouraged at the mere site of big projects and work more effectively by breaking them down into palatable pieces.

Items I use everyday 

What does a single girl do in her spare time?  Organize my sock drawer of course! Seriously, it's probably one of the cleanest you've ever seen.  

My other goal was to get through my cosmetics.  By no means am I a strict follower of the 100 item ultra-minimalist club, but I do enjoy clutter-free spaces.  I live with two other young singles and we each get one third of a cabinet and one shelf of the linen closet for our beauty tool kits.  

I have my items organized by the items I use everyday, use often, and use rarely.  

What helped me pair down and organize my items: 

• I threw away anything clearly old, dried up, or no longer in fashion.  
• I looked for products with expiration dates.  Sunscreens become ineffective with age.  You should buy a new bottle every year. 
• I clipped all my hair scrunchies together and boxed my clips
• I used small containers to organize like items such as nail polishes 

Items I use several times a week 

Tips for cleaning out your cosmetics: 

• Every item in your arsenal should be your favorite.  
• Keep it simple.  Most women can get by with a handful of nail polishes, not a salon's worth 
• Throw out anything you haven't used within the last year.  
• Newer products are more effective and usually healthier for you.  Don't keep five year old lotions and dried up nail polishes.  
• Organize items into categories 
• Don't keep hotel shampoo bottles.  Just don't do it! I know they're "cute."

I'm very proud of the progress that I've made but still feel that I have too many items I don't plan on using.  There's always that "What if I need it?" question lingering.  Maybe I'll actually use that under eye creme someday.  What I am excited about is that moving will be really easy, I'll just pick up my two bins and carry them away.   

Happy cleaning! 

Living Like a Refugee

Naked we come into this world and naked we leave, but somehow we seem to accumulate ridiculous amounts of stuff in between.  

Periodically, I have to review the reasons and methods behind minimalism.  I am fully convinced that living more simply leads to a more satisfying life, but I often begin reverting back to accumulating without even knowing it.  A few receipts get stashed in my purse, a new outfit enters the closet and no items leave, a book is picked up at a garage sale, and pretty soon I'm feeling like a lousy minimalist.

With every wave of becoming more of a minimalist I'm getting smaller and finding more efficient ways to do or display things.  How can I make a book shelf look uncluttered?  What do I do with bills? Do I digitize CD's? How do I file important paperwork? 

I'm beginning to see minimalism as more of a process than a one time possession chucking party.  

My fear now is what is at the end.  What happens when there is no more to get rid of?  What does it feel like to be truly naked?  I'm actually a bit scared. 

Who am I apart from my stuff?  Can I honestly feel confident in an independent identity?  

If I had nothing, like a new born baby, would  my tastes change?  Would I have a social class?  What defines class other than possessions?  I would be like a refugee fleeing in the night with nothing but the clothes on my back. 

You have to wonder what that feels like.      

     

How to Emotionally Detach from Objects

Here are eight simple principles that will keep you from being emotionally attached and controlled by your possessions.

1. Your possessions do not have feelings
2. They will not be upset that you got rid of them
3. There will not be a void in your life with that object gone
4. You own the object
5. The object does not own you 
6. There is no object that makes you a better person
7. You will still feel empty inside after you buy the object
8. That emptiness does not come from not having an object

We have all felt the guilt of getting rid of a nostalgic, sentimental, or once treasured item.  Our attachment to the item has less to do with the item itself and more to do with our emotional and psychological state. 

Things are just that: Things.  Inanimate man-made objects that get the chance to pass through our hands during our short stay on this fast spinning ball.

We must recognize the voice in our minds that says,

“I will be lonely without this object.”

“I will be incomplete without this object.”

“I will finally be happy when I get that object.”

“That object makes me who I am.”

“That object is a part of me.”

So much of our personal history is wrapped up in the things we carry. 

Are you still a winner without those trophies? 

Did your childhood exist without that stuffed animal? 

Objects are not bad; they just need to have a proper place in our lives.  As emotional beings, objects can bring us great joy and happiness.  It’s when they become a burden that it becomes unhealthy.  If it brings you joy, keep it.  If not, move it along.  It’s not like you can take it with you.  

Other Posts on Minimalism 

Minimal Mindset: Minimalism is a continual state of mind not a one time downsize.  

How to Live With Non-Minimalists:  A guide on how to keep your sanity in check if your family or roommates are pack rats. 

Minimalism and Freedom: Minimalism frees up your life so you can do the things that really matter to you.