If nothing more this journey has already taught me that we owned way more stuff than we needed. As an attempt to sort out our belongings before the movers come I have been dividing things into 3 categories 1. Ship to Japan 2. Store in US 3. Get rid of. To spur on my motivation I have been listening to audio books and podcasts on minimalism. I am learning so much and am really excited to have this opportunity to reorganize my life. In case you are wondering, Joshua Becker defines minimalism like this:
At its core, minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of everything that distracts us from it. It is a life that forces intentionality. And as a result, it forces improvements in almost all aspects of your life. http://www.becomingminimalist.com/what-is-minimalism/
Over the past 5 years we have filled our large house with many possessions. These things are not inherently bad, and our home is not overwhelmingly cluttered. I have spent hours, organizing, cleaning, sorting things that in essence do not give me life and we do not need. I have wasted time and energy I could have better spent. Minimalists find that by owning less and being intentional they have more time, energy and money to spend on what truly matters to them. Possessions do not bring happiness. As I begin to define what minimalism looks like for me I will focus on my passions.
- My passion for family: my desire to maintain and grow my relationship with my husband, my desire to truly experience life with my children.
- My passion for fitness: I desire to have a strong healthy body. I feel best when i maintain a regular workout schedule
- My passion for beauty: I appreciate nature and creating beautiful things.
- My passion for people: I enjoy hosting people in my home.
As I sort and pack I am learning to look at the things that I own and ask do these things promote or distract me from these passions. I am finding that I can get rid of lots of things.
If you are looking for more information on minimalism check out these blogs. They have great thoughts on owning less and living more.
May 31, 2016 at 5:15 am
I totally agree! Glad to hear what’s going on during your move 🙂
Betty and I always try to reduce what we own so that we can focus and be more intentional with what we /do/ have. I also loved reading what you listed as your passions. Thanks for sharing!