The further I move along the path of minimalism, the more I see that mindfulness is inherently part of that journey. Mindfulness for me is about noticing. Noticing my reactions and impulses, noticing my thoughts and feelings and noticing my choices. It’s about being fully present in my life and feeling every part of it. It’s being aware and curious and filtering out distractions.
I tie mindfulness to minimalism because I don’t think they can be separated. Mindfulness invites minimalism and minimalism requires mindfulness. When I tune in and am noticing, it helps me to make decisions about what really matters in my life and where I want to focus my energy. The more I let go, embracing minimalism, the less I have to tend to, worry about, manage, clean or stress about. I can spend my time and energy doing what I want to do. Minimalism removes many distractions and forces me to face myself.
I came across this quote from Alison Faulkner, who I just discovered. It really resonated with me. My interpretation, from my lense, is that minimalism or finding what is enough for you is a mindful decision. What is a enough? If you aren’t paying attention then it’s easy to bypass enough. It’s individualized, what is enough for you is different than someone else’s enough. Minimalism is unique to each person who embraces it.
“Enough is a decision, not an amount.”
alison faulkner
Choose Your Life, Get Intentional
This blog is called Simple + Intentional for a reason. Simplifying naturally leads to more intentional living and I want that more you. I think it is very important for everyone to KNOW, you get to choose your life. It is so, so easy to continue on a path you may not have chosen, totally unaware. Or to have things, obligations, jobs or relationships because you always have or ‘everyone’ does. I want to tell you right now, you actually get to CHOOSE what your life looks like. You decide who you spend time with, your hobbies, your clothes, where you live, your job, etc, etc. Some of these decisions are harder than others to change and certainly they can’t all happen overnight. But if we are learning to be intentional, then we have to take a second or two to look at our lives currently and then edit them.
What can leave and what do you want to stay? How can you curate your life to make it the most fulfilling, heart squeezing beauty of a life? It will not be easy all of the time but there are a lot of decisions that are easy. Lose those jeans that make you feel like crap, add some broccoli to those eggs or choose a book over Netflix before bed. You can make things way more awesome with some small choices. I promise this all starts with letting go of stuff.
Daily Habits That Help You Choose Your Life
These are my favourite habits that support more intentional choices and living:
- Meditation. The heart of cultivating your mindful self. Take 10 minutes everyday, just do it. It’s like opening your eyes for the first time some days and then other days, it’s not, it’s harder. But it’s a practice and one well worth your time.
- Gratitude. This is how you turn what you have into enough, as the quote goes. This is THE most powerful practice you can adopt. It’s benefits are swift and strong and it is so simple to start. If you are going to do one thing, choose this.
- Wake up early. This sets the tone for my day, of course I have days I miss it, but it gives me a boost to start off on a mindful foot. I have the time, focus and quiet that I don’t have as the day moves forward to be mindful. It is a gift for myself.
- Declutter. Get rid of your stuff, you probably have some you do not at all need. Easy stuff to begin with are things that are actually garbage (old socks, broken stuff you aren’t fixing), extra kitchen utensils, extra kids toys or excess & old toiletries. Carve out one spot in your house that is free of clutter, feels good and you can find everything. Relish in it and allow it to propel you forward.
- Journal and reflect. Write down your thoughts, ask yourself what you want, notice what you don’t like or what causes your stress. Pay attention and then make a list of what you think you do want. Edit this list, update it – it might change. You are new at this and choosing what you actually want isn’t super clear for everyone, probably most people.
Start with these, or even one, and keep going. Each small intentional decision you make is a step towards creating a life you’ve chosen and created.
Figuring Out What You Want
Adopting some of the practices above help you gain clarity. But how do minimalism and mindfulness help you really figure out what you want? They both challenge you to pay attention and when you’re paying attention, you are making conscious choices.
Use the following questions to dig deeper about what you really want. Write them down, come back to your answers a week later. Do they still ring true? What would you add? Take away?
- What can you let go of today?
- The biggest stress point in your life? Why?
- Where do you feel the most comfortable in your home? The least? Why?
- What do you want to change the most about your life? What is one step you can take today?
- Your happiest recent memory? What were you doing?
- What makes you feel the most critical towards your self? Why?
- When have you felt jealous of someone? What did you want that they had?
- When you feel stressed or are avoiding negative feelings what do you choose to do? How do you numb yourself? (i.e. T.V., food, alcohol, shopping)
- Describe your what your dream life looks like. Use lots of detail.
- What do you love most about your life? What are your biggest strengths?
- Who is present in your dream life? Who is missing?
Remember, Change Takes Time
Adopting new habits and making change in your life isn’t an overnight thing. It will take time, you might start with something and then change your mind. You might go back to old ways, take 10 steps forward and 3 back. Don’t let anyone tell you this is a linear journey, it definitely isn’t. But the great thing is, you will become more and more aware of yourself and catch yourself doing something and say “hey, I don’t want this actually.” You’ll gain this amazing power to notice and notice again. And with your newfound power you can make the most incredible choices to create the most incredible, joyful life. The more you let go, the easier it is to deal with challenges, keep on top of chores and manage overwhelm. I hope this helped to show you how much choice you do have.
