Every Monday I post Real Life Minimalists, a profile of one of my readers in their own words. If you’d like to participate, click here for details.
This week, Pia tells us how some difficult situations inspired her minimalist journey—and how much happier, and more meaningful, her life has become. Be sure to visit her blog to read more!
Pia writes:
I wasn’t always very mindful of the way I lived my life. Every paycheque went to shopping for the latest trends or eating out too much. I’d spend countless hours surfing the internet, Facebook and watching YouTube videos. I didn’t spend as much time with my family as I should have. I was too focused on myself. I ate crappy food and I barely exercised. So like most people, I always wondered, what else was out there other than just chasing every temporary high? I think I lived everyday blindly, unaware of what I was really doing to myself.
It all started with a breakup in April 2012 (my 28th year) with someone I was living with for 3 years. Everything was pretty easy peasy up until that point. I had everything I wanted and needed (or thought I wanted and needed) and I thought I was happy.
The most significant change for me was towards the end of 2013. It was announced that the very secure and amazing workplace I was at was going to be shut down. We were like a family. It was a place of many people’s dream jobs. Heartbreak was all around, and it was a true test of my emotional strength as I helped everyone get through it all (I work in Human Resources slash part-time therapist haha), while also trying to take care of myself. My body went through a lot of physical pain as well as my spirit.
But I learned that bad things can be a blessing in disguise.
I had a month off before I started my new job, so I had a lot of time to reflect on things like the meaning of life, what I was here for and what really mattered. That kind of happens when you don’t have much to do. I started meeting and hanging out with people who lived life on their own terms. Lived it with meaning. Worked for themselves or were spiritually aware. A friend recommended I read the Celestine Prophecy and it changed my whole perspective on everything.
I discovered a bunch of Minimalist Blogs as well, which were in line with my new values. I realized that I had everything I wanted materially but I still wasn’t happy. I had a lot of clutter that was filling my time and space, that I never really touched or used. So I started slowly purging my belongings that had no use. Beginning with my gigantic wardrobe, then to my book collection, then to my kitchen, and so forth. I kept only the things I really needed or mattered to me the most and downsized into a studio apartment and have been blissful ever since.
I finally felt so liberated from something that was holding me back and I honestly feel like I’m now living at a level I never thought was possible. Like the material world doesn’t matter at all anymore. Forget consumerism. Who cares. On my deathbed what is going to matter? I don’t care about the superficial stuff anymore. It’s irrelevant.
The things that matter the most to me are the people in my life, giving back to others, truly loving and accepting myself, my health and my freedom. All the preoccupation of the material world and keeping up with the Joneses is pretty exhausting and isn’t going to matter in the long run. I’d rather work and find meaning in it and look at it as a way of contributing something to the world.
Funny enough, I just recently lost my most recent job, but it hardly phased me. I am so blissed out and happy with the way I am living my life. New opportunities have opened up, things that I was always scared to do like teaching and leading classes at local schools and helping students with their careers.
Needless to say, ever since I started living minimally and more meaningfully, the things and people that have entered my life have been exactly what I’ve been looking for my entire life. I am so much happier.
{If you’d like to learn more about minimalist living, please consider reading my book, The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide, or subscribing to my RSS feed.}
Good for you to be able to transcend the ‘highs’ of the material world. It sure is a liberating way to live!
Thank you!! I’ll definitely be following your blog too!
Not having to drag a lot of things around is a much easier way to live. Good for you for finding that out early in life.
Thank you Tina! :)
I really enjoyed reading this… Your “voice” does sound very liberated and excited. Thanks for the inspiration.
What better thing to find than joy, and to find a piece of it through helping others.
Thanks Amy! Glad you enjoyed it :)
Pia, great point about lying on your deathbed! This is a point I think and write about a lot. In the end will people remember what brand of clothes we wore, or how we treated them as people? Such a profound insight! Good for you to have the courage to make positive changes in your life after being let go from your job.
Thanks John!
I checked out your blog, brilliant! I will be following. It definitely speaks to me and what I want to be doing with my life.
Thanks for reading Pia! I checked out your blog as well. Love the message of “getting rid of distractions and living a meaningful life.” “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari” also looks intriguing! Any other book recommendations?
These are definitely some of my favourites below, however, it depends what genre you are mostly into. I’m a bit of a self help junkie haha but the ones below are a bit more lifestyle/finding your purpose focused. How about you? Any books?
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
“Your Money or Your Life” by Vicki Robin, Joe Dominguez and Monique Tilford
The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma
Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
The Fire Starter Sessions by Danielle LaPorte
The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield
Nice list! I’ve only heard of a few of them. “Your Money or Your Life” has been on my list for a while now. I’m also intrigued by the “Celestine Prophecy.”
I usually read non-fiction, but lately I’ve been getting into fiction. But probably my current top five I recommend to anyone is:
“The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz-This one is short yet incredibly profound!
“The Millionaire Next Door” by Thomas Stanley and William Danko
“Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell
“Enough” by John C. Bogle
“The Strangest Secret” by Earl Nightingale-I think there may be a book of this as well, but the audio is only 30 mins long and captures everything you need to know to transform your life. I posted it here: http://www.practicalcivilization.com/succeed-life-strangest-secret-victorias/
Look forward to reading your work and getting to know you better Pia!
Thanks for the book and link recommendations! I actually have the Four Agreements on my bedside table, ready next to read, so I’m looking forward to it!
Continuously trying to live with less has been very helpful. When we were offered early retirement at 53 and 55 we could take it because we only owed our mortgage payments which weren’t very much. Putting a lot down on homes which weren’t very big was a big part of how we were able to manage on less. Although I might tell my kids not to buy, but only rent as this is a time of real job insecurity. My daughter was talking about buying a new couch and I suggested putting a board under her old one instead, or buying some folding chairs like we have.
This post was wonderful to read. At a time in my life when I’ve yet again accumulated lots of unnecessary things after a big possession purge, I’m looking around and feeling the need to minimize again. I liked what you said about getting rid of the things that don’t get used, great point. After all if it’s not getting used then what’s the point of having it?
‘m going to minimize my possessions tonight, your post inspired me.
Aww thank you Marianna! I’m so happy you got some inspiration :)
Thank you for sharing! I, too, found that my most significant life changes occurred after the illusion of “security” was shattered. Isn’t it wonderful not to have to live in fear of “losing it all”? Because the things that really matter, can’t be lost. :-)
Yeah, it’s a great way to look at negative experiences as an opportunity to grow and become a better person! I guess that’s what they mean by building character haha.
i love that you address hanging out with other people who share your new values and ideas, who ‘lived life on their own terms, with meaning and awareness’.. there is a definite mental, spiritual as you say, aspect to this process that we value, and engaging with people who share the same values is *such* a soul growing part of it, in my opinion. minimalism is not just a possessive downsizing. its a journey in all our facets. i think that is why many people have difficulty with continued minimalism, because its a full spirited thing,really, not a sole focus. anyway.. all this to say thank you for sharing. you resonated for me :)
on the subject of books.. i love ‘the empty boat’ by osho.. perhaps you would also. cheers :)
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I don’t want my kids to have to sort through tons of crap when I am very old. I would like to live with much less now. Every time I can fill another big bag for Goodwill or there is another pile of books for the library, it helps. Most of my friends have big houses full of clothes and hobby stuff. They are still acquiring more and more. I go on this site to find people with similar goals.
We have now gone on 2 cruises. We enjoyed them so much, my husband is planning one for next summer. I can’t imagine what people do who spend all their money on stuff to fill up their houses. We seldom buy anything new unless once in a while it’s at an end of the season clearance.
My old flannel shirt had big holes so I spent $1 and got a new one. I am going to cut the old one up into ribbons and quilt squares. I also have 2 pairs of torn up slacks to make into other things.. I save the buttons, zippers, and seams, first. The seams are good for making banners or using instead of string or ribbon.