Real Life Minimalists: Jennifer

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, we have such a lovely story from Jennifer, who tells us how living with less has transformed her life and brought her joy. Do visit her blog to read more about her experiences and adventures.

Jennifer writes:

If we’d met five years ago, ‘minimalist’ would be the very last word you’d have used to describe me. At the time, I owned 100+ pairs of shoes and a ginormous wardrobe (my walk in closet was almost bigger than my current apartment!). I spent almost all my free time shopping, thinking about shopping, or organising my stuff.

The idea that less might equal more had definitely never entered my mind.

Then one day, while randomly browsing the internet, I came across a few minimalist blogs (including this one!). I clicked and clicked and clicked – I was absolutely fascinated by the stories I was reading.

When I was younger, I spent several years travelling around the world, free as could be, with few possessions to weigh me down. It was a magical time, but I never considered that this freedom could be carried into my ‘normal’ life – until I was introduced to minimalism.

I started to imagine what my life might look like without so much stuff.

I could choose to work part time or to do more meaningful work; I could have more money and time for experiences I enjoyed, or I could travel more and spend time with family overseas.

It all sounded wonderful, so I set about to make some real changes in my life.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t that simple. My first dozen or so attempts at decluttering were complete failures. I was still too emotionally attached to my stuff and – in retrospect – I needed to deal with some bigger issues first.

I was unhappy in my relationship and career, I was struggling with self acceptance, and I had no clear direction or purpose in my life. Shopping and owning a lot of things was my way of self-medicating and avoiding facing the truth.

It was a long journey, but over the course of several years, I ended my relationship, made several big moves, and asked myself some hard questions about my values, my priorities and the type of person I wanted to be.

Finally, I was able to see minimalism in a new light. I stopped thinking of it as a restrictive lifestyle; instead, I could see it was a tool to help me to live the life I wanted most.

Since then, my life has completely changed.

I paid off considerable debt and stopped living paycheque to paycheque. I sold my full to the brim two bedroom house and I now live comfortably in a small studio, and all my possessions easily fit into my small hatchback. I’ve started a new relationship, with someone whose values match mine, and we’ve travelled around the world together. I quit working full-time and I started a passion project.

I’ve gone from feeling trapped and hopeless to head over heels in love with life. This doesn’t mean things are perfect, but it does mean that most days I wake up with gratitude and hope in my heart.

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{If you’d like to learn more about minimalist living, please consider reading my book, The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide, or joining my email list.}