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Philosophy

Giveaway: 3 copies of The Joy of Less Journal!

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I’m thrilled to announce that The Joy of Less Journal: Clear Your Inner Clutter is being released today—and I’m giving away 3 copies to celebrate!

Decluttering often makes you ask questions that go beyond possessions—you have to confront your past, let go of emotions or expectations, and decide what you want for your future. That’s why it feels so liberating: decluttering frees you of psychological baggage as well as physical baggage.

Sure, clearing out the inner clutter can be a little more challenging: we can’t just put our guilt or anxieties or fears out on the curb. However, we can give these little buggers the same inquisition we did our stuff, and decide once and for all to let them go.… {Read more}

Three Words for My Younger Self: Own Less Stuff

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This week I wrote a post for the blog-publishing platform Medium:

Three Words for My Younger Self: Own Less Stuff

Why? It’s sort of an outreach effort to would-be minimalists who might not otherwise trip across my blog. I think we’ve all had that serendipitous moment when something we read, or something someone said, sparked our interest in a minimalist lifestyle. (For me, it was a book review of Your Money or Your Life—in a fashion magazine, of all places!)

Well, I’m hoping I can provide that same kind of spark to the casual browser—someone who may feel vaguely uncomfortable with clutter or consumerism but would never think to start googling “minimalism.” I’d love to invite them to our community, and let them know they can find plenty of kindred souls living with less (and loving it).… {Read more}

The Exquisite Lightness of Being

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A few years ago, I was reading Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and came across the most beautiful phrase: “the traveler’s exquisite lightness of being.” It became a sort of personal mantra for me as I whittled down my possessions to a single bag, and traveled throughout Europe and Asia with nothing more than a large purse. I’d never felt so light, so liberated, so free.

Now that I’m back Stateside, and settled down (for the time being) with a little one, I find myself once again meditating on this concept. Can I still realize this exquisite lightness of being, even though I’m not on the road?… {Read more}

Lagom

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I’ve always been a big fan of Swedish design and culture—I love their restrained décor, their use of light and natural materials, their respect for the environment, their healthy lifestyles, their strong sense of equality. So it comes as no surprise that Sweden is also the origin of one of my favorite concepts: lagom. The word has no direct English equivalent, but is perhaps best translated as “just the right amount.”

The lovely thing about lagom is that it’s a desirable state of appropriateness, or enoughness—and has nothing to do with scarcity or deprivation. It’s both the opposite of having too much and too little, and instead a celebration of moderation.… {Read more}

Get Your Mujo On

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One of the central tenets of Zen Buddhism is the concept of mujo. Mujo means impermanence, transience, ephemerality—in other words, everything is changing in every moment, nothing ever stays the same.

As minimalists, why is it so important that we get our mujo on? Because when we see that everything is impermanent, we become less attached to possessions and consumer goods.

When we embrace mujo:

* We let go of sentimental items and other reminders of “who we used to be,” instead of clinging to our past.

* We accept that our bodies change, and don’t hold on to the clothes that no longer fit us.… {Read more}

Minimalism and Religion

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I’ve always been fascinated by the philosophical aspects of world religions. As I mentioned in a previous post, I see many more commonalities among different doctrines than I see differences—and one of those happens to be their emphasis on simple living.

Across the board, the great spiritual leaders were not known for their riches or worldly possessions; rather, they led simple and humble lives, rejecting material goods in favor of teaching and service.

Jesus, usually depicted as owning little more than his robe and sandals, is quoted as saying, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.… {Read more}

The Thread of Connection

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I spent last New Year’s Day in Bangkok, participating in the Thai tradition of visiting Buddhist temples and making donations to the resident monks. At one of the temples, a monk blessed me with a sprinkle of holy water and tied a simple white cord around my wrist. Eight months later, I’m still wearing it.

I’ve since googled this Thai tradition to find out its meaning. Apparently, the white thread is called sai sin, and is meant to represent the Buddhist Sutras (the word sutra is Sanskrit for “thread”). As such, it’s a constant reminder to act according to Buddhist principles—treating every living thing with respect, kindness, and compassion.… {Read more}

A Haiku Life

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I’ve always been a big fan of haiku, the ultra-compact poetry of Japanese tradition. I appreciate its elegant form, its economy of expression, and its emphasis on limits: 17 syllables total, in lines of 5, 7, and 5.

Haiku typically celebrate the natural world and our intimate relationship with it. They show sensitivity to the changing seasons, and an appreciation for nature in its smallest details. They remind us that the most beautiful things in life have nothing to do with money or stores.

In a haiku, every word is precious, evocative, and chosen with the utmost care. As a minimalist, I can’t help but wonder: what if we put the same effort into choosing the words we speak, the activities in which we participate, the possessions we own?… {Read more}

Messages from Japan

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Kaori, a reader from Tokyo, left a very thought-provoking comment on last week’s Real Life Minimalist post. I know that many of you don’t subscribe to the RSS Comments feed; therefore, I thought I’d share it in today’s post in case you missed it:

hi. I’m writing from Tokyo, Japan where as a city we’re having to rethink our priorities in terms of stuff, power and fuel. As you may know, this country is in the midst of the greatest national crisis (earthquake, tsunami, nuclear plant meltdown) since WWII and as I write, tens of thousands of people are stuck in evac shelters with no cash, no home, no job and a dark, uncertain future.… {Read more}

Chopping Wood and Carrying Water

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I’ve been interviewed countless times over the past year, and frequently asked “What is minimalism?” More often than not, the reporter is looking for something dramatic, something newsworthy, something extreme. And more often than not, my answer disappoints them.

Why? Because in my opinion, minimalism is not about being radical or awesome or extraordinary.

It’s not about reducing your entire life to a hard drive, or interacting with the world through your iPhone.

It’s not about quitting your day job, traveling the world, or selling ebooks from a tropical beach.

It’s not about living in a sleek loft with three pieces of designer furniture.… {Read more}