Imagine a life where you connect with people, rather than things. What if your daydreams were about future experiences, instead of buying a new car? All around us companies are aggressively marketing their products down our throats. These commercials claim that their product is THE ONE to make your life better. Will also make your marriage better. Make you happier than you are now. It’s a joke.
At what point did you allow these corporations to rule over your mind and decision making processes? I’m not blaming you – as we all have allowed this to happen as a society. Money invites opportunity, and corporations with extreme amounts of money are able to influence society in many possibly destructive ways. However, it is time that you stand up. Time to find a better and healthier life for yourself. Time to say no to things, and say yes to people and experiences.
Financial Minimalism is about getting rid of the things that will not truly connect you to this world. It’s about having less equals more. It’s seeking out a life with less stress that will allow you to become a new version of yourself. Not having to worry about paying a credit card company this month for that stupid television you bought (and didn’t need). Eating better food at home that costs less and is healthier for you. Not stressing about how you are going to make ends meet this month with bills. We’ve all been there. Money is an ultimate stressor for us all.
Financial Minimalism is about getting rid of the things that will not truly connect you to this world.
So now that you’re ready, let’s explain the basics!
1. Minimalism Mindset
What does it mean to practice minimalism? Beyond always wanting more things in your life, it’s honestly not that strange of a concept. It’s a belief that you can choose to adapt your life into. In modern day society, we all want too much as it is. The line between needs and wants has become grey, to say the least. In privileged countries like the U.S., we are constantly craving luxury wants that other countries simply don’t even have the opportunities to have. In the United States, you can spend $300 (or more) on a fancy steak dinner if you want to celebrate an occasion. Meanwhile, more impoverished areas of the world are just craving any form of food to survive.
If you haven’t heard of it, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, is one of the most famous charts ever made. Abraham Maslow, a psychologist in the United States, wrote books and developed this chart from years of research with the human brain. From his findings, Maslow discovered that you can’t progress up the chart until you fulfill each category, starting from the bottom of the chart.
To put this into perspective, if you lack food and are starving, there is no way for you to progress into good health or to own property. Another example being if you are not in good health, then you can not enjoy intimacy and family. This chart summarizes some of the most basic needs by their category, and by no means is a guide to living your life. However, most people get to level two or three but combine them in weird combinations and ultimately live an unfulfilled life.
The only real goal for a minimalist mindset is to be happy with having less. Do you really need to buy the newest iPhone every year? Especially if you are financing it? Do you need artwork on every single wall in your house? Will you or other people actually notice and enjoy it? Is shopping at the mall for clothes the best idea if you already struggle with the stress of having too many options every day? Really dig into this thought process and think about it. There’s immense truth in what Maslow discovered.
2. Purge Possessions
Do you find yourself always trying to keep up with the newest fashion every year? Spending endless amounts of money on your Kohl’s card so that you can look nice? Is your entire 2-car garage not even used, because it’s packed to the ceiling with junk that you forgot you even bought? Eventually, it’s time to start getting rid of things. There are only so many things that you can have before you just have absolutely too much. Often times once you find yourself renting a storage unit to store your junk in, you should probably reconsider getting rid of some things…
Purging possessions through selling things, donating, or giving these things to family or friends can feel freeing. A weight can release around your shoulders. Most of the time we think that buying things will make us happy. You commonly see this called retail therapy, when you shop because you think it makes you feel better. Typically, this applies if you’re struggling with being upset or depressed.
I recently talked to a licensed therapist that I know and she told me that sometimes we try to replace holes in our hearts with things. She said that when we feel sad or depressed, we tend to isolate ourselves from human being and connection. As a response, we try to fill those gaps of missing connection with things instead. What ends up happening, is that our brain almost believes that the gaps have been closed for a short period. More precisely, we get a short burst of dopamine (a neurotransmitter, it plays a role in how we feel pleasure). To the brain and body, it feels like that gaping hole of missing connection has been met, if only for the briefest period of time. Eventually, the pleasure wears off and your body realizes that it’s still aching without the missing connection.
Purging possessions can feel amazing, like the chains are coming off of your once heavy body. Not to mention, that it can greatly benefit others also. Whether it’s selling things for a good price, or donating to a local charity store. Stop letting yourself form connection and sentimental value to things, and allow yourself to become free from these things that are currently controlling you.
3. No Purchase Necessary
Is the purchase necessary? Are you allowing yourself to walk into a store and drool at all of the possibilities you could buy? Are you buying the 27th shirt that you don’t need because it says something funny? Or, are you buying groceries so that you can actually eat this week?
We like to convince ourselves that needs are actually wants. Especially when our fight-or-flight response has kicked in. This normally can happen due to a “sale“. An example of this being, “They’re advertising that it’s 50% off today, and ONLY today!” Sure, that’s what they want you to think. They want you to feel this fear, and activate your primal instincts, so that you talk yourself into running out to buy that thing on sale immediately. Truly sit back and consider what is actually necessary.
One way to look at it is that businesses only sell things to make profit. And even though there is a sale, they are still making profit (albeit a smaller amount). It is the job of the business to get you into the store by any means necessary. Marketing can be a vicious animal.
A popular strategy of avoiding unnecessary spending is to wait it out. You see something you wanted (maybe on sale) and make yourself wait a few days, or a week. Come back to it, and see if you still really want that thing. You might find that you could care less about having it now. You wanted to rush to acting impulsive because of some marketing “sale” fear. Put yourself back in the driver seat.
When it comes down to it, we really only need a few things to get through every day. Food, shelter, clothes, and transportation to work. Beyond that, almost everything can become optional or a luxury item. Look within yourself to see what it is that you actually need, and not what it is that you want. Hear me out, I am not telling you that wants are bad, but you need to be responsible with your money and decision making.
4. Create Connections
As humans, we tend to desperately crave connection with other human beings. You can thank your cavemen and cavewomen ancestors for this. In stone age times, the human brain developed the instincts to stay with a pack of people. These groups of people formed early on what is now known as society. As a pack, your chances of survival are always higher than being by yourself. If you don’t possess the skill of gathering food, then how would you eat? If you don’t possess the skill of crafting, then how would you clothe yourself? If you have never hunted an animal, then would you have what it takes to protect yourself against another human if a war broke out?
Fast forward into our current times and most all of this still applies. Albeit, not nearly as serious on a day-to-day basis. If you think you can go about life as a loner, don’t think that you will get very far. Most likely, you’ll find sadness and depression through isolation. Human beings are made for connection. In connection there are emotions, feelings, purpose, counsel, and so many more complexities to be had. Think of it this way, have you ever loved someone so much that you feel like you would do anything for them? What created that attachment? What makes you so passionate about fending for them, possibly even over your own life? These are complex, natural instincts deep within you. And they serve a purpose. Don’t question them.
If you haven’t experienced real connection, then you might not understand a lot of what I’m saying. And that’s OK. You aren’t broken, or defective. You aren’t an outcast of society. You have plenty of time to make the decision to get involved with your local community. Not to mention that with the power of smartphones and the internet, you can join groups that share interests just like you within seconds. There is an abundance of ways to seek out connection.
If you have FaceBook, you can find plenty of groups that specify in things you are interested in. If you like hiking, it’s extremely easy to find groups related to that. There, you can find like-minded people who can give you the best ideas of new locations to go hiking.
If you would rather date and find a love interest, I highly recommend Hinge. I met my down to earth, lovely, and beautiful girlfriend from there. And trust me, I haven’t looked back yet. There are plenty of other options, but I can personally attest to the credibility of their app. And to top it all off, their marketing is correct. They are the dating app made to be deleted.
5. Experience Everything
So often today we are staring down with our head buried in a phone screen. Many people are more focused on taking a picture of something for Instagram, than they are to experience it themselves. You are subconsciously more worried about the likes and attention that you could get from social media, that hash tagging takes priority.
Experiencing something can come with a mixed bag of feelings and emotions. Seeing the sunset over a beautiful ocean can be something of wonder. Especially when you can experience that with a significant other holding your hand tight next to you. Try to describe that, because you can’t, and I won’t even attempt to.
Experiences are much like the previous section about connections. This is because they typically can go hand-in-hand with each other. Making a connection is part one, and experiencing things with this connected partner (friend, family, significant other) is part two. I believe that these phenomena can only be explained by doing them. There aren’t words for the belly-aching laughter that you had with that person last week. Try explaining this scenario and story to someone else, and the other person just won’t understand it the same.
Experiences will always come in all shapes and sizes. Whether it’s going to see an unforgettable place like Yellowstone National Park, or whether it’s having an unforgettable lunch with your significant other. Do not mistake things as a replacement for experiences. There is no comparison.
6. New Outlook on Life
No longer will you let material possessions control who you are. No longer will you spend money that isn’t necessary, on things that aren’t necessary. From here on out, you will find yourself seeking connection with others. Be it friends, family, or a love interest. Starting today, you can begin to experience things that you never even thought were possible. The new version of you will live in the moment, all of the time. Not some of the time.
People will think that you’re crazy. They’ll ask what happy pills you’ve been on. Oh, and they’ll ask why you haven’t been posting your life on Instagram, like it matters. You will find yourself being able to smile, unburdened by insignificant things, bills, and worries.
Your life is what you create out of it, so create something amazing with the one opportunity that you are given. You can never cease amazing your own self. You know where you’re headed, and I can’t wait for you to get there. Freedom does exist, and it’s within connection and experiences.
To recap what we learned today:
- Minimalism Mindset
- Purge Possessions
- No Purchase Necessary
- Create Connections
- Experience Everything
- New Outlook on Life
Can you feel it yet? The reasons that financial minimalism could benefit you speak for themselves. I want everyone to seek out a better life, and to find purpose. To do that, I truly believe that things will never be the answer. Forming connections and experiencing every thing that life has to offer will put you on the right track. See you there!
Another great read that I highly recommend as a follow up to this blog is Can Money Truly Buy Happiness?
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