is it possible to take minimalism too
far what happens when you push simple
living to its limits and live with way
less when you get to the point of
sleeping on the floor when you've only
got one spoon when your home is so bare
that it feels like a social experiment
is it possible that you've taken
minimalism too far I'm amazed at how far
our culture has come with alternative
lifestyles not long ago it would have
been socially unthinkable to live in a
trailer a tiny home or a van down by the
river okay it's so a little bit creepy
to live in a van down by the river but
things are turning around in a big way
it's aspirational now there are tiny
home shows popping up everywhere
you've got hash tag van life taking off
and two generations collectively
starting to value experiences more than
things so I ran into a subscriber the
other day and he told me a little bit
about his story his life had changed
pretty dramatically recently he was
working for a pretty prominent tech
startup company one that I won't mention
by name and they had pushed him to the
point of burnout and then he got fired
this is a pretty shitty place to be in a
pretty low moment for anybody but he
decided to take this bad situation and
turn it into something positive
he completely switched up his lifestyle
instead of the 12-hour workday he was
used to he decided to move into a van
and live by the beach how cool was that
how unthinkable would that have been
just a few years ago now that's
something that's totally possible and
people aren't gonna look down on you for
it maybe a few people will look down on
you for it especially this guy's mom
come to think of it I wonder what my mom
would think if I did something like that
hah hey mom I have a question if Natalie
and I were to give up all of our worldly
possessions and move into a van what
would you say some people will never
understand your life choices especially
when you've decided to go down an
unconventional path whether you wear the
same shirt every day or use a binder
clip instead of a wallet forget about
the people that question your path you
don't need to prove yourself to anyone
by having the latest toaster from
toaster weekly digest the only person
who can choose what's right for your
life is you with notable considerations
if you have a partner like even if
Natalie would let us live in a van it's
not something that I want from my life
I'd just be giving up too much so I
don't live in a van okay Natalie
actually won't let me live in a van when
you strip away so much that you're
depriving yourself of things that you
love then you've missed the point put
another way if you think you've taken
minimalism too far then you're doing
minimalism wrong minimalism isn't the
opposite of hoarding it's a practice
that helps us become more mindful of
what we consume and make more thoughtful
choices about what we bring into our
lives so the point isn't to get by with
as few items as humanly possible it's
about finding what's enough for you
emphasis on enough
also another emphasis on you in other
words only emphasize what's important
when people hear the word minimalism
they typically think of the white chair
in an empty room a single piece of art
on the wall the image that comes to mind
is stark barren and empty what was your
very first impression
it had a bit of a culty vibe a slightly
culty vibe
yeah it kind of seemed to it weird like
I didn't know how to digest it so I just
didn't
for the record minimalism is not a cult
it is definitely not a cult it's not
please place your right hand on nothing
by order of the local chapter 536 of the
Fraternal Order of minimalist I now
declare you a minimalist
wait is that a bracelet oh this is just
a bracelet that my mom gave me
you can leave get out next I think
anything that you kind of slap a label
on that's a little bit Naish feels a
little cult II like it it feels a little
bit like underground unrecognized
unrealistic yeah yeah it does feel
extreme like it doesn't feel it's
definitely not normal well I personally
think it's amazing that people live in
crazy simple spaces it can be
intimidating if that's all you see if
your only picture of minimalism is
skewed to see the most extreme examples
you're less likely to understand the
benefits and simply write it off as a
fringe lifestyle like Natalie you might
think oh I could never do that and you
don't have to out of all the people I
know that are minimalists most of them
don't live in an empty apartment they
have things in their life that others
might say well that's not very
minimalist instead of consuming as a
pastime when you practice minimalism
you're careful about curating the things
in your home people in your life and
activities that fill your time but that
doesn't mean that you have to use the
label minimalism I think a lot of people
get tripped up on that word and if they
were to simply ignore it they could find
a lot of value with living a life with
more intention how has your relationship
with stuff changed since we started
dating because I see that you're very
intentional with what you do with your
purchases and your decisions with how to
spend your time but you do not call
yourself a minimalist yeah I definitely
like I was going I would say on a
shopping spree on a weekly basis when we
met it's not twice a week like I go out
not for anything particular but knowing
that I would buy
stuff because I had a special event
coming up or not having a special event
I just had a lunch coming up or I just
had an outing coming up and you know I
would need a new outfit I used to have a
Wardrobe full of things with labels and
price tags still on them so never wear
them or a wardrobe fill things that I
would wear literally one time one time
and then it will lose its luster
well now I'm you know really trying to
be more intentional with like wearing
things several times am i buying
something particularly for an event or
am i buying something because I really
love it and I want to wear it several
times I've definitely become a lot more
conscious on what I'm buying so would
you say that you can practice minimalism
without becoming a minimalist cult
whatever you want koala minimalism call
it essentialism call it whatever it's
just maybe a little bit more intentional
I mean probably a little bit more
fiscally responsible if it makes you
happy to sleep on the floor to be ultra
conservative with yourself aware or to
keep your walls completely untouched
then do that but if you prefer a couch a
rug a fruit bowl if it's something that
makes you feel good and brightens your
home then keep it if you have too few
items and it starts to negatively impact
your life you might want to rethink how
you're implementing minimalism less is
more
until less becomes less
[Music]
minimalism it's not hard code yeah