I was super maximalist growing up. I had over 100 barbie dolls. I would buy new clothes every time
I went to a party. And I just loved stuff. So it all clicked for me when I heard the phrase
that you don't need to be better at cleaning or organizing, you just need to have less stuff. That
was such a turning point for me and I think that's how my journey from maximalism to minimum started.
And today I'll take you on that journey. So how did it all start? I grew up in a standard
middle class Swedish family. In the middle of nowhere. And I had a lot of stuff. When I was 18,
I got my first job abroad. So I moved to France. I moved abroad not knowing how long I was going
to be away for. It was sort of my intention to move for good and I only had two suitcases with
me. So that's where my minimalism journey really started. I realized it was really hard to move.
Especially moving countries. Because you're limited to your suitcases. This was also the
first time I had to like carry my suitcases and organize everything myself. This is the first time
I left my parents home. When I'd been in Paris for about 14 months, I moved to Japan.
So again it was this whole process. Again I had accumulated stuff whilst living in France
and I realized that this would be a lot easier without all that stuff. Again I only had the
option of two suitcases, because I couldn't really afford another one. And also just practically I
couldn't carry a third suitcase myself. Once in Japan I read the KonMari book and this
really started my journey towards minimalism. I loved every single concept in this book
and I felt so similar to her. I used to always secretly throw out my Dad and my Brother's stuff.
And in her book she said that, that's something maybe you shouldn't do. But, for me it was an
absolute necessity to be able to survive in our house. If not it would have just been
clutter haven. So I lived in Japan and after about 14 months there I was moving back to Sweden for a
little bit. And I realized that it would be a lot easier to move without all the stuff.
Especially moving continents. At the same time I also started getting into environmentalism
and I started becoming more and more aware about the environmental impact of all our stuff.
Especially plastic and clothing. So this was another turning point for my journey towards
minimalism. And it really, really made me more passionate about owning less and being more
mindful about what I purchased. Especially after living in a country like Japan where there's so
much plastic. And so many cute little things, that it's sort of completely accepted to buy.
And in Sweden it's not necessarily accepted to buy these cute things for yourself as an adult.
Whereas in Japan it completely is. So as a consequence they have a lot of plastic.
Despite being very cute. Another thing I realized that was, if I didn't have a lot of money,
minimalism is always the answer. Because it is a lot cheaper. So when I left Japan I didn't have
a job for a while. And I went to university. So again minimalism became such a necessity because I
simply couldn't afford to buy stuff. Then I moved to Italy. And when I lived in Italy I did not have
a lot of money. And I paid a lot of rent. This was also the first time I shared an apartment with
a friend and we both realized quickly that the easiest way to be in a harmonious relationship is
to keep it very clean. If you live in a cluttered space with someone there will always be conflict
ultimately. Unless you're both very happy with the clutter. But, if you're going to fit two people in
one tiny space I think it's really important to be respectful of each other. And a very easy way
to do this, is by not having lots of stuff. So I definitely grew up with this idea that you have to
buy stuff. That's just something you do as a human in our society. You just buy stuff. It was such
a weird like dichotomy with my parents because they were both quite anti stuff. So they sort of
look down on people buying expensive things, yet they bought lots of crap themselves. So I never
really understood this. And that's when minimalism really shifted it for me. Because with minimalism
I realized that I don't have to buy stuff. You can wear the same clothing as many times as you
want. As many parties as you want. In as many pictures as you want. And you don't need stuff
at home. My goodness it was such a relief for me. After I lived in Italy I lived in China. So living
abroad really, really helped me on my minimalist journey. Pretty much every year to every other
year I've moved continent with two suitcases and only myself to carry them. I've had to be really
mindful because if I can't carry it myself and if it's too heavy for me to carry or, too bulky
there's no way I can keep it. In China there was another turning point for my minimalism and that
was the idea of freedom. For the first time I felt super free not owning anything. I realized
I didn't need more stuff and especially not heavy physical items. And it was such a relief. And I
felt so much better feeling this non-attachment to stuff. I felt so much detachment for myself
that I realized I had to go back to Sweden and get rid of those things I'd never gotten rid of since
I was 18 and left my home. That means selling all my childhood stuff, sorting out everything I had.
Making sure I had no stuff in storage. And there's this really need in me to take responsibility for
everything I own to make sure that no one else would have to take responsibility for my stuff.
And to make sure that I was completely detached from my stuff and also to make sure I had no
connection to my childhood home. This was a really physical manifestation of letting go
of who I used to be. Letting go of attachment. And just letting go of stuff that I didn't need
and didn't make me happier. I do still keep some sentimental things though. Mainly photos. I love
photos. So yeah. This was another really big point for me and that's when I sort of went from
minimalism to extreme minimalism. And I realized that if I can't bring it with me to New Zealand
then it's gonna have to go. Now I live in New Zealand and it's a very easy place
for me to be minimalist in and especially an extreme minimalist. Because I don't know how
long I'm going to stay living like this. Which really ensures a minimalist and also extremely
responsible lifestyle. Everything we've acquired since coming to New Zealand we have an end goal
for. So we know where everything's going to go when we leave. So if we're leaving we're going
to sell my bed base and sell the bed. The plants will be very easy to sell. So we have an idea
of how the end life of every single product that we own. And I think that's extremely important.
Before minimalism I didn't use to think of the end life of product or the start life. So
it's so important to realize that the things you own didn't look like this. They didn't just appear
from nowhere. And that was a really big point for me in learning more about eco-friendliness
and minimalism. The idea that everything has to be processed and manufactured and shipped
and packaged and then opened and then one day, also have to be thrown away. And discarded. It's
really important to think about when you buy new stuff. And I think that is the number one thing
that helps me now to not get more stuff. Because I couldn't possibly stand the fact that I would buy
something new and that it would one day go to landfill. So that was my story from maximalist
to extreme minimalist. Thank you so much Mystic Wanderer for suggesting this video topic. I
thought it was such a fun idea so I wanted to make it straight away. Um, so yeah. Let me know
what you think? Too much information? Not enough information? I feel so much calmer. I have so much
less anxiety. And mainly there is less cleaning to do. Minimalism for me is non-attachment,
preparing for the end of life of my stuff and, also myself taking responsibility and,
environmentally friendly living together with aesthetics. So thank you so much for watching.
I really enjoyed making this video. I hope you liked it too. Please give it a like
and leave a comment telling me if you were also a maximalist growing up. And remember to subscribe
to this channel because it really helps. And I will see you next week with a new video. Bye.
Can dhey hear det?
What i didn't realize was living in maximalist- That's why i love minimalism-