Printable View
Forgive me as I am new and this may have been discussed before. But I think there is a trigger in a person's life that makes them interested in simplifying and makes them act on that interest.
Could be divorce, an illness, a death of a loved one, or some other life changing scenario...
The Big Tiny by Dee Williams comes to mind. But other minimalists/voluntary simplicity folks talk about these triggers too.
What was your trigger?
Thanks.
-Jake
To be clear, a trigger could be something positive and amazing -- like backpacking in Costa Rica or a humanitarian trip to Zambia or something like that too, not just divorces and illnesses. haha
It took about 50-years to accumulate what we thought was "important". About a decade to use it (including the Christmas china and the gold-rimmed 12-Days Of Christmas glasses). Now we hope to eliminate the bulk of it before we down-size and retire. Each empty shelf or shelf unit in the basement is getting closer to the goal. We are determined not to have our children go through the craziness we did with our parents and their household "stuff".
Like lessisbest, we've spent much of our lives accumulating things. Then later (50s-60s) I started feeling like I was drowning in "stuff"........books/magazines/VHS tapes/kitchen stuff/files/tools/etc., etc., etc. It's extra hard to get rid of things when you feel some sort of sentimental connection to everything......but feeling like I was drowning in it was definitely an impetus. Plus, cleaning out parents' homes after they die encouraged me to not do the same thing to our kids. We still have a long way to go.......but considering how many trips I've made to various Goodwill-type places/recycling, etc., it HAS to have helped. Onward! :)
I don't have a specific trigger incident, but I was still in my 20's when I decided that corporate America wasn't the funnest place to me (and yet, I'm still there) and that early retirement was a goal. The only way I'd be able to do that is to not spend all of my money.
Of course I did spend money and accumulated things. In theory anyways, I was spending on those things that made me happy and minimizing spending on those things I didn't care about/didn't matter to me. But how many swiss army knives does one need? (just one example of my gadget accumulation) I will never be a minimalist (nor do I aspire to be one) but I do regularly go through and sort so all like items are together and purge the excess. The more I do that, the more I realize how much I already have, and the more I realize that what I really wanted in the first place was the feelings I was anticipating, not the thing. ie I want to feel in control in an emergency, the swiss army knife was just a tool to get there. The more I focus on my abundance and all that, the less I feel the urge to acquire more.
But no way would I ever be under 200 items in my possession. I bow to you.
lessisbest:
I very seriously commend you for thinking of your kids when it comes to dealing with your final curtain call. My parents are both compulsive hoarders. My dad is an instrumental hoarder ("I might need that some day!") and my mom is a sentimental hoarder ("Don't throw away that plastic bag from Wal-Mart. Your grandma used that once.") and they are both borderline animal hoarders. Okay, maybe not so borderline. I have talked to them about right-sizing their lives but they just will not do it. So when they exit stage left, I know there is going to be a massive clean-up that requires hazmat suits. :/
Any insights on dealing with "the craziness" as you put it of dealing with parents' masses of stuff?
They named my sister as executrix of their will because, as my dad put it, "Your brother is a minimalist. He'll probably just give all this sh*t to Goodwill." haha sad-lol
CathyA:
I commend you as well for thinking of your kids. Not many parents do that! You are obviously very forward-thinking.
-Jake
herbgeek:
Minimalism is a personal thing. It looks different to everyone. I am quite impressed by the self-reflection you have employed in this statement: "I want to feel in control in an emergency, the swiss army knife was just a tool to get there."
No bows needed, but thank you.
-Jake
In my case, I don't believe it was one trigger, I believe I have had many and at some point they all just coalesced in my brain, as a cognitive realization.
The triggers included:
From helping others who were hoarders (floor to ceiling full and clearing out), to shoveling rat excrement out of one location and reclaiming the space.
Dealing with estates (family, friends, etc).
Watching some "downsize" when they actually up-sized and realizing in some cases, their stuff will eventually affect me.
Realizing some of the costs involved, when I myself bought something more then once, and feeling horrible about it.
Nearly loosing everything to the point of planning on living out of my vehicle.
Realizing I understand and feel more comfortable around stuff, then people. And with all the people I know, that I can be in a room full of them, and still feel alone, and not liking that.
Then some of the books I started reading, talking about the dread of getting rid of things and the drain it puts on you and realizing I have felt both.
Whoa... Just whoa... Toomuchstuff...
Those are some powerful insights. I am tempted to ask for more detail.