Minimalists in today's disposable society

As the saying goes "less is more" The minimalist mindset is not living with less, but surrounding ones self with items that add significant value to life.

Items with multi-purposes, long lifespans, growth potential, ease of use and a high quality can hold a steep upfront cost. These attributes can produce products that save the user time or costs for future replacements while maintaining a market value. Quality items should be looked at as investments. Investments require thought, research, and saving. The problem is many times one may look past the long term potential and look only at the here and now. Sometimes the upfront cost seems to outweigh its current potential value, or doesn't match the current budget. Of course people know all this and that's why quality items hold value.

Minimalist are not exempt from issues such as this and usually revert to creative ideas. Saving from purchasing and collecting 1 time use or low quality products. Their first step is asking if they really need the item and if so what are the possibilities. Many times they will borrow, create, re-purpose, work around or save up for the quality item.

Investments in health, time, personal life and finance should be held with the highest importance. These things can require some of the most time, thought, and persistence. When you are growing a business, a family or a sense of wealth these are the things you should not be cheap with. Plan ahead and make room for freedom and problems that may arise.

The importance of setting a mission and holding your values as items to reflect on, helps guide oneself to your future self. "Does doing this reflect the things I believe, does this add value to what I'm trying to achieve?"

Today we are saturated with an over stimulated fast pace society. Plagued with immediate gratifications, unrealistic work environments, social media, low quality goods, fast convenient services, quick fix pills, ads, negativity and chemicals all with unforeseeable side-affects. Today's growing needs are time of reflection, healing, distancing, re-centering thoughts, relationships and goals. Freeing ones self from social norms, opening yourself up to spontaneous activities, new experiences, nature, exercising, and creating things all seem possible with less stuff.

Minimalism is not about living with less, its about living with more intent.

Uncluttering, letting go of norms and streamlining one focus while maintaining values to the things that matter most. They might be look to have less but the goal is to have more freedom and quality in every aspect of life. Maintaining a minimalist mindset can be one of the most freeing things someone can do.