Quitting a secure well paying job or donating a house full of items you worked to buy isn’t necessarily easy. Selling your home to move to a smaller space or parsing through your late parent’s stuff to decide what makes the cut isn’t easy. You’re dealing with uncertainties, you’re taking risks. You can’t be certain that leaving a secure well paying job isn’t going to come back and haunt you. Likewise, what if selling your home turns out to be a bad financial decision? What if you minimize a relationship and you’re now alone? Practicing minimalism comes with risks.

So why are you doing it?  

Maybe you stumbled onto minimalism, found hope in the idea, and wanted to incorporate minimalism in your life. But when it’s time to minimize the stuff you accumulated, such as sentimental items, clutter, relationships, responsibilities and more you’re struggling to let this stuff go. 

Why are you getting rid of your late mom’s items? Why are you quitting a lucrative job? Why are you leaving a relationship? Why are you selling your home to move into a smaller space? What is your Why?

It’s completely reasonable to struggle to minimize something. Many minimalists create an idea that minimalism is easy. This is often not the case, especially for those with families. 

As you struggle to incorporate a minimalist lifestyle, remember your Why. 

When I struggled to minimize things I leaned on my Why. I even wrote and rewrote my Why, because life is afterall organic and my Why will change. When I practiced minimalism, I reminded myself that prior to beginning minimalism I didn’t have the time and energy to do what I desired with my life, I had six figures of debt and a cluttered space and mind. My physical mobility was on borrowed time and my kids watched their dad struggle in quite a few aspects. By minimizing clutter, responsibilities and more I am receiving back time and energy to chase what I find to be the most important in my life. By chasing what I really want from life, my kids now see a parent that took risks, achieved goals, built new goals, and is trying to contribute to building a better world in his own little ways. That’s what I wanted. The house, cars, devices, upgrades, added responsibilities were distractions and they had to go.

READ my minimalist story HERE.  

For you, maybe it’s letting go of a career you hate, the debt you carry, and the clutter in your space. Once you let go, then this provides you the time and energy to grow, explore this world, and maybe even contribute to improving this world in the precious time you have here.

Consider the practice of writing down why you want to adopt a minimalist lifestyle.

When you struggle to adopt your version of a minimalist lifestyle, then lean on your Why.

CLICK HERE for more minimalist writings.

All pictures are from my recent hikes in Red Rock Canyon, Nevada.