Thinking like a minimalist is not a simple process. Each of us has different ways of organizing our beliefs and thoughts that lead us to judge ourselves and our environment, which determines our decisions. These decisions are undoubtedly the ones that set the tone for how we lead our lives. So this week, for the Blogging Ideas community, I'd like share how having a minimalist mindset has changed the way I see myself, the people around me and the world in general.
Since my childhood, I have always liked to go at my own pace. I am generally a rational person which has avoided a lot of drama in my life. I look at the things going on around me and try to take away the frills, and I can see them from a very simple perspective. You might think it's about seeing things in black or white. However, of course, I see things in their nuances, but I don't get too complicated. If something meows, and has four legs, is very likely to be a cat, and you don't have to give it much thought.
I exercised this characteristic of simplicity unconsciously. Maybe it is due to a brain conformation or to the fact that since I was very young I lived with many cultures different from mine. Was I happy? well, I think so, I overcame many difficulties without much trauma, but as I grew up the accelerated pace of adult life enveloped me. I was bombarded by the typical things about what career to study, what I aspired to in the future, and achieving "professional success", since these are things that social patterns install in us as goals to follow. These are things that take quality time away from you.
Worrying about the past or the future does not allow you to value the things you have in your present. The current lifestyle plunges you into a labyrinth filled with economic and emotional worries that make you lose your way. If you are not aware of this you can become a completely unhappy person. I was trapped in an unhealthy self-demand to be "better". Better for others, better as a professional, better daughter, a better friend, better woman. Wow, this madness had trapped me, I was a sad and frustrated woman. I had no schedule to rest and eat. I was losing my health. I had lost my way. I didn't like the woman I had become. I was in a race to "prove" myself. I saw the world as a big monster that demanded something from me every day. It had done me no good to be "rational".
One fine day I broke the chains and sent to hell that eagerness to "prove something". I had nothing to prove. I just had to start living! I threw away all that crazy life and focused on the things that made sense like my family, my health, and my friends. What was the keyword? I think it was to wake up and become "conscious" and not live following the crowd. We rarely get a second chance, and I have had it.
My minimalist mindset, today I would define as "the learner's mindset". What does this mean? I am aware that I don't know everything nor do I control some things, but I know that I can learn, unlearn and relearn. Sounds like a tongue twister doesn't it? but if you read carefully that's what life is all about: learning along the way, unlearning obsolete patterns, and relearning with a clear and focused mind.
Today I am a fulfilled woman because I know my limits, and I am more realistic in the goals I set for myself. I orient my thoughts to find creative solutions to challenges and favorably manage my time to see what is happening around me. It has allowed me to be more compassionate and empathetic. Life has become more meaningful. I can notice the things I need on an emotional level more than the material ones, and I try to work on that to feel full and calm. I have become more perceptive of other people's emotions and have let my intuitive side come out when making decisions.
My environment is not idyllic because I have a "learner's mindset", but this helps me not to judge the way those around me think, act and conduct their lives. I don't hold the truth in my hands, so I respect others how they want to live. When I don't agree on something, I try to learn from it and "understand what I don't want in my life". It is developing a broad and flexible perspective. Having a "learner's mindset" has made me understand that everyone lives their processes at a certain pace. My pace is slow, and I enjoy it very much.
Embracing a minimalist lifestyle has allowed me to set priorities in my life and find the simplest ways to always keep them in mind. Developing a minimalist mindset allows you to see reality without distortion. I don't look for the fifth leg of the cat!
