The reason for exploring minimalism will be different for everyone but we all have one thing in common. It became glaringly obvious that it is not the abundance of stuff we own or busyness that fills up our time that’s important. It actually keeps us stuck and we have reached the point that we have to take action. We have either come to this conclusion because we hear the whisper of our inner voice, or we ignored our inner voice for too long and hit the brick wall of overwhelm, axiety or illness and we can no longer ignore it.
However you have arrived at exploring a simpler life it will require you to keep in touch with your inner voice. Here are three ways you hear your inner voice and use it as a guide as you begin to remove unnecessary things from your home, calendar and minds.
- Listen to the pauses, hesitations and regret
- Ask the hard questions and be honest with your answers
- Sit in quiet reflection, meditate or journal regularly
How do you hear your inner voice? Does it really communicate what we need? It is my belief that we have access to out inner wisdom if we get quiet enough to notice it. We have false stories and beliefs that have built up over the years that fool us into thinking we need to have or do an over abundance of things. In order to reconnect with our intuition it will take some retraining of our thoughts.
Think of it like this. Have you ever made a purchase either big or small and you immediately had buyers remorse? I bet there has been a moment before you bought it that you hesitated. That is your inner voice. Have you ever agreed to a party or event to avoid hurting someones feelings but immediately felt you have overextended your time? I challenge you to practice tuning into those moments of hesitation and pausing before purchasing or committing. Our inner wisdom is trying to guide us. If you did not notice a hesitation moment you can still reflect and ask yourself why so that you can be more mindful next time. Was it fueled by an emotion? Was there a feeling of inclusion you were seeking or fear of missing out? Was it simply filling a void and you got a rush of happiness from buying it? Were you influenced by a sale or advertisement that made you think you needed it only to realize you did not? Are you living a lifestyle that is a created by external messages or is it a true reflection of you? Are you allowing yourself enough down time where things are not scheduled? It’s in those unscheduled moments that you get to know yourself, your loved ones and enjoy just being.
As you begin to notice your hesitations and ask questions about your purchases and commitments it becomes easier to hear your inner voice and know the truth of your needs and desires. And yes I believe that you can practice minimalism and still buy things you want. You do not have to strip away to only basic survival needs unless that is your goal. But I do feel we should get to know ourselves better so that our purchases are a true reflection of our values, goals or interests. It can get confused from power of marketing strategies and other external influences. Tuning in to our inner voice supports how we are meant to use our time, energy and money. Sit in quiet reflection, meditation or write in a journal frequently and it will bring you closer to your truest needs and desires.
I believe you will need to be in tune with your wise inner self if you journey into minimalism. The initial de-cluttering may be the easy part. As you go deeper, getting to know yourself and navigating the emotional entanglements we have to possessions and over scheduling gets harder. You can be inspired and supported in the process by listening to moments of pause and asking why. Not only why am I buying an item but why am I keeping an item. Why don’t I allow myself unscheduled time? Also ask yourself if it adds value to your current life or reflects the lifestyle you are creating before saying yes to it. And last, be open to what your heart tells you.
Enjoy the journey and always be true to yourself!
Jen
If you need inspiration to start de-cluttering check out my beginners guide called the Spring Cleaning Project. Get the free downloadable workbook below:
https://jentothezen.com/spring-cleaning-workbook-now-available