Why I embrace minimalism – Kate’s story

I was first introduced to the concept of minimalism by a good friend of mine. Married with a kid and living in a small apartment, she was in constant battles with her heaps of stuff and finding some space for herself. She told me then that she wanted to become a minimalist and there’s actually a blog detailing something similar.

I was wondering what minimalism was about. After all, this is not a word that is used often in our everyday lives and as my curiosity kicks in, I googled to find out more.

Apparently, even though minimalism was a totally new concept to me, but it wasn’t to many. Hundreds of minimalists set up blogs and their personal websites, chronicling their journey to minimalism, their goal to seek some solace and simplicity in their lives. As I read through their stories and slowly started to understand what minimalism was about, it resonated deeply with me and made me wanted to know more about it.

Perhaps this is what I have been seeking all this while.

Growing up in a city-state where materialism prevails, having more of everything is a norm. Similarly, in the household I grew up in, my parents were hoarders – though not chronic ones but they are the type that would hold on to stuff but refuse to throw them away for various reasons. You can imagine the things that we have in the house, especially since we lived in an apartment where space is limited.

Perhaps it could be the reason that I seek some solace from living in heaps and piles of items that attuned me to minimalism.

Perhaps it could be the simple message behind minimalism – intentional living with less stuff that resonated with my inner self.

Perhaps it could be that the concept of minimalism gels in with financial prudence that made me want to know more about it.

Perhaps it could be everything about it that just clicks with me so closely.

I can’t say that I am a true-blue minimalist right now, like what Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus of theminimalists.com inspired me with their lifestyle, or Joshua Becker of becomingminimalist.com  and his methods of inspiring his children to become a minimalists.

Despite that, I am on a journey to minimalism. My journey.