This is a bit of a different post but I felt that I’ve let go of more things this year. And they weren’t material. They were personal but I needed to be brutally honest with myself and what I wanted with my life. When I first started this minimalist journey two years ago, I told myself that I’d surrender even if I didn’t feel like I was. I told myself that getting rid of over two thirds of your stuff would get people mad. It would question the relationship I had with myself and the person I wanted to become. I needed to be okay with this idea and move forward.

Were some of these hard to initially get rid of? Heck yeah. But I needed to remind myself that these weren’t serving me in the same way anymore. In fact they were hurting me as a person. My self-esteem was going down as well as my spirituality. And if you’ve been following me, or know me, you know that I am a deeply spiritual person. I believe in the cosmos, God, and the universe like no other.
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With that being said let’s get into these non-materialistic items.

Cell Phone Use
 This one was a big one. I’m not saying I got rid of it completely but I’m more intentional about it. Last year, I got to a point in my life where I was like “what am I using this for?” I honestly didn’t know what or how I wanted to be a positive influence in the world. To add the problem my self-esteem was going down. Hard. Like the Titanic sinking. Hence I started to be off of it more often and life’s been a lot better since.

Now I literally use my phone for Spotify, school, this blog, and keeping in touch with friends. That is it. I’m starting to prefer calling people on the phone now. I love have in person connection and living in the moment with others.

And to be honest I’m not on social media that much. I’ve realized that it’s a tool, not my life. Also it’s really important to keep yourself in check about how much you do things. Furthermore I believe in using it as a way to better the world. Hence why this blog exists.

This isn’t to say that I don’t have my pitfalls. Sometimes I find myself getting too much into music or blogging that I forget about the entire world. And not in a good way. This is when I start to spend more time in silence and an everyday environment.

E-mail Subscriptions
Oh e-mail the thing that has haunted me since I was ten (yeah I feel old about it too. Also a little embarrassed because the of the ridiculous username I had for myself). I’ve let go of a lot of e-mail subscriptions. And when I say a lot you better believe it. I used to sign up for every newsletter on the planet right and left. Maybe up and down too.

To be honest though, my mom and I have had this problem since the beginning of time. I’m not kidding. So when it came to cleaning my life this summer, I decided to clean out my e-mail box. This meant deleting accounts and subscriptions I didn’t need or use anymore. It wasn’t that hard and something I recommend to anyone who wants to start minimalism or de-cluttering their life in general.
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Now my inbox doesn’t have as much as it used to. I am very selective about what I subscribe to. I’m sure that the same for a lot of people. 

Trying to be liked

Yup, you heard right. I honestly don’t care what people think anymore. I think this has to do with the fact that I’ve been doing theatre for so long. I used to care so much about what people thought of me. It was ridiculous. It got to a point where it was unhealthy and scary. I’ve come to learn that not everyone’s going to like me and I need to be okay with that.

Even more so, that everyone has problems. They have things that they don’t like about themselves. That they want to change. The reality is that you are already cool. You’re already awesome so don’t try to be other people.

Control
(AKA the one word that brings so much drama). 
In all honesty though, I'm being dead serious. I used to have a huge control issue, especially around school and studying. This caused me to have an almost non-existent social life. This is something I need to work on every day because it’s literally one of the reasons people can’t manifest efficiently.

It's something I still struggle with.  I find the need to control when and how things happen which is totally against my spiritual ways. This not only slows down the manifestation process but is totally what minimalism is about.

​Minimalism is about freedom, whatever that means to you, and letting go. Period.

I hope ya’ll enjoyed this one. I haven’t discussed minimalism in a while and felt like I need to update ya’ll on what else I’ve let go. Minimalism is an ongoing journey for me. It is both emotional, physical, and spiritual (to a certain extent).

Hope ya'll have  a great day/night wherever you are. Namaste.

If you haven’t make sure to check out my social media links and sign up for the e-mail list!

Happy Sunday ya'll!

Today's post is on a question I get asked frequently: “What’s it like being a minimalist?” It's the first thing people notice when they first meet me so I don't mind them asking. Plus, there are a lot of things I could say. None of them are rude but I my response is this: “it’s manageable and freeing.” And that’s the honest truth. I tell them that I love the freedom of owning the items I value. That I live for awesome experiences more than buying items I won’t use.

Being a college minimalist means I don’t worry when it comes to buying furniture or decorations. It also means that I borrow things. A lot. But I enjoy doing that because it means that I don’t have to have a permanent commitment to something I won’t use all the time. I also give back whatever I'm borrowing back in good condition (so no worries about any incidents happening).

I believe our culture teaches us that “more is better” when in reality it’s the “quality over quantity.” That is caring about what I will do with the object, where and how it’s made. Essentially answering the question: where is my money is going? Sometimes I can’t spend every dollar on quality items because, well, I need to live. But I do manifest the money so that I can buy those items in the near future.

Sometimes I feel like I’m the only young minimalist out there. This might be due to the fact that most of the minimalists I look up to are in their late twenties to mid-thirties. But I also know that I am not the only one.

Honestly though, I didn’t know how to answer this question at first. It was daunting and scared the life out of me. When people asked, it sounded as if they were concerned for my well-being. The reality was that I chose this lifestyle. I made this decision because I realized that I was holding on to some major emotional baggage. Baggage from a person I didn’t even recognize. To put things nicely, minimalism helped me grow out of my “angry teenager” phase. I realized that there was more to live for than the next movie or an impossible body type. That there is life to be lived.

In a way, I found myself again. I found an inner peace and presence that I didn’t have before.  I realized that I had the power to do whatever I wanted to do. That I can change my life at any moment of the day. I found the things that were important to me and my life. Yes it was a big change for my family as they had never heard of the term "minimalist." But I believe it’s helped them in their own life journeys. I noticed that they’ve gotten rid of their own items they don’t use anymore. I found that living in the moment and trusting what the universe had to offer was more valuable than anything I could’ve ever hoped for.

But like I said before, I feel free. I believe in my self-worth and intelligence. Yes, my mental health gets the best of me sometimes but I work through it. Living this lifestyle forces me to work through those issues rather than ignoring them.

All in all, I am a content minimalist. I’m not saying that I am better than anyone else (because trust me I’m not). I’m just like everybody else. This lifestyle might not be everybody’s cup of tea but it’s definitely mine. I love the idea of living in an outdoorsy area and traveling in-between. I even have plans of building a tiny house where I can live and create more valuable content on this blog.
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This post was short but I hope ya’ll liked it! Have a great day and love yourself.

Namaste.

 Happy Sunday ya’ll!

Today’s post is on the lessons that minimalism teaches us. Now this is different for everybody but these are some of the main ones I find many people saying. Furthermore, I could write a dissertation on this topic since I have been minimalist since 2016. I have experienced what it was like to live and let go. Literally and figuratively. To realize the potential that lies out in the open. Even more than that, I realized that I have the power in making my own life decisions. That I didn't have to drown in unwanted clutter that was causing me to fall apart. That I can do anything I set my mind too.

With that being said here are a few nuggets of wisdom I’ve come by:

It’s Okay To Let Go
 
Yes, you heard right. It’s okay to let go of the toxicity that is filling up your life, whether literal or not. I realized that all the objects I had were a reflection of someone I didn’t recognize. A past eating disordered me who also had a distorted version of herself. Someone who felt powerless and alone. I’m not going to lie, it was scary at first. I had resistance to it. I was clinging on to someone that just wasn’t me anymore. She wasn’t a traveler, doer, or dreamer. She was a complete and utter mess.
 
Live In The Moment
 
This took some time for me to master. It wasn’t until last summer that I truly started to live in the moment. That I felt what it was like to be free. To let go of my inhibitions and just be. Prior to this I thought “living in the moment” was something that people did to get likes on Instagram, retweets, Facebook likes. But no. It’s so much more than that. It’s being in touch with the universe and all it has to offer. Accepting yourself and the beautiful world in which we live in. Having gratitude for the small and big things.

Basically I learned that being in the moment is  the power to owning our lives and claiming our souls. Otherwise life doesn’t mean anything.
 
Keep In-Touch With The Real Ones (Including Your Gut) 

Yes family is important. Friends are important. Having a community is important. As a theatre major, I know that better than anybody else. I remember thinking I didn’t need a social life and it almost killed me. Literally.
 
Even more important hanging out with those that your gut tells you. It doesn’t lie to you, so listen to it. I can’t stress that enough.

Spend Time With Loved Ones

Because I was getting rid of all my unwanted stuff, I found family time. I started getting to know people I didn’t get the chance to before. I met the group of friends from a band that I listened to. I felt like I was a part of life again. I started understanding what it meant to build relationships, a term that felt foreign to me.

Take Chances

Do the things that scare you. It's one of the most liberating things you'll ever do. That your eleven your old self wouldn't even do. And no I'm not telling you to break the law. I'm only telling you to break what society has deemed as "normal." As a vegan I know this from experience. People thought I was crazy for going vegan so when I decided to go minimalist their opinion went to "oh she's lost herself again." The reality was that I found who I was again. I grew up and lived a little more. And that is a beautiful thing. 

Go Outside

 I realized that we have all that we need. Literally. We just let our minds get jumbled and blind sighted by the feeling of needing more. That using the things we need actually makes us appreciate the world's natural beauty. It cultivates a self love that is honest and authentic.

In fact, I go outside a lot now. Ask my family they know. I prefer to do my homework outside because I get to experience the world around me. I also love seeing people walk  their dogs so that's a plus. My hope is that dance classes can be offered outside now since it's about to be summer here in the States.

I hope ya'll enjoyed this post. Like I said before, the lessons that minimalism teaches is different for everyone. For me it was more about finding who I was and truly living my life again. I hope that minimalism teaches you these same lessons.

Namaste.