“The Minimalists” inspire people to enrich their lives with less clutter and distractions. They help create a new mentality of objects having a purpose in one's life. They encourage others to sell old memories and to feel the sweet release for the future but in doing so at your own unique pace.
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During a trip, I downloaded the podcast, listened to episodes back to back, and now, I’m hooked. “The Minimalists,” Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, help their 4 million readers and listeners live more meaningful lives with less through their website, books, podcast, and documentary. They have an abundance of content and I encourage you to dive into their world of words. Especially one article in particular called, “Packing Party: Unpack a Simpler Life” by Ryan Nicodemus.
After spending most of his twenties chasing the corporate ladder and living the American dream with his cat in his two living rooms, Nicodemus felt “Whatever rich was, I knew that once I got there, I’d finally be happy. So as I made more money, I spent more money, all in the pursuit of the American Dream. All in the pursuit of happiness. But the closer I got, the farther away happiness was.”
He later realized that he was trying to fill that void the same way many people do: with stuff. Lots of stuff. With help from his friend, Joshua Fields Millburn he was enlightened with the word “minimalism” and the rest was history. Nicodemus took the lifestyle head-on.
Nicodemus and Millburn came up with the idea of throwing a Packing Party. Nicodemus decided to pack all of his belongings as if he were moving. And then he would unpack only the items he needed over the next three weeks. After three weeks, 80% of his stuff was still in those boxes. “All those things that were supposed to make me happy weren’t doing their job,” shared Nicodemus.
So what did he do next?
He donated and sold it all. And you know what? He started to feel rich for the first time in his life. “I felt rich once I got everything out of the way, so I could make room for everything that remains.”
“The Minimalists” don’t necessarily encourage every person to go to that same extreme, but they do want the door of opportunity to be open for you the listener to seeing how much of your possessions have use and worth in your life. And with that lens, you may see things differently.
What do you think of a having Packing Party? Worth giving it a try? Leaves your thoughts and comments below.
