Minimalism … you’ve read about it, likely watched the documentary, and heard a few interviews about how the Minimalist Lifestyle benefits you and your world.

Heck, maybe you’ve even tried to commit to it.

OR at the very least, open your wardrobe and throw a bunch of old clothes into a bag that sits in the back of your car for weeks on end…

The problem is, minimalism requires a huge leap of faith.

You have, after all, spent years acquiring all those items.

To just give them away or throw them in the trash… I mean, come on!

I hear you. But here’s the all-important point you are missing:

Minimalism IS NOT About The Things You Own!

It goes much deeper, covering Four Essential Elements that we’ll get to very soon I promise. Because once you realize this and see how the “real” Minimalist Lifestyle benefits you, your family, and every facet of your life… you are able to finally Let Go of what’s currently holding you back, keeping you stuck inside The Hustle, and overwhelming your senses to the point of burnout & depression.

Because although minimalism doesn’t fix everything, it goes a long way and far, far deeper than you likely imagine…

the REAL minimalist lifestyle benefits

The Minimalist Lifestyle benefits you in more ways than the obvious.

Most think it’s about getting rid of the stuff you own…

• Clothes
• Shoes
• Books
• Boxes with “just in case items” inside
• Clutter in all its form!

Your thoughts likely gravitate toward blank walls and emptiness.

And sure, that is a part of it.

Yet it goes much, much deeper.

There’s a passage from Beyond The Pale that explains this…

That vagabond character, Wil, talks about it with Ferdinand, saying:

“Do you recall when you were last here, how I spoke of letting go of the clutter in my life?”

I nod.

“At the time, we talked about how I let go of the ‘things’ in my life: books, gadgets, clothes; to be minimal. But this isn’t where my personal cleansing began, and in truth it wasn’t the most important part. Because before you can let go of the many things that surround you, you must first simply learn to let go.” He leans closer, places his palm over his chest. “Of those thoughts, feelings, desires, fears, everything… not always let go, in the sense of ridding them. Because if a feeling is real, it is real. But rather, letting go by accepting it is there. To let go by letting it in; to let it be.”

He places his coffee cup on the floor and joins me on the couch. “Stoicism is a fascinating and layered subject, but in essence it comes down to letting go. We have so little control in our life, and yet most of us — all of us — commit so much energy into gaining control over the uncontrollable. It blinds us, corrupts us, and, if we let it, defines us.

“Letting go allows us to break free, and simply be: be with your thoughts; be with your feelings; be who you are, and be in love with who that person is.”

The true benefits of minimalism isn’t to have less stuff, but rather to have less occupying your thoughts, emotions, and energy. It’s about building your own version of a Simple Life, so you reap the benefits of greater clarity and joy.

These are the REAL minimalist lifestyle benefits that lay the foundations for so much more. Right now, you’re part of a busy, fast-paced, and unrelenting society that vies for your attention each day and tempts you into the hustle.

To fight it, and to escape it, is to Let Go and Let Be.

Yet you cannot do this unless you shed your life of things that weigh you down.

And these things take on numerous forms…

the 4 elements of minimalism

The Minimalist Lifestyle benefits you in many ways because there are many facets to this less-is-more way of living.

It isn’t just about the clothes you own or the items you buy to make you feel better. The true notion of minimalism—indeed, the real reason you should give a damn—is because it rids your life of excess.

And that’s a big deal because you are a simple human being with a simple mind that’s evolved slowly over a long time. Whereas this modern society we’re a part of… well, it’s taken some huge leaps in recent centuries.

To the point where we have no idea what the hell we’re doing!

So don’t get caught up in the physical side of minimalism. There are actually four elements to it, and although those tangible items are important, they may not be as pivotal as we make out.

Although they do matter, so let’s start with them because it’s likely what caught your attention and threw you down the Minimalist rabbit hole in the first place…

Physical minimalism

This is the obvious side of minimalism and where the Minimalist Lifestyle benefits make the most sense. It centers around the STUFF you buy.

… and that you’ve acquired over a long, long time!

It’s not your fault. We live in a world that glorifies owning things. We equate it to wealth, power, purpose, and happiness. You know buying that new bag won’t really make you happy, but it gives you a sense of achievement, and, at the very least, distracts you for a while so you don’t think about everything you could think about.

We literally have a concept called Retail Therapy, for goodness sake!

Think about that and how insane it is… the idea that going shopping will actually help you. It doesn’t. We know it doesn’t. Yet how often do we turn to IT when we feel down, overwhelmed, lethargic, etc..

There are many problems with this, but one of the main issues is that the more STUFF you buy, the more this STUFF occupies your mind. You worry about losing it, or that someone will take it from you.

Often, maintaining this stuff requires even more money, time, and energy.

Once you let go of it and remove the excess, you release much of its burden. Yet not everything, because the physical side of minimalism only goes so deep.

digital minimalism

This is a relatively new piece of the puzzle.

But boy-oh-boy does it play an important role!

Today, to some degree, almost all of us rely on the online world. From email to social media, invaluable software to binge-worthy streaming services… we are a connected species and we are addicted to it.

It’s not just the internet at play here, either, but TV and media as a whole.

Each day, you’re bombarded with messages, content, and far too much choice. It is difficult to wrap our precious little minds around, and so we often get caught up in its viscous cycle and go with the flow.

Before you know it, you’ve lost another hour to Doom Scrolling.

• OR that new TV show you don’t even like, but you’re nearly at the end of the season so you may as well keep going…
• OR you’ve lost yourself down a YouTube rabbit hole, learning a lot about a topic you have no need to know about…
• OR you’ve shot a bunch of video footage so you can finally jump on that new amazing platform, even though you hate the thought of being on there…

It isn’t that the internet, or the media, or social media, or any of it is bad … it’s just that it offers a lot and often we don’t give ourselves the permission to say NO.

We’re at the mercy of the algorithm, and before long we lose control.

We need less of it; we need to focus on less so we can give more purpose to what actually matters … this brings us to the next piece of the puzzle.

mental minimalism

Knowledge is amazing. We live at the most incredible point in history, almost all of us capable of learning just about anything.

• All the books
• The articles
• Videos
• Podcasts
• Interviews
• Courses
• Programs
• Training
• Talks
• …

It’s there at our fingertips. It’s amazing, yet at the same time, horrifying!

Because we are but a single person. We’re not supposed to become experts at everything. We only have so much time, energy, and mental bandwidth.

Yet we’re forever tempted to LEARN!

To read that new book everyone’s raving about. To listen to podcasts because that’s what everyone else does. To keep up to date with all the channels you subscribe to on YouTube. To be well informed about this topic … that trend … all the current affairs present in the world…

If you have the audacity to say,  “I don’t know about that thing”…

You feel guilty, stupid, or inadequate. 

But most of the time, this is only due to your own insecurities.

And we are insecure, and it’s this constant EXCESS that fuels it; that overwhelms us; that consumes us to the point where we feel fragile and burned out.

This brings us to the fourth slice of this over-indulgent pie…

emotional minimalism

All of the above—and life overall—fills us with thoughts, feelings, worries, ideas, dreams, and every other emotion you can imagine.

All. AT. ONCE!

Modern life is exhausting.

You are either in a constant state of existential crisis OR ignorantly numb because you’ve checked out and have said f*ck it.

We talk about Personal Growth and Development, yet many of us try to pursue it while we’re full to the brim with life’s cocktail. We end up making it worse because we try to learn more … feel more … BE more when there’s no room left inside us. If we genuinely wish to grow, heal, and evolve, we first need to let out some air because this wheel’s about to pop!

That is why minimalism matters.

Not because owning less means you’re better or selfless or “with it”.

It just means you have less stuff — physical, digital, mental & emotional — to navigate each day. In time, you begin to gain clarity and appreciate what you truly feel and what you actually need.

You hone in on what a HELL YES looks like, which allows you to say no to everything else without fear of judgment, letting others down, or FOMO.

It’s all linked: Physical + Digital + Mental + Emotional.

One fuels the next, and around and around you go. Yet because they are all linked, once you focus on one it opens you up to the others. This is when the Minimalist Lifestyle benefits you, not because you now own fewer shoes, but because you’ve freed up space to finally live the life you deserve.

how to enjoy minimalist lifestyle benefits

Before we focus on a few important questions to help get you started, let me just say you deserve to live a less chaotic existence.

I don’t know your situation or what you’ve been through. I have no clue as to what your future looks like. All I do know is you’re human, and, as such, you are fragile, imperfect, and part of a world that goes much faster than you can.

The hustle is real. It’s all around you and unrelenting.

Minimalism doesn’t get rid of it. It’s out there and it is what it is.

All you can do is take control over what you can control and SLOW your personal world down just enough so you can actually enjoy the time you have.

Because times goes quickly, my friend. One day, you will die.

So spend a little time today reflecting on these questions so you can take charge tomorrow and make that all-important step to escape the hustle and grind.

1: what items do I cling on to & own out of societal obligation?

Although the Physical is no more important than the other three elements, it is often easier to grasp and take control of.

You can see and hold the items you own, after all.

That’s easier to digest than thoughts and feelings.

Plus, we tend to be less addicted to items (in comparison to our digital reliance, for example), and more often than not selling or giving things away feels therapeutic.

So start your journey by thinking about the items you own, not because YOU want them, but because you feel you should.

Maybe it’s a phone. Your car. Certain clothes. A giant TV. 

That games’ console you hardly ever use!

Make a list of whatever comes to mind.

2: how much time & energy do I spend fretting over these items?

Once you have your list, go through it and think about the time you spend on each.

• The time you spent buying it… saving for it… dreaming about owning it.
• The time you spend having to maintain and keep it.
• The energy it takes just to have it in your life!

Take your wardrobe, for example…

If you had fewer clothes, wouldn’t it be easier to get ready in the morning? If you didn’t care about “trends”, how much time and money would you save?

Often, we assume the stuff we own makes us happy.

Yet when you dive deeper, you realize it has the opposite effect.

3: what emotions & feelings arise from maintaining these items?

While you’re in your list, think about the feelings that arise as you do all this.

What stirs inside you?

• Guilt?
• Fear?
• Anxiety?
• Frustration?
• Anger?
• Desire?

Your life is your life. You deserve to surround yourself with things, people, and stuff that fuels you, inspires you, and lights you up. 

If they don’t, it’s time to make changes and take back control.

*bonus* what ONE thing can I do today to start letting go?

You don’t need all the answers right now, but you’ll feel better for doing something.

So… what can you do today?

What item can you start with, sell, or give away?

And then, what can you do to keep going … not just the physical aspects of your life, but those three other elements: Digital + Mental + Emotional?

None of this *just* happens.

It takes time. It requires commitment. And at no point is it binary where owning something is right or wrong. What it comes down to is YOU honing in on what matters to YOU. The more purpose you have, the more purposeful you’ll be.

Yet for this, you need to release some of the burden you carry.

That’s why the Mininamlis Lifestyle benefits you. I hope having read this, you now see why; and how it goes much deeper than cleaning out your wardrobe.

hi, i’m turndog and I wrote this article … i am a writer, ghostwriter, anti-hustler & a guy on a mission to ensure you too escape the hustle — come be part of the [no hustle] movement

hi, i’m turndog and I wrote this article … i am a writer, ghostwriter, anti-hustler & a guy on a mission to ensure you too escape the hustle — come be part of the [no hustle] movement